How can employee engagement be improved at the RRG Group? Part 1

Abstract

PurposeThis is the first of two papers that concern employee engagement, this one aims to review the literature and the second, to be in the next edition, aims to look at a detailed study at a large UK motor vehicle retailer the RRG Group.Design/methodology/approachThe aim was to assess the main factors encouraging or preventing employee engagement, with specific reference to those employed within certain branches. The methods used were: assessing the qualitative data through attitudinal surveys, analyzing complete customer satisfaction (CCS) scores and telephone interviews with former employees.FindingsResearch suggests that employees are fairly constant in how involved they are in their jobs and organizations, or how alienated they have become. However, it is more realistic to assume that reactions to work fluctuate over a period of time. The link between employee engagement and work performance is explored.Practical implicationsThe second part will, in the next edition, discuss with reference to research in the motor retail sector the key role of management in creating and maintaining an engaged workforce.Originality/valueThe fluctuating nature of engagement is explored in the context of the management role in enhancing work performance.

Antecedents to Employee Engagement

“…Practitioners should realize that even small efforts to focus on recognizing what the organization does well can have a positive outcome on engagement. There is always some fluctuation in engagement and performance over time (Evans & Redfern, 2010), so any snapshot or survey will show variation; we suspect this ebb and flow is natural and a function of the effort and rest required for extended periods of high-energy exertion. This is a simple application to help determine what strategies make sense in enhancing individual and organizational readiness for engagement and offered only as a first step; we hope other researchers will contribute to the emerging conversation and continue the refinement of the both Indexes .…”

Conceptualising work engagement

“…We use this article to discuss the development of a macro-analytical framework for work engagement in light of the supermarket retail sector, as a contextual background (see Figure 1). As already mentioned, the rationale for this approach is that much of the existing work on engagement has centred on the supermarket retail sector, with award winning organisations such as B&Q and Sainsbury (Pollit, 2008;Elliott, 2009;Evans and Redfern, 2010). We therefore explore the role of multi-level forms of efficacy and organisational interactions for promoting effective work engagement, with some general implications for the supermarket retail sector.…”

“…Promoting collaborative leadership strategies help efficacious engagement, in terms of developing innovative organisational communication initiatives, where employees and managers are both involved and mutually supportive. Central to the success of engagement is the pivotal role of the group/team manager, if he/she is not a committed human agent, or an engagement leader, there is less likelihood of stimulating beneficial reciprocal exchanges from employees (McBain, 2007;Evans and Redfern, 2010).…”

“…The commitment to aligning work life balance and teamwork within organisations must equate to the development of supportive managerial practices and social interactions which encourage reciprocity and involvement (Pajares, 2002(Pajares, , 2003Xu and Thomas, 2011). Many of the larger retailers such as Sainsbury's and B&Q are now demonstrating higher commitment by rolling out engagement initiatives across stores and branches of their organisations in a systematic way (Evans and Redfern, 2010). They allow for the self-efficacy development of their employees in terms of increasing capability through the development of new skills, as well as facilitating personal and social development growth.…”

Quiet Desperation

“…Engagement is not a static state; it fluctuates over time (Evans & Redfern, 2010). It may be more appropriate to discuss a continuum of engagement, from fully engaged Wollard 529 through occasionally and/or temporarily disengaged to actively disengaged and to ask if full engagement at all times is possible, or even fair to ask?…”