Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA)

Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) A PRESENTATION MADE AT THE Human Capital Development Forum in ICT 24th to 26th February 2014 crossroads hotel DalitsoJumbe

ENGAGE FOR SUCCESS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN THE WORKPLACE

STATISTICS AND BACKGROUND • A research conducted recently in the U.S. ,states that about 70 percent of U.S. workers don’t like their job, creating an environment where many workers are emotionally disconnected from their workplace and less productive than engaged counterparts. • The research further states that these employees were careless – dropping equipment, wasting materials, and often not accepting any responsibility for their work. They showed up for work, did what they were told to do, and, at the end of their shift, went home; the same routine would be repeated the next day. Promoting Universal ICT Access

Yet within the same U.S., there are companies which are getting it right. Companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, and Coca-Cola. These companies earning keep growing and beating investors expectations. What differentiates them is the commitment of their employees. Their employ engagement levels. Promoting Universal ICT Access

being positively present during the performance of work by willingly contributing intellectual effort, experiencing positive emotions and meaningful connections to others (CIPD). Employees’ willingness and ability to contribute to company success.’ (Towers Perrin) ‘Staff commitment and a sense of belonging to the organization.’ (Hewitt) ‘Employees’ commitment to the organization and motivation to contribute to the organization’s success.’ (Mercer) ‘Employees’ exertion of “discretionary effort”…going beyond meeting the minimum standards of the job.’ (Hay) WHAT IS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Promoting Universal ICT Access

WHAT IS ENGAGEMENT – cont’d • ‘Creating a sense that individuals are a part of a greater entity.’ (Best Practices, LLC) • ‘Engagement represents the energy, effort, and initiative employees bring to their jobs’ (Harvard Business Review) • Engagement is about motivating employees to go the extra mile in the workplace. It is about encouraging employees to have a passion for their work, and identifying the organization as more than a place to earn money • Employee engagement is a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organization's goals and values, motivated to contribute to organizational success, and are able at the same time to enhance their own sense of well-being. Promoting Universal ICT Access

In all these definitions, three dimensions are evident, these are; Intellectual engagement – thinking hard about the job and how to do it better Affective engagement – feeling positively about doing a good job Social engagement – actively taking opportunities to discuss work-related improvements with others at work. Promoting Universal ICT Access

It is generally seen as an internal state of being – both physical, mental and emotional. “in the zone” “attaining flow” “optimal experience”. These are typical phrases used in employee engagement writing include discretionary effort, going the extra mile, feeling valued and passion for work. Another element of employee engagement that is often considered essential is being aware of business context, or understanding the line of sight between one’s own job role and the purpose and objectives of the organization. Promoting Universal ICT Access

WHY EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT • Employers want engaged employees because, as well as being happier, healthier and more fulfilled, they deliver improved business performance. • Research has repeatedly demonstrated a relationship between how people are managed, employee attitudes and business performance. There are nuances in the drivers and outcomes of employee engagement, but this basic link holds true across different sectors and job roles. • Positive relationships are evidenced with profit, revenue growth, customer satisfaction, productivity, innovation, staff retention, efficiency and health and safety performance. Promoting Universal ICT Access

Organisations also increasingly recognise the importance of their brand and reputation. Engaged employees will be stronger advocates of their organisations and help protect the employer from the reputational risks associated with poor service levels or product quality. • Conversely, having a disengaged workforce brings huge risks. As well as productivity losses, organisations may lose their best people and face huge difficulties when embedding organisational change if employees are not on board. • Disengagement also threatens effective collaboration, innovation and human capital management, as employees will not be inclined to use their tacit knowledge and skills for the good of the organisation. Promoting Universal ICT Access

OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLES? • But is employee engagement something new, or simply old wine in new bottles? Is it just the latest management fad? • The consensus is that it does have clear overlaps with commitment, ‘organisational citizenship behaviour’, job involvement and job satisfaction. • There is a crucial difference, engagement is two way: organisations must work to engage the employee. who in turn has a choice about the level of engagement to offer the employer. Each reinforces the other. Promoting Universal ICT Access

An engaged employee experiences a blend of job satisfaction, organisational commitment, job involvement and feelings of empowerment. It is a concept that is greater than the sum of its parts. Promoting Universal ICT Access

While there are no right and fast way to engage employee, the following factors have been found to have a positive impact on engagement and engagement levels within an organisation. 1. Connect: Leaders must show that they value employees. when they proclaim that, “Our employees are our most valuable employees asset.”-focused initiatives such as profit sharing and implementing work–life balance initiatives are important. However, if employees’ relationship with their managers is fractured, then no amount of perks will persuade employees to perform at top levels. Employee engagement is a direct reflection of how employees feel about their relationship with the boss. Employees look at whether organizations and their leader walk the talk HOW? EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Promoting Universal ICT Access

2. Career: Leaders should provide challenging and meaningful work with opportunities for career advancement. Most people want to do new things in their job. For example, do organizations provide job rotation for their top talent? Are people assigned stretch goals? Do leaders hold people accountable for progress? Are jobs enriched in duties and responsibilities? Good leaders challenge employees; but at the same time, they must instill the confidence that the challenges can be met. Not giving people the knowledge and tools to be successful is unethical and de-motivating; it is also likely to lead to stress, frustration, and, ultimately, lack of engagement. HOW Promoting Universal ICT Access

3. Clarity: Leaders must communicate a clear vision. People want to understand the vision that senior leadership has for the organization, and the goals that leaders or departmental heads have for the division, unit, or team. Success in life and organizations is, to a great extent, determined by how clear individuals are about their goals and what they really want to achieve. In sum, employees need to understand what the organization’s goals are, why they are important, and how the goals can best be attained. Clarity about what the organization stands for, what it wants to achieve, and how people can contribute to the organization’s success is not always evident. HOW Promoting Universal ICT Access

Control: Employees value control over the flow and pace of their jobs and leaders can create opportunities for employees to exercise this control. Do leaders consult with their employees with regard to their needs? Do leaders involve employees in decision-making, particularly when employees will be directly affected by the decision? Do employees have a say in setting goals or milestones that are deemed important? Are employees able to voice their ideas, and does leadership show that contributions are valued? Collaborate: when employees work in teams and have the trust and cooperation of their team members, they outperform individuals and teams which lack good relationships. Great leaders are team builders; they create an environment that fosters trust and collaboration. HOW……… Promoting Universal ICT Access

Credibility: Leaders should strive to maintain a company’s reputation and demonstrate high ethical standards. People want to be proud of their jobs, their performance, and their organization. Confidence: Good leaders help create confidence in a company by being exemplars of high ethical and performance standards. HOW……… Promoting Universal ICT Access

How do we find out what or how our employees are thinking or feeling about the organisation? In the first a survey is needed to establish the level of engagement. Fundamental to managing engagement as a process is ensuring that action is taken on the findings of employee attitude surveys WHAT ARE OUR PEOPLE FEELING? Promoting Universal ICT Access

CIPD research into employee attitudes found that the main drivers of employee engagement were: having opportunities to feed your views upwards feeling well-informed about what is happening in the organisation believing that your manager is committed to your organisation. Similarly the Institute of Employment Studies (IES) has concluded that the main driver of engagement is a sense of feeling valued and involved. The main components of this are said to be: What should you do as a manager or business?...continued Promoting Universal ICT Access

involvement in decision-making. freedom to voice ideas, to which managers listen. feeling enabled to perform well. having opportunities to develop the job. feeling the organisation is concerned for employees’ health and well-being. What should you do as a manager or business? Promoting Universal ICT Access

Employees are seeking to gain more than just money from their job and career. By working with a company they hope to gain both professional and personal skills. Engage employees through direct communication by involving them in important decisions and keeping them informed of new developments or changes within the company. Get to know your employees as well as their goals and aspirations, so that together you can develop a clear path for advancement and opportunities for growth. What should you do as a manager or business?...continued. Promoting Universal ICT Access

Develop a strong employee-manager relationship. It is often true that when employees leave an organization, they are in fact leaving their manager. 5 Provide efficient and ongoing training for new and experienced employees as well as offering rewards and recognition for employees who excel and/or demonstrate a strong passion for their work and organization. Studies show that the main driver of engagement is a sense of feeling valued and involved. Listen to employees and act on their suggestions. Just listening and not acknowledging, responding or acting on what is being heard can damage credibility and morale. What should you do as a manager or business?......continued. Promoting Universal ICT Access

Remain supportive of the engagement initiative while monitoring the work-life balance of employees. Highly engaged people run the risk of burnout by becoming too eager and too passionate about their work. What should you do as a manager or business?....continued Promoting Universal ICT Access

Engaged employees have the power to transform the organization from mediocre performance to a stellar performance. Leaders and mangers in all functions and at all levels should pay close attention to building employee engagement. Employee engagement sets a focus on employee satisfaction and well-being with a focus on performance for the good of the employee and the good of the organisation. Therefore it makes sense to ensure that our people are engaged to contribute effectively to the organisations mission and vision. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION CONCLUSION Promoting Universal ICT Access

Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA)