New Trends in Employee Engagement In IT Industry
The IT industry is dealing with a slew of concerns and challenges related to how to use the available personnel and talent use. (Bakker, A.B. and Albrecht, S., 2018). Effective worker engagement is necessary to maintain a high level of employee motivation. (Anand, P., 2011). Employee engagement hinges on the management's ability to inspire trust. (Cattermole, G., 2018). At the very least, employees must understand what motivates the firm for which they work, as well as the organization's goals and how to attain employees. (Ewing, M., Men, L.R. and O’Neil, J., 2019). Employee and management trust may be built via proper openness and efficient communication. According to different studies, the major element that affects employee engagement is the behavior regarding the emerging trends in employee engagement in the IT industry. (Manjunath, S. and Chandni, M.C., 2018).
Employee engagement is gaining traction as a motivating idea and practice since firms are increasingly focusing on building the internal environment by implementing effective engagement strategies on a continuous basis in order to maintain a highly motivated workforce. (Bakker, A.B. and Albrecht, S., 2018). The purpose of the study is to offer some recommendations for a model that may be utilized to effectively engage employees in the workplace by meeting both career aspirations and the goals of the business. (Bhatnagar, J., 2007).
After the pandemic situation, most IT companies started working remotely. Currently, with the fewer effects of the pandemic situation, Companies have started working in hybrid mode; onsite and Remote. Below video shares some information on hybrid working in the IT industry. (Yadav, S., Dubey, A., Chawla, P. and Jha, S., 2020).
Video 1: Hybrid Working in IT Industry
(Source: Gartner, 2021)
In the new era, the Information Technology industry is concentrating on unique engagement tactics based on the concepts of communication, appreciation, incentives, recognition, and care. Employees' personal and professional objectives are being prioritized in the workplace today, recognizing the vital role of employee engagement in improving the organization's overall success. (Ewing, M., Men, L.R. and O’Neil, J., 2019). Employee engagement used to be quite restricted, and it only existed as an extension of employee happiness and motivation programs. (Motyka, B., 2018). As a result, analyzing evolving trends in "Employee engagement" is critical, as the reliability and validity of newly added components remain promising study areas in employee engagement.(Casey, D. and Sieber, S., 2016).
The new "Employee Engagement" tendencies can be described as below.
1. Open Communication Platforms
The necessity of open communication in enterprises is stressed in twenty-first-century organizations.(Motyka, B., 2018). Organizations hold special events and webcasts to encourage workers to open up to the seniors and top management in order to foster a sense of transparency and belonging in the workplace. (Yadav, S., Dubey, A., Chawla, P. and Jha, S., 2020). Transparent business culture is unquestionably beneficial to effective employee engagement. " Jira" and Meets" are excellent examples of an open platform. (Yadav, S., Dubey, A., Chawla, P. and Jha, S., 2020). Typically, such gatherings include presentations of financial figures, new projects, and updates from various sectors of the corporation. (Cattermole, G., 2018).
2. Social Media As A Tool For Internal Communication
External activities including as branding, marketing, and recruitment have shown to be beneficial using social media. (Anand, P., 2011). Recently, social media has been utilized as a tool to improve employee communication, cooperation, creativity, and information sharing within organizations. Employees have access to both public and private social media channels. (Ewing, M., Men, L.R. and O’Neil, J., 2019).
3. Blogs For Imparting Informal Dialogues
Today, a company's success is communication, and firms that recognize this pulse are attempting to instill open, informal communication among employees through blogs, which are a great venue for constructive conversations and expressions. (Anand, P., 2011). Such efforts assist the company in stimulating innovative ideas as well as fostering emotional bonds between employees and the organization. (Motyka, B., 2018).
4. Gamification
The use of games in the workplace, typically for repetitive jobs, smart recruiting, or obtaining performance-related duties, has proven to be effective in promoting employee engagement. This strategy aids in preventing brain drain caused by continuous work. (Ewing, M., Men, L.R. and O’Neil, J., 2019).
5. Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives
Planting trees, making the workplace more eco-friendly, screening ecological movies, setting up stalls for eco-friendly products, encouraging the use of mass transportation rather than individual vehicles, and other eco-sustainability initiatives and Go Green campaigns create a sense of respect and dignity among employees, which can indirectly influence them to engage in their work more productively. (Motyka, B., 2018).
6. Programs to Empower and Appreciate Women
The technique of "Employee Engagement in IT" is currently through a special phase of specialized "Women Employee Engagement Programs. (Ewing, M., Men, L.R. and O’Neil, J., 2019). " Women employees are losing their personal space for creative and innovative thoughts as they float through the stress and rigor of family life and work-life; even if they are dissatisfied with their workplace, proximity prevents them from switching jobs; the end result is a completely disengaged employee. (Anand, P., 2011). Fortunately, businesses are increasingly taking this issue seriously, and several initiatives have been implemented in this area. (Anand, P., 2011). A solid connection with the workplace, coworkers, and superiors may engage a woman employee more successfully than Flexi times and daycare facilities. (Motyka, B., 2018).
7. Generational Distinctions
Each generation has its own characteristics and demeanors, as well as expectations from the workplace, thoughts on incentives and recognition programs, and attitudes toward coworkers and technology improvements. (Yadav, S., Dubey, A., Chawla, P., and Jha, S., 2020). It is difficult to design an engagement program that meets the needs of a multigenerational workforce. (Yadav, S., Dubey, A., Chawla, P., and Jha, S., 2020). However, It is a special advantage, when it comes to multinational IT projects because each person has a different mindset to address the problems with creativity. (Ewing, M., Men, L.R. and O’Neil, J., 2019).
In Sri Lankan IT industry, there are many companies adhering to these trends. Many IT companies have accepted eco-friendly concepts and given a space for employees' mind relaxation as well.
Some reputed IT companies in Sri Lanka are not very strict with on-site working. Therefore women employees are highly engaged with software companies with good salaries because it helps them to balance their work-life and family life.
After the pandemic situation, usage of social media increased in my organization and many other organizations. "Teams" and "Zoom" are the most popular meeting applications in my organization.
Employee engagement is a key function that requires ongoing study and monitoring throughout an organization's lifespan. Employees must be involved in the development of an ideal employee engagement program, and businesses must consider the employees' personal, professional, and societal goals while planning and implementing the program. Employees' changing lifestyles, as well as possible obstacles in both the internal and external environments, have a significant influence on their work lives. Dealing with such critical problems and adjustments is the current trend in IT industry.
References
Anand, P., 2011. Case study on employee engagement and performance appraisal: ITC Maurya. Review of Management, 1(2), p.83.
Bakker, A.B. and Albrecht, S., 2018. Work engagement: current trends. Career Development International.
Bhatnagar, J., 2007. Talent management strategy of employee engagement in Indian ITES employees: key to retention. Employee relations.
Casey, D. and Sieber, S., 2016. Employees, sustainability and motivation: Increasing employee engagement by addressing sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Research in Hospitality Management, 6(1), pp.69-76.
Cattermole, G., 2018. Creating an employee engagement strategy for millennials. Strategic HR Review.
Evangeline, E.T. and Ragavan, V.G., 2016. Organisational culture and motivation as instigators for employee engagement. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 9(2), pp.1-4.
Ewing, M., Men, L.R. and O’Neil, J., 2019. Using social media to engage employees: Insights from internal communication managers. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 13(2), pp.110-132.
Gartner (2021). The Future of Hybrid Working. Gartner. Available at: https://youtu.be/U5qfgarKjaQ
Manjunath, S. and Chandni, M.C., 2018. WINNING EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN IT SECTOR: AN ANALYSIS ON EMERGING TRENDS & CHALLENGES. ISBR MANAGEMENT JOURNAL ISSN (Online)-2456-9062, 3(2).
Motyka, B., 2018. Employee engagement and performance: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Management and Economics, 54(3), pp.227-244
Yadav, S., Dubey, A., Chawla, P. and Jha, S., 2020. Employee Engagement Strategy for Employees Working in Virtual Environment in the IT Industry.
Hi Pavani, adding to your topic"Solomon Markos and M. Sandhya Sridevi (2010) “identified ten points in order to have employees engaged in any organization. They are: Start it on day one, start it from the top, enhance employee engagement through two-way communication, give satisfactory opportunities for development and advancement. Organizations should ensure that employees have everything they need to do their jobs, give employees appropriate training, have strong feedback system, Incentives have a part to play, build a distinctive corporate culture, Focus on top-performing employees”
ReplyDeleteHi Nishad, Thank you for your comment. According to Yadav, S., Dubey, A., Chawla, P., and Jha, S., (2020) each generation has its own characteristics and demeanors, as well as expectations from the workplace, thoughts on incentives and recognition programs, and attitudes toward coworkers and technology improvements. Employees should have everything they need to execute their tasks, and firms should provide proper training, a strong feedback system, incentives, and a distinctive corporate culture. Concentrate on high-performing employees.
DeleteHi Pavani. Interesting post about the new trends. In addition to the above trends, organizations have added a wellness support program to assess employees' financial, mental, and physical health in wake of the pandemic to increase employee performance (Gartner, 2020) According to the study, organizations that adopted these programs have seen a significant increase in employee engagement.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashanthi, Thank you for the comment and I agree with you. Organizational globalization has resulted in extraordinary changes in job descriptions and workforce diversity. Employee engagement has evolved as a critical management-focused activity for organizations seeking to compete and perform in a dynamic and competitive environment while also aligning with their aims and objectives. Casey, D. and Sieber, S., (2016).
DeleteHi Pavani , an interesting post. Let me add few ideas In terms of hiring pregnant women are discriminated against at most workplaces and on the other hand, they are at the risk of firing as well by the time the maternity leave comes to an end. According to the Centenary Declaration for the future of work of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in order to upkeep the economy ensuring a more balanced sharing of family responsibilities is necessary. Therefore, there is a close connection between the economic empowerment of women and gender equality. Furthermore, implementing family-friendly policies like providing support for breastfeeding during work time, other mother-baby related support and lower healthcare costs brings in a more positive impact ( International Labour Organization ,2020).
ReplyDeleteHi Nilushi I totally agree with your post. Unfortunately, not all companies value their employees' personal lives. Unsupportive workplaces for family members can be difficult for all employees, but especially for pregnant women who are carrying a physical reminder of their family life. to look into how women manage family unsupportive organizational perceptions during pregnancy through social identity-based impression management practices, as well as how these tactics connect to stress levels and work-family conflict. These findings indicate solutions for both companies and pregnant workers to reduce stress at a time when both mother and baby's health is crucial. Little, L. M., Hinojosa, A. S., Paustian-Underdahl, S., & Zipay, K. P. (2018)
DeleteHi Pavani , It 's interesting and like to add here , A new generation of workers wants more than just a job; they want to be engaged and enthusiastic about their work, and they want to feel linked to and valued by their employers. Unfortunately, the majority of workers do not share this sentiment (Lanny Entrekin, 2013).
ReplyDeleteHi Maheshani, I agree with your comment. Employee satisfaction, performance, and engagement are critical for successful firms. This study looked into what elements lead to a contented employee, such as job fit, excellent communication, appreciation, and clear objectives. The company and individual factors in employee happiness will also be examined in this study. Another important success factor for firms will be job performance. Employee satisfaction, performance, and engagement are all important factors for successful firms. This study looked into what characteristics lead to a happy employee, such as job fit, clear objectives, and excellent communication. The company and individual factors in employee happiness will also be examined in the research. Organizational success will also be measured by job performance. Employees who are engaged are committed to the company and have a strong emotional relationship to it. Al Raisi et al., (2011)
DeleteHi Pavani. Very important and exciting post on the ''New Trends'' in IT industry.
ReplyDeleteMost often employee engagement has been defined as emotional and intellectual commitment to the organization (Baumruk 2004, Richman 2006 and Shaw 2005) or the amount of discretionary effort exhibited by employees in their job (Frank et al 2004)
Hi Ruwan, Thank you and I agree with your comment. To achieve their goals, successful firms rely on their employees' outstanding performance. Their staff must perform at a high level in order to fulfill their strategic goals and maintain their competitive edge. Organizational behavior philosophers believe that it is also crucial to have the right employees for the right jobs. Employing and retaining high-performing individuals is critical for organizations to achieve their strategic goals and gain a competitive advantage. Siddika, (2012).
DeleteHi Pavani, as you have mentioned, the success or failure of the company depends on employee performance, well-being, and productivity by driving toward the values and goals of the company. The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged many working cultures with lockdowns, travel restrictions, and lack of tools and resaurces (Kataria, 2020). Owing to this situation, organizations were compelled to adapt to the latest trends to make a more productive workforce. Personalized objectives signify the importance of the workforce while common objectives signify team working
ReplyDeleteHi Chamara, I agree with your post. Employees who are deeply committed to their company provide superior customer service, retention, productivity, and profits. True engagement occurs when all employees in an organization are passionate about the business strategy. Employees are more than satisfied with their jobs, they are proud to serve and promote the company's products and brand.Employee engagement is an “emergent working condition and a positive cognitive, emotional and behavioral state
Deletedirected toward organizational outcomes”. Shuck and Wollard, (2009).