PurpleLine Consulting

I was really impressed by the range of articles on management and leadership topics covered in Ascent, a supplement of the Times of India.

An excellent article by Nina Sandhu Johal , HR Director of Microsoft India Development Center outlines ways of developing employee engagement.

She says ‘Many dictionaries define the word ‘engaged’ as the condition of being ‘in gear’. The ideal state for any employer is to have employees who are ‘fully in gear’. An employee is fully in gear when certain elements about his/her work, manager and the work environment are in alignment with the employment situation.’

Her pointers for effective employee engagement include:

• good basic terms and conditions of employment

• the importance of knowing your employees and understanding what motivates them

• training managers’ to develop their ability to flex their style to suit the preferences of individual employees

• holding regular meetings to discuss performance and targets

• understanding employees’ role as ambassadors for the business

• investing resources in training, skill development and mentoring.

She highlights the fact that ‘as companies continue to grow, it is this population of employees that can service to build a bench for leadership positions. As solid management practices become embedded in the organisation, it becomes the true fabric of how the organisation operates and employees will remain more ‘fully in gear’’.

See also my article: How engaging is your business?.