We currently live in a dynamic business and global environment that requires constant adaptation and flexibility to achieve organizational goals. One can argue that the secret of an organization’s success, especially in the current revolving landscape, lies on an organization’s workforce. Having employees perform and adapt to constant changes plays a big role in an organization’s overall success. Moreover, we often hear and learn that having an engaged workforce is key to developing positive organizational outcomes. These outcomes include higher productivity levels, competitive advantage and overall organizational success. But what can organizations do to have employee engagement especially during turbulent times?
Turbulent times bring uncertainty. Due to this, individuals and organizations can experience a decrease in engagement levels. William Kahn (1990) describes employee engagement as a positive force that connects employees to their organization emotionally, physically, and cognitively. In his studies, Kahn explored work conditions in which people are able to engage and disengage, describing three psychological conditions: meaningfulness, safety, and availability. He explains that psychological meaningfulness gives sense of being worthwhile, useful and valuable. Psychological safetygives an individual a sense of not having to worry about retaliation despite turbulent conditions. Psychological availabilityrefers to the physical energy individuals manifest when engaging in their tasks at a particular moment. During turbulent times, organizations must know the importance that these three factors have on employees and their performance level.The fostering of these three pillars are crucial to the development and continuation of an engaged workforce.
We want to pay close attention to the psychological safety aspect described above. As humans, safety makes us feel comfortable, whether it is our personal or our professional lives. The lack of safety often spills over from one aspect to the other causing uneasiness, therefore disengagement. Psychological safety gives us peace of mind and trust to carry on. Providing a safe zone for employees is an important factor that organizations must embrace. This safe zone includes practices that allow space to voice their concerns, trusting working environments, reassurance, transparent communication, and the provision of the sense of job security. Organization must also realize that a positive organizational culture is shaped at the top and their continued efforts to set engagement levels can make a huge difference on how its employees engage, react, and adapt to turbulent times.
References
Kahn, W. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work.
Academy of Management Journal. 33(4): 692-724