Abstract 180753792 Employee engagement is the level of commitment and involvement an employee has towards their organization and

its values. An engaged employee is aware of business context, and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organization. It is a positive attitude held by the employees towards the organization and its values. The paper focuses on how employee engagement is an antecedent of job involvement and what should company do to make the employees engaged. The paper also looks at the Gallup 12 point questionnaire, twelve-question survey that identifies strong feelings of employee engagement and the steps which shows how to drive an engaged employee.

The best companies now know, without a doubt, where productivityreal and limitless productivitycomes from. It comes from challenged, empowered, excited, rewarded teams of people. It comes from engaging every single mind in the organization, making everyone part of the action, and allowing everyone to have a voicea rolein the success of the enterprise. Doing so raises productivity not incrementally, but by multiples.

-Jack Welch Former Chairman and CEO of General Electric Human Resources, 10 September 2003

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Introduction: For several years now, 'employee engagement' has been a hot topic in corporate circles. It's a buzz phrase that has captured the attention of workplace observers and HR managers, as well as the executive suite. And it's a topic that employers and employees alike think they understand, yet can't articulate very easily.

Different surveys and research undertaken over the past few years have defined the term differently, and as a result, come up with different key drivers and implications. Engagement at work was conceptualized by Kahn, (1990) as the Harnessing of Organizational Members selves to their work roles, In engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances.

The second related construct to engagement in organizational behavior is the notion of flow advanced by Csikszentmihalyi (1975, 1990). Csikzentmihalyi (1975) defines flow as the Holistic Sensation that, people feel when they act with total involvement. Flow is the state in which there is little distinction between the self and environment. When individuals are in Flow State little conscious control is necessary for their actions.

Employee engagement is the thus the level of commitment and involvement an employee has towards their organization and its values. An engaged employee is aware of business context, and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organization. The organization must work to develop and nurture engagement, which requires a two-way relationship between employer and employee. Thus Employee engagement is a barometer that determines the association of a person with the organization.

Engagement is most closely associated with the existing construction of job involvement (Brown 1996) and flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Job involvement is defined as The degree to which the job situation is central to the person and his or her identity (Lawler & Hall, 1970). Kanungo (1982) maintained that job involvement is a Cognitive or belief state of Psychological identification. Job involvement is thought to depend on both need saliency and the potential of a job to satisfy these needs. Thus job involvement results form a cognitive judgment about the needs satisfying abilities of the job. Jobs in this view are tied to ones self image. Engagement differs from job in as it is concerned more with how the individual employees his/her self during the performance of his / her job. Furthermore engagement entails the active use of emotions. Finally engagement may be thought of as an antecedent to job involvement in that individuals who experience deep engagement in their roles should come to identify with their jobs.

When Kahn talked about employee engagement he has given important to all three aspects physically, cognitively and emotionally. Where as in job satisfaction importance has been given more to cognitive side.

HR practitioners believe that the engagement challenge has a lot to do with how employee feels about the about work experience and how he or she is treated in the organization. It has a lot to do with emotions which are fundamentally related to drive bottom line success in a company. There will always be people who never give their best efforts no matter how hard HR and line managers try to engage them. But for the most part employees want to commit to companies because doing so satisfies a powerful and a basic need in connect with and contribute to something significant.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT:

What exactly is it? Different definitions by different people:

Engagement at work was conceptualized by Kahn, (1990) as the harnessing of organizational members selves to their work roles. In engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances.

Put simply, Employee Engagement exists when the employee feels: Physically Intellectually Emotionally attached to their work (Kahn, 1990)

Employee engagement is the involvement with and enthusiasm for work (The Gallup Organization)

Employee engagement is "a heightened emotional connection that an employee feels for his or her organization, that influences him or her to exert greater discretionary effort to his or her work". (The Conference Board).

Engagement is the energy, passion, or fire in the belly employees have for their employer. It is the state of emotional and intellectual commitment to an organization or group producing behavior that will help fulfill an organization's promises to customers - and, in so doing, improve business results.(Hewitt Associates)

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION ,EFFECTIVENESS AND ENGAGEMENT Satisfaction, effectiveness, and engagement are all inter-related in an upward progression. Each item has different drivers, but they build on one another to increase performance in the workplace. Just because employees are satisfied with their job does not mean they are effective or engaged. It is possible for an employee to be completely satisfied with his or her job, and not be fully engaged. To further complicate matters, an employee can be both satisfied and effective, yet not be engaged. All three components work together to create an environment where employees are highly motivated and committed to giving their best performance.

ENGAGEMENT THE EVOLUTIONARY JOURNEY

Higher

Engagement
Positive Correlation With Business Performance

How much people wantand actually doimprove business results

Commitment

How much people want to improve business results

Satisfaction

How much people like it here

Lower Employee Research over Time

CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT According to the Gallup Organization, there are three different types of employees -

Engaged--"Engaged" employees are builders. They want to know the desired expectations for their role so they can meet and exceed them. They're naturally curious about their company and their place in it. They perform at consistently high levels. They want to use their talents and strengths at work every day. They work with passion and they drive innovation and move their organization forward

Not Engaged---Not-engaged employees tend to concentrate on tasks rather than the goals and outcomes they are expected to accomplish. They want to be told what to do just so they can do it and say they have finished. They focus on accomplishing tasks vs achieving an outcome. Employees who are not-engaged tend to feel their contributions are being overlooked, and their potential is not being tapped. They often feel this way because they don't have productive relationships with their managers or with their coworkers.

Actively Disengaged--The "actively disengaged" employees are the "cave dwellers." They're "Consistently against Virtually Everything." They're not just unhappy at work; they're busy acting out their unhappiness. They sow seeds of negativity at every opportunity. Every day, actively disengaged workers undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish. As workers increasingly rely on each other to generate products and services, the problems and tensions that are fostered by actively disengaged workers can cause great damage to an organization's functioning.

Every organization should try to increase and maintain the number of engaged employees, convert the not engaged to engaged and decrease /convert the actively disengaged employees.

MEASURING CURRENT LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT:? Employee engagement satisfaction surveys determine the current level of employee engagement.

Engaged employees: Stay - They have an intense desire to be a part of the organization and they stay with that organization; Say - They advocate for the organization by referring potential employees and customers, are positive with co-workers and are constructive in their criticism; Strive - They exert extra effort and engage in behaviors that contribute to business success. (Hewitt Associates,2004)

Engagement can be measured at the individual levelby taking the average rank (on a sixpoint scale) of an individuals responses to the Engagement items around Say, Stay and Strive we can determine whether they are engaged or not engaged

Drivers of Employee Engagement : Numerous surveys conducted over the past few years and various studies have arrived at as many as 26 different drivers of employee engagement. However the below six have been agreed upon as most important. (We also need to take into consideration the differences in thought and priorities due to geographical and cultural diversities.)

People

Work

Senior Leadership Immediate Manager Coworkers Customers

Work Activities Job Clarity Resources

Total Rewards

Opportunities Engagement

Pay & Benefits Recognition

Career Opportunities Learning/ Training & Development

Company Practices

Vision Policies Performance Assessment Company Reputation

Quality of Life

Work/Life Balance Physical Work Environment

(Source: Hewitt Associates Study,2004)

Mention must be made here of Gallups Q12 which lists the 12 things important to employees: 1. Knowing whats Expected ( Job Clarity ) 2. Having the Right Materials & Equipment (Resources) 3. Opportunity to Do What I Do Best (Career Opportunities) 4. Recognition & Praise (Recognition) 5. Caring for Me as a Person ( Quality of Life) 6. Encourages Development ( opportunities) 7. My opinion Counts (Recognition) 8. Connection with Mission of Organization (Leadership & Company vision) 9. Co-Workers Committed to Quality Work (Team)

10. I have a Best Friend at Work (Team) 11. Someone Has talked with Me About my Progress (Team) 12. Opportunities to Learn and Grow (Development)

Aspects of Employee Engagement

Three basic aspects of employee engagement according to the global studies are: The employees and their own unique psychological make up and experience The employers and their ability to create the conditions that promote employee engagement Interaction between employees at all levels.

Thus it is largely the organizations responsibility to create an environment and culture conducive to this partnership, and a win-win equation.

Importance of Engagement Engagement is important for managers to cultivate given that disengagement oralienation is central to the problem of workers lack of commitment and motivation (Aktouf). Meaningless work is often associated with apathy and detachment from ones works (Thomas and Velthouse). In such conditions, individuals are thought to be estranged from their selves (Seeman, 1972) .Other Research using a different resource of engagement (involvement and enthusiasm) has linked it to such variables as employee turnover, customer satisfaction loyalty, safety and to a lesser degree, productivity and profitability criteria (Harter, Schmidt & Hayes, 2002).

An organizations capacity to manage employee engagement is closely related to its ability to achieve high performance levels and superior business results. Some of the advantages of Engaged employees are Engaged employees will stay with the company, be an advocate of the company and its products and services, and contribute to bottom line business success. They will normally perform better and are more motivated. There is a significant link between employee engagement and profitability. They form an emotional connection with the company. This impacts their attitude towards the companys clients, and thereby improves customer satisfaction and service levels It builds passion, commitment and alignment with the organizations strategies and goals Increases employees trust in the organization Creates a sense of loyalty in a competitive environment Provides a high-energy working environment Boosts business growth Makes the employees effective brand ambassadors for the company

A highly engaged employee will consistently deliver beyond expectations. In the workplace research on employee engagement (Harter, Schmidt & Hayes, 2002) have repeatedly asked employees whether they have the opportunity to do what they do best everyday. While one in five employees strongly agree with this statement. Those work units scoring higher on this perception have substantially higher performance. Thus employee engagement is critical to any organization that seeks to retain valued employees. The Watson Wyatt consulting companies has been proved that there is an intrinsic link between employee engagement, customer loyalty, and profitability.

As organizations globalize and become more dependent on technology in a virtual working environment, there is a greater need to connect and engage with employees to provide them with an organizational identity.

Factors Leading to Employee EngagementStudies have shown that there are some critical factors which lead to Employee engagement. Some of them identified are

Career Development- Opportunities for Personal Development

Organizations with high levels of engagement provide employees with opportunities to develop their abilities, learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and realize their Potential. When companies plan for the career paths of their employees and invest in them in this way their people invest in them.

Career Development Effective Management of Talent

Career development influences engagement for employees and retaining the most talented employees and providing opportunities for personal development.

Feeling Valued & Involved Career Development- Opportunities for personal development Career Development Effective Management of talent Leadership- Clarity of company Values Leadership Respectful treatment of employees

Leadership Companys standards of ethical behavior Empowerment Image Equal opportunities & fair treatment Performance Appraisal Pay & benefits Health & Safety Job satisfaction Communication Family friendliness Co-operation Leadership- Clarity of Company Values Employees need to feel that the core values for which their companies stand are unambiguous and clear.

Leadership Respectful Treatment of Employees Successful organizations show respect for each employees qualities and contribution regardless of their job level.

Leadership Companys Standards of Ethical Behavior A companys ethical standards also lead to engagement of an individual

Empowerment Employees want to be involved in decisions that affect their work. The leaders of high engagement workplaces create a trustful and challenging environment, in which employees are encouraged to dissent from the prevailing orthodoxy and to input and innovate to move the organization forward.

Image How much employees are prepared to endorse the products and services which their company provides its customers depends largely on their perceptions of the quality of those goods and services. High levels of employee engagement are inextricably linked with high levels of customer engagement.

Other factors

Equal Opportunities and Fair Treatment The employee engagement levels would be high if their bosses (superiors) provide equal opportunities for growth and advancement to all the employees

Performance appraisal

Fair evaluation of an employees performance is an important criterion for determining the level of employee engagement. The company which follows an appropriate performance appraisal technique (which is transparent and not biased) will have high levels of employee engagement.

Pay and Benefits The company should have a proper pay system so that the employees are motivated to work in the organization. In order to boost his engagement levels the employees should also be provided with certain benefits and compensations.

Health and Safety

Research indicates that the engagement levels are low if the employee does not feel secure while working. Therefore every organization should adopt appropriate methods and systems for the health and safety of their employees.

Job Satisfaction

Only a satisfied employee can become an engaged employee. Therefore it is very essential for an organization to see to it that the job given to the employee matches his career goals which will make him enjoy his work and he would ultimately be satisfied with his job.

Communication

The company should follow the open door policy. There should be both upward and downward communication with the use of appropriate communication channels in the organization. If the employee is given a say in the decision making and has the right to be heard by his boss than the engagement levels are likely to be high.

Family Friendliness

A persons family life influences his wok life. When an employee realizes that the organization is considering his familys benefits also, he will have an emotional attachment with the organization which leads to engagement

Co-operation

If the entire organization works together by helping each other i.e. all the employees as well as the supervisors co-ordinate well than the employees will be engaged.

How to measure Employee Engagement?

Gallup research consistently confirms that engaged work places compared with least engaged are much more likely to have lower employee turnover, higher than average customer loyalty, above average productivity and earnings. These are all good things that prove that engaging and involving employees make good business sense and building shareholder value. Negative workplace relationships may be a big part of why so many employees are not engaged with their jobs.

Step I: Listen

The employer must listen to his employees and remember that this is a continuous process. The information employees supply will provide direction. This is the only way to identify their specific concerns. When leaders listen, employees respond by becoming more engaged. This results in increased productivity and employee retention. Engaged employees are much more likely to be satisfied in their positions, remain with the company, be promoted, and strive for higher levels of performance.

Step II: Measure current level of employee engagement

Employee engagement needs to be measured at regular intervals in order to track its contribution to the success of the organization. But measuring the engagement (feedback through surveys) without planning how to handle the result can lead employees to disengage. It is therefore not enough to feel the pulsethe action plan is just as essential. Knowing the Degree in which Employees Are Engaged?

Employee engagement satisfaction surveys determine the current level of employee engagement. A well-administered satisfaction survey will let us know at what level of engagement the employees are operating. Customizable employee surveys will provide with a starting point towards the efforts to optimize employee engagement. The key to successful employee satisfaction surveys is to pay close attention to the feedback from the staff. It is important that employee engagement is not viewed as a one time action. Employee engagement should be a continuous process of measuring, analyzing, defining and implementing. The employee survey is a diagnostic tool of choice in the battle for the hearts of employees. Studies of Gallup, Mercer, Hewitt and Watson Wyatt (consulting companies) asked workers number of questions relating to their job satisfaction. Gallup being one of oldest the consulting organization {in conducting engagement survey} creates a feedback system for employers that would identify and measure elements of worker engagement most tide to the bottom line. Things such as sales, growth, productivity and customer loyalty are all accessed. After Hundreds of focus group and thousands of interviews with employees in a variety of industries, Gallup came up with Q. 12, a twelvequestion survey that identifies strong feelings of employee engagement. They have identified 12 questions that most effectively measure the links (the Gallup Q12). 1. Do you know what is expected of you at work? 2. Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right? 3. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? 4. In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work? 5. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about you as a person? 6. Is there someone at work who encourages your development? 7. At work, do your opinions seem to count?

8. Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important? 9. Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work? 10. Do you have a best friend at work? 11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress? 12. In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

The interpretation of the questionnaire and one of the companies engagement level is summarized in the table below. Some of the discussions which come from Gallups questions are: Know what is expected of me at work- employees should know exactly what is expected of them. If expectations are unclear, employees will inevitably face frustration, and will be open for other opportunities where they do know what's expected of them, and where their contributions are measured and recognized. Materials and equipment- Employees need the right tools and equipment to support their skills, experience and talents & perform their jobs at an optimum level.

Do what I do best every day - Are your employees cast in the right roles? Knowing the critical demands for every role is a key to ensuring that talents fit those demands. Supervisor/Someone at work cares -Managers must spend most of their time with their most productive talent. Many managers give their greatest degree of attention to employees who are falling behind. Talented, productive people crave time and attention from their managers, and will leave your company if they have a weak relationship (or no relationship) with their manager or supervisor.

Co-workers committed to quality -Many companies arbitrarily put teams together without considering that employees only psychologically commit to teams if they perceive their team members will support their high level of commitment and performance. Talented employees set high standards and depend upon those around them to support their growth towards excellence. Opportunities to learn and grow- The Company should create an environment that encourages employees to drive towards innovation or to create better systems for more productive results. Great managers always ask what skills and knowledge need to accompany talent to result in the greatest outcome for each employee.

Employee Engagement A positive attitude held by the employee towards the organization and its values. An engaged employee works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organization. The organization must work to develop and nurture engagement, which requires a two-way relationship between employer and employee.

Employee engagement is a partnership between a company and its employees Most organizations today realize that a satisfied employee is not necessarily the best employee in terms of loyalty and productivity. It is only an ENGAGED EMPLOYEE who is intellectually and emotionally bound with the organization who feels passionate about its goals and is committed towards its values thus he goes the extra mile beyond the basic job. Employee engagement is a powerful retention strategy. An engaged employee gives his company his 100 percent. When employees are effectively and positively engaged with their organization, they form an emotional connection with the company. Employee engagement is a barometer that determines the association of a person with the organization. It is about creating the passion among associates to do things beyond what is expected from him.

EMPLOYEE ENGEGEMENT starts right at the selection stage:

Choosing the right fit, giving a realistic job preview Strong induction and orientation programme To keep up the morale of people and drive them towards excellent performance through recognition letters, profit sharing schemes, long performance awards etc. Regular feedback to all people Communication forums like the in-house magazine, and regular surveys and conferences By helping to maintain the quality of work-life and a balance between personal/professional lives, there are recreational activities like festivities, get-togethers, sports etc. An open and transparent culture to empower its people.

The result of these practices can be evident through the regular feedback from our employees collected through surveys,

Diagnostic tool for employee engagement include the following - training - development - career - performance appraisals - performance management - communication - equal opportunity - fair treatment - pay - benefits - health - safety - cooperation - family orientation - friendliness - job satisfaction which helps to create - feeling valued and involved which is - ENGAGEMENT.

Factors for Higher Employee Engagement Here is a list of some contributing factors: Understanding of corporate goals/mission Understanding of job and how it contributes to overall corporate goals Clear communication of goals, expectations, directions Job design Job fit Support and tools

Independence & innovation Relationship with boss/direct reports Clear feedback on performance Recognition Learning and development opportunities Opportunities for advancement Pride in organization Employee input Employee involvement in decision making Work-life balance Workplace culture/morale Co-worker relationships/good team environment (enjoy colleagues) Fair HR practices

Measuring the Impact of Employee Engagement

SOME USEFUL COMPANY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS COULD INCLUDE A daily column, written by Directors, Chairman, on the intranet with company announcements / programs etc. Online real-time tracking of progress. Employees can view company progress towards targets / goals. Provide long term strategic vision for business growth. Employee suggestion systems / quick responses. Weekly blog related to serious business issues and staff to read / comments.

Questions to Measure Employee Engagement Do you know what is expected of you at work? Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right? At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work? Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person? Is there someone at work who encourages your development? At work, do your opinions seem to count? Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?

Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work? Do you have a best friend at work? In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress? In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

We can also have a HR folder or an intranet for employees have you have sections like motivation stories, quotes, Support grievances jokes, etc... Some entertainment for employees KEY - PROFITABILITY EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT EMPLOYEE COMPANY CUSTOMER OUTCOME METRICS RETENTION PERFORMANCE SATISFACTION

ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE HELD IN GENPACT

1. Education @ Work

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Redesign work place Letters to Family Fun @ work Cross Training Team Huddles FLA Growth Card Life Enrichment Activities Job Rotation Clubs/Projects Active Team Leader

Education @ Work

Education @ Work Prepares employees for success by offering relevant programs from premier institutes across the world, using multiple delivery methodologies and making it convenient for employees to Learn while you Earn and helping to build career and helps in contributing to the organizations growth.

Programs that are offered by Education @ work are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Banking Finance and Accounting Language Management Risk Management Supply Chain Management Information Technology Project Management\ Customer Service Mortgage Insurance Analytics Software Collections

Revamping the Floor: - Action plan was made to Revamp the floor by Following Activities:

1. Change Wall Color-

Wall Painting-Beaches, Poster on work motivation is done.

1. Improving Ambience Plants on the floor-Money Plants, Bamboos Danglers-Mortgage Danglers Games Area- Dart Board, Carom, Chess, Boxing Bag, Ludo, Chinese checker Light music on the floor. Improve Lighting on the floor-Through Lamps.

2. Redesigning Work Station Personalizing Work Space- Individual Sections, Family Photos, Mementoes Making work place special. Customizing it, basis imagination of employees.

Letters to Family: It was also part of Action plan in Mortgage.

As per this plan in Genpact- Personalized letters were to be sent to the families of all employees for the following: Birthday card with a photograph of the Bday Celebration at office. Promotion letter informing the family about the promotion of the employee Connect invite letters to the family members to visit Genpact any day of their choice.

Fun @ Work

Fun @ Work activities are considered to be backbone in a team bounding. Every team has a fun spoc whose responsibilities includes various games and other team building activities with the help of which internal team bounding can be improved. At the same time it can also be considered to provide ample of time as to relieve the stress that a normal BPO employee has to face.

Different activities include various indoor games, Seasonal activities celebrating festivals, Bay decoration, and Birthday celebration.

Fun at Work" might sound like an oxymoron, but it is a reality in the corporate world today. The most successful of organizations add a healthy dose of play into their routines because research shows that when people have fun at work, they enjoy their jobs and this translates them into being more creative, more productive and more committed to doing their job well. Its also no secret that having fun at work can help boost morale, reduce stress, improve staff retention, mean less sick days and increase team building and spirit. Having true fun at work is very similar to the kind of fun one has when playing a sport or performing. For example, the last time I played a sport in front of an audience, I channeled all my attention and energy to the point where I was solely focused on my performance. I remember how much fun it was getting congratulations from my teammates and the audience! And even though I was completely exhausted following my performance, I remember how great I felt afterwards. I think this is the type of fun that best fits the workplace - playful and competitive games that generate congratulations and cheers from coworkers. Additionally, sporting or performance types of fun fit well within the workplace where employers generally want us to have energy, drive, talent, determination, competitive spirit, and be goal orientated. This kind of fun is successfully being implemented at Genpact. Weve already had a Football Championship which involved a lot of employees. Emotions were shared and the teams really had intensive fun. Now Genpact has its own football team, who represents the company at the biggest football tournament dedicated to all companies.

Cross Training : Cross-training (Also known as conditioning) refers to training in different ways to improve overall performance. It takes advantage of the particular effectiveness of each training method, while at the same time attempting to neglect the shortcomings of that method by combining it with other methods that address its weaknesses. Cross-training in business operations involves training employees to engage in quality control measures. Employees are trained in tangent job functions to increase oversight in ways that are impossible through management interactions with workers alone.

Advantages:

Helps patrons/customers/clients in the long run, as employees are empowered to answer questions about the entire organization. Requires staff to re-evaluate the reasons and methods for accomplishing their work; inefficient methods, outdated techniques and bureaucratic drift are challenged, if not eliminated. Raises an awareness of what other departments do. Routine scheduling is enhanced with the ability to move staff about the "Operation". Better coverage, increased flexibility and ability to cope with unexpected absences, emergencies, illness, etc. Can increase the "employability" of staff that has the opportunity to train in areas they were not originally hired for. Other advantages include Increased flexibility and versatility, Appreciated "intellectual capital" Improved individual efficiency, Increased standardization of jobs, Heightened Morale

Team Huddle:

A huddle is when a team gathers together, usually in a tight circle, to strategise, motivate, and/or celebrate. It is a popular strategy for keeping opponents insulated from sensitive information, and acts as a form of insulation when the level of noise in the venue is such that normal on-field communication is difficult. Commonly the leader of the huddle is the team captain and it is the captain who will try and inspire his fellow team members to achieve success. Similarly after an event a huddle may take place to congratulate one another for the teams success (or commiserate a defeat). The term "huddle" can be used as a verb as in "huddling up".

FLA Growth Card:

Goal sheets for each team member created, which is monitored on a daily basis. The result of the goal sheet decides the cheer winner for the month. The categories on which the FLAs are assessed are:

1. Performance Related It includes: AES Score Cross Training Effectiveness Process Knowledge Score

2. Compliance: It Includes:

Process Compliance Adherence Data Protection Act Adherence Dress Code Policy adherence

3. Quality/Six Sigma: It includes

Lean ideas Filed E2E Ideas generated

Job Rotation: Change in roles and responsibilities, like SME,QC, Dashboard, IT, HR, Quality, Logistics.

Life Enrichment Activities: Though life enrichment activities stress and health of the Employees can be taken care of.

It includes: Introduction of Yoga De-Stress Activities Office Ergonomics

COMPANY PROFILE

COMPANY PROFILE ORGANISATION DESCRIPTION: The development of the Refractories industries in India and other parts of the globe is inextricably linked with the growth of steel industries and Tata Refractories Limited (TRL) played a vital role in it. To achieve the twin objectives of self reliance and development of backward areas, TRL was setup in 1958 by Tata Steel and Didier-Werke AG at Belpahar in Orissa. With an annual capacity of 245,600 MT the company has also equity participation from SAIL, the largest public sector steel producer of India. Its main Works is strategically located at Belpahar, Jharsuguda dist. Orissa, which is nearer to major steel plants and some raw material sources. TRL has also plants and operations in Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) and Karuppur (Salem, Tamilnadu)and captive mines in Chhuinpali and Talbasta in Orissa. A new green field plant has been setup in China to manufacture Magnesite based bricks. Also a new operation has come up in Gujarat to manufacture High Alumina Castables and bauxite. Refractories are used in all high temperature processes to protect the reactors and personnel from the influence of heat and hot materials when processed. Thus Refractories are critical consumables in metallurgical, other industries and industries where pyro processes are involved. TRL has today grown into the leading Refractories manufacturer in India meeting the demands of sophisticated Refractories for the steel, glass, non- ferrous and petro- chemical Industries both in India and abroad. TRL today, is the largest Refractories maker in India. It has pioneered Refractories making in the country and is the number one Refractories company in India with around 22% of the market share. TBEM has been adopted as the key change driver since last 12 years, one of the first Tata Steel group company to go for it TRL strives rapidly towards becoming a Global Refractories company. With a clear strategic direction of achieving Rs.2000 crore turn over by 2012-13 under 'Mission 2000' programme, TRL is working out all the possibilities on strategic front for achieving this goal. It becomes more imperative for going ahead in this journey as the global competition is very challenging. TRL is working with all options for securing itself on raw materials which is about 45% of its cost. Today TRL has overcome the critical situation faced in late nineties, gathered itself up, transformed itself and poised to grasp every opportunity that can catapult it as a globally competitive and dominant player. It must be appreciated that this is an ever present requirement and therefore we cannot truly say that this programme is now completed.

It remains to be an ongoing work. The future shows an aggressive growth path, taking forward the Tata Group's aspirations to think bold, think big and to innovate being a climate friendly organization. ORGANISATION CULTURE Consistent with Tata Group's philosophy, TRL has developed a unique culture, which is articulated in its vision, mission and values. VISION A Global Refractories Company MISSION Tata Refractories shall be high performance and technology driven organization committed to create value for all its stakeholders VALUES Customer delight Leadership by example Integrity and transparency Fairness Furthering excellence TRL firmly believes that the purpose of an industrial enterprise is to improve the quality of life of the people and community it serves. Towards this, it creates economic, social and environmental values. The vision, strategic goals, objectives and the behavior it demonstrates are guided by this philosophy. TRL is an equal opportunity employer and promotes high ethical values, improvement orientation, innovation, agility with respect to manpower, technology and products, learning and sharing and equal opportunity to all. HISTORY 1958 - Promoted jointly by Tata Steel and Didier-Werke AG of Germany- Belpahar Refractories Ltd 1959 - Production of Basic, High Alumina and Silica Refractories 1971 - R & D facility established 1986 - Re-christened as Tata Refractories Limited

1993 - Established leading market position 1994 - Commissioned 30,000MTPA Dolomite plant 1999 - ISO9002 certification for the whole plant 2006 - Integrated Management System certification (QMS, OEMS, OSHA) MANUFACTURING PLANTS Belpahar(Orissa):Main Works

Installed capacity-246,000MT/annum Products - Basic, dolomite, silica, high alumina, flow control products, monolithic, Refractories binder. Jamshedpur Operation (Jharkhand) Installed capacity-30,000MT/annum Products - High alumina, silica, monolithic Karuppur Operation (Tamilnadu) Installed capacity-15,000MT/annum Products - Basic, monolithic INORGANIC GROWTH Domestic TRL Gujarat operation Products - Bauxite, based high alumina bricks, monolithic-36,000MTA Operation started from Jan 2006 Abroad TRL China operation Magnesia-carbon& direct bonded, Mg-chrome refractories-60,000MTA Operation started from Jan 2007 HIGHLIGHTS 2007-08 Installed capacity - 380,000MTPA Production - 230,300MTPA Sales - 270,000MTPA Revenue - INR764cr/US $152 million

PRODUCT RANGE (Shaped and unshaped Refractories) One stop shop for all Refractories Basic Refractories Dolomite Refractories High alumina Refractories Flow control products Monolithics Silica Refractories TRS & TRM SERVICE PROFILE In order to free the customers from the challenges of refractory technological issues, TRL has taken up the responsibility of Total Refractories Management(TRM) &Total Refractories Solution(TRS) Scope of TRM Design and material selection Refractory inventory management and installation Regular maintenance Co-development Benefits to customer Stable specific refractory cost Free from the hassle of day to day refractory problems Free to concentrate only on core business processes Scope of TRS Lining design and development Furnace design and construction Heat flow and Thermo-mechanical stress studies of refractory linings Turnkey jobs Consultancy and Expert Supervision services Lining installation and maintenance

IT FACILITIES State of Art facilities exist with: LAN of 100 MBPS (optical fibre networking) with unlimited 512KBPS Internet VPN connectivity Outside locations (KOL, JSR, SALEM) are connected through VPN communication

ERP BaaN) In all areas including China and Gujarat. Internet connection to Home PCs Knowledge Management through Internet. COLLABORATORS Krosaki, Japan MgC Bricks Basic monolithic Slide plates Dolomit Werke ,Germany Dolomite refractories Stopinc, Switzerland L.S system for slidegate Monocon, U.K Basic spraying mass Lichtenberg, Germany Coke oven repair materials A.P Green, U.S.A Castables PRODUCTION FACILITIES Longest Silica tunnel kiln in Asia-180mt long High temperature kiln(+1850deg) Fully automated and state-of-art Monolithic plant 7 nos of high capacity microprocessor controlled SACMI presses High capacity inclined mixer machines 2 n0s of 100 TPD rotary kiln FIFO system aided by latest logistics for smooth and speedy dispatch

R & D FACILITIES X Ray Diffractometer X RF Creep testing machines High temperature furnaces upto (1850degC) Hot MOR Hot stage microscope Thermal conductivity(DIN) Climate chamber

CAPTIVE MINES Mineral Lease area Lease period Reserve AWARDS Every year no.of national and state level Quality Circle awards Productivity award from IMRA CAPEXIL award for exporter consecutive last 12yrs State safety award for occupational health care from govt of Orissa in 95-96,96-97,99-00 1996 ISO9001 certification for total product range 2002 PCRA award for fuel conservation 2002 - Golden Peacock award for best EMS(Environment Management System) 2005 - award for active promotion of Tata Business Excellence Model(TBEM) 2006 Green Tech Silver award for environment Management 2006 IMS certification covering QMS,EMS & OSHA 2007 Golden Peacock innovation award for products CHHUIINPALLI MINES quartzite 102hects 20 yrs from now 1995 716 million MT TALBASTA MINES fire clay 171hects 20yrs from 0.8 millionMT

IN 2008-09 Installed capacity 3,80,000 MT/yr Production 000MT 230.000 Sales 000MT 270.000 Revenue Rs.764 crores Export Rs.102.00 crores Profit (PBT) Rs.54 crores EMPLOYEE PROFILE TRL has achieved significant improvements by building a competent work force. TRL's employees are in two broad categories of officers and workmen. The workmen have formed Tata Refractories Shramik Sangh - the only bargaining unit. TRL injects fresh talents from campus interviews from reputed engineering colleges, Institutes and lateral recruitments. Contract workers are employed in areas having a fluctuating and non-permanent nature of work (such as cleaning, sorting & packing) or in such areas where the specialized agencies can provide better services (e.g. security, gardening

packaging etc.). Marketing personnel are located across the country and abroad near the clusters of customers to provide prompt service. TRL's employees are from diverse back ground represented by female employees and employees from other states.TRL has the highest percentage of professional and well-trained staff for any Refractories company in India and compares favorably even with the global Refractories companies. ORGANISATIONAL CHALLENGES COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT The global Refractories industry has a size of around Rs 70,000 Crores and about 20 Million Tonnes in volume. The domestic industry has a size of approx. Rs 3600 Crore and approx. 1.25 Million tonne in volume. With Tata Steel's acquisition of Corus, it has opened us a new market of about Rs 1000 Crore . This has prompted TRL to have a foothold in Corus. Domestic Refractories industry is a fragmented one having a total of about 150 companies out of which 22 companies are in large/medium scale and rest are in small scale. TRL has highest market share (22% )in India.

Global challenges: Large refractory manufacturers such as RHI have now targeted Indian Refractories market. Business challenge: Existence of large number of small Refractories in the unorganized sectors operating at 40-50% capacity utilization. Customers: customers of Refractories product generally belongs to large industrial organization therefore have strong negotiating position. Suppliers: In highly competitive environment & ever increasing customer expectations. Key challenge is to meet the need of continuous cost reduction demand through efficient supply chain management.

COMPETITORS OF TRL As other fields have competitors, the Refractories market also has a competition. Here we are discussing about the main competitors of TRL. ODISHA CEMENT- It has the turnover of 200 crores & export worth Rs.25 crore. Presently they are trying to establish the production & quality of ladle tundish shrouds. OCL is capturing order of the mini steel plant for well blocks in LCC 90 quality & feedback report from mini steel is very good. BHARAT REFRACTORIES- BRL as around 125 M.T of specialty product per month as INDO FLOGATES is presently taking from OAL, the slide plates. They are approaching MSP & TISCO for supply specialty product. ACC CEMENT- It has turnover for the year was 179 crores. Along with other competitors, acc is also making his presence in domestic market. IFGL REFACTORIES

VISHUVYAS REFRACTORIES.

TRL's approach is to optimize the price performance balance and offer value for money.

PRINCIPAL FACTORS OF SUCCESS Brand image Product consistency and performance Timely delivery Large volume and multiproduct capabilities Design and application solution. Opportunities for innovation

In 2002~03, a strategic initiative named Fortune 500 was initiated which crafted the growth story of TRL. Fortune 500 program meant Rs. 500 Crore revenue with Rs. 50 Crore profit within 5 years, i.e. by 2007~08.However the land mark of crossing Rs 500 Crore turnover has been achieved in 2006~07, one year before the schedule. Under this program, apart from major expansions and modernization program at Belpahar, TRL has established a green field project in China in 2007 to take advantage of best quality magnesite (a critical raw material) in JV and enhancing our core competencies. Another joint venture (MAPL) plant has been established in Gujarat for bauxite based products for taking advantage of proximity to raw material source and also to address the cement sector. Fortune 500 has made TRL a Young TRL. After the success of Fortune 500, TRL has initiated another program called Mission 2000 which will take the company to a revenue of Rs 2000 Crore within in next 5 years time.

LITERATURE REVIEW EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT An organizations productivity is measured not in terms of employee satisfaction but in terms of employee engagement. Employees are said to be engaged when they show a positive attitude towards the organization and express a commitment to remain with the organization. It is the level of commitment and involvement an employee has towards the organization and its values. An engaged employee is aware of the business context and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organization. Engagement at work was conceptualized by Kahn (1990)as the harnessing of organizational members selves to their work roles. In engagement people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively and emotionally during role performances. The second related construct to engagement in organizational behavior is the notion of flow advanced by Csikszentmihalyi (1975).He defines Flow as the holistic sensation that people feel when they act with total involvement .Flow is the state in which there is little distinction between the self and environment. When individuals are in flow state little conscious control is necessary for their actions. Employee engagement is thus the level of commitment and involvement an employee has towards their organization and its value. The organization must work to develop and nuture engagement which requires a two way relationship between employer and employee. Thus employee engagement a barometer that determines the association of a person with the organization. Engagement is most closely associated with the existing construction of Job Involvement, Brown(1996).Job Involvement is defined as the degree to which the job situation is central to the person and his/her identity. Kanungo(1982)maintained that job involvement is thought to depend on need saliency and the potential of a job to satisfy these needs. Thus job involvement results from a cognitive judgement about the need satisfying abilities of the job. Jobs in this view are tied to ones self image. Furthermore engagement entails the active use of emotions. Finally engagement may be thought of as an antecedent to job involvement in that

individuals who experience deep engagement in their roles should come to identify with their jobs. When Khan talked about employee engagement he gave importance to all three aspects, physical, cognitive and emotional. Whereas in job satisfaction importance has been more given to cognitive side. According to the study of WatsonWyatt, the profit chain establishes relationship between profitability, customer loyalty and employee satisfaction, loyalty and productivity. The links in the chain (which should be regarded as propositions) are as follows; profit and growth are stimulated primarily by customer loyalty. Loyalty is a direct result of customers satisfaction. Satisfaction is largely influenced by the services provided to customers. Satisfied, loyal and productive employee create value. Employee satisfaction in turn results primarily from high quality support services and policies that enable employees to deliver results to customers. HR practioners believe that the engagement challenge has a lot to do with how employee feels about the work experience and how he/she is treated in the organization. It has a lot to do with emotions which are fundamentally related to drive bottom line success in a company. Employee engagement represents an alignment of maximum job satisfaction with maximum job contribution. By plotting a given population against these two axes, five distinct employee segments are identified-fully engaged, almost engaged, honeymooners & hamsters, crash & burn and disengaged.

According to BW-HR global survey 34% of the employees in India are fully engaged and 13% disengaged. As many as 29% are almost engaged. FOCUS ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Engagement by industry With the exception of government sector which has relatively low engagement levels some high tech industries (pharma, biotech)score low whereas some service focused industries(retail, consumer products)score high. Engagement by level Studies show that people higher up in the organization experience higher engagement. However there is a drop in engagement past the vice-president level.

Engagement by gender the survey reveals a larger disparity between men and women. Men count 8%more fully engaged and 6%less disengaged than women. Taking global figures into account, it can be said that Indian workers are among the most focused and satisfied in the world. BASIC ASPECTS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT There are three basic aspects of employee engagement: The employees and their own unique psychological makeup and experience. The employers and their ability to create the conditions that promote employee engagement. Interactions between employees at all levels. Thus employee engagement is a partnership between a company and its employee where everyone works together to achieve the business objectives of the company and fulfill their personal aspirations. It is therefore largely the organizations responsibility to create an environment and culture conducive to this partnership and a win-win equation. CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEES There are three different types of employees. They are engaged, not engaged, actively disengaged. 1. ENGAGED - Engaged employees are builders. They want to know the desired expectations for their role so that they can meet and exceed them. They are naturally curious about their company and their place in it. They perform at consistently high levels. They want to use their talents and strengths at work everyday. They work with passion and they drive innovation and move their organization forward. 2. NOT ENGAGED - Not engaged employees tend to concentrate in tasks rather than the goals and outcomes they are expected to accomplish. They want to be told what to do just so that they can do it and say they have finished. They focus on accomplishing tasks vs achieving an outcome. Employees who are not engaged tend to feel their contributions are being overlooked and their potential is not being tapped. They often feel this way because they dont have productive relationships with their managers or with their co-workers.

3. ACTIVELY DISENGAGED - The actively disengaged employees are the cave dwellers. They are consistently against virtually everything. They are not just unhappy at work they are busy acting out their unhappiness. They sow seeds of negativity at every opportunity. Everyday actively disengaged workers undermine what their engaged co-workers accomplish. The

problems and tensions that are fostered by actively disengaged workers can cause great damage to an organizations functioning. THE ROLE THEORY Employee engagement can be defined in terms of what people do at work, something called the role theory. Role theory reviews different roles that people engage in at work, and it explains reasons why people engage in certain roles and not in others. The five work related roles that exist in any company are: Job holder role Employees come to work and do the job that is listed in their job description Team member role - Employees go above and beyond to help members of their team work towards common goals. Entrepreneur role Employees come up with new ideas and processes and try to get those ideas implemented. Career role Employees do things to enhance their career in the organization; they learn, they adapt new skills, and more. Organization member role Employees do things that promote and help the company even if its not part of their jobs or their teams duties In general we find that most employees have a sense of fairness and even if their employer treats them poorly most will show up to work and do the job role. But having employee show up at work simply doing their jobs gets an employer nowhere in terms of long term competitiveness. If all your employees show up and only do their jobs, then you are not building organizational strength and long term competitiveness through people because anyone can hire those same employees and duplicate what you are doing.

It is the synergy that comes from people working together and gathering creative ideas that leads to long term organizational wealth creation. That synergy and above and beyond behavior is evidence of employee engagement. EINSTEINS THEORY ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

ENGAGEMENT= MEANINGFUL RELEVANT RECOGNITION Einsteins theory was based on the formulae that is E=MR2

K-A-B MODEL According to K-A-B MODEL for the success of employee engagement, the company must follow three steps i.e. Knowledge Attitude Behaviour KNOWLEDGE:- Stakeholder must be aware of what is happening ,what the change or engagement effort is, and what they will see happening across the organization, to and by whom ,over what time period .this is the launch part of engagement programmes, and is also where much of the effort is focused-often to the detriment of the subsequent stages. ATTITUDE:- Once the stakeholders have internalized the knowledge, they need to form an attitude about what they know .generally this means that they must see tangible, positive evidence that the organization is serious about and committed to the programme .Evidence of behaviour change emerges in key leaders, managers and employees as, for example, process begin to evolve and changes are made. BEHAVIOUR:- Once stakeholders have internalized the information and formed an attitude about the change and what it means to them, it is essential that they are given the tools, guidance and support needed to change their behaviours and must be visibly intolerant of

behaviours that do not align with achieving the objectives behind the overall engagement efforts. THE TEN CS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT How can leaders engage employees heads, hearts, and hands? The literature offers several avenues for action; we summarize these as the Ten Cs of employee engagement. 1. Connect: Leaders must show that they value employees. Employee-focused initiatives such as profit sharing and implementing worklife 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 when they proclaim that, Our employees are our most valuable asset. 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. 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. 4. Convey: Leaders clarify their expectations about employees and provide feedback on their functioning in the organization. Good leaders establish processes and procedures that help people master important tasks and facilitate goal achievement. Good leaders work daily to improve the skills of their people and create small wins that help the team, unit, or Organization performs at its best. 5.Congratulate: Business leaders can learn a great deal from Woo dens approach. Surveys show that, over and over, employees feel that they receive immediate feedback when their performance is poor, or below expectations. These same employees also report that praise and recognition for strong performance is much less common. Exceptional leaders give recognition, and they do so a lot; they coach and convey. 6. Contribute: People want to know that their input matters and that they are contributing to the organizations success in a meaningful way. First, an employee understands of the connection between her work as operational zed by specific job-relevant behaviors and the strategic objectives of the company had a positive impact on job performance. Second, an employees attitude towards the job and the company had the greatest impact on loyalty and customer service than all the other employee factors combined. Third, improvements in

employee attitude led to improvements in job-relevant behavior; this, in turn, increased customer satisfaction and an improvement in revenue growth. In sum, good leaders help people see and feel how they are contributing to the organizations success and future.

7. Control: Employees value control over the flow and pace of their jobs and leaders can Create opportunities for employees to exercise this control A feeling of being in on things, and of being given opportunities to participate in decision making often reduces stress; it also creates trust and a culture where people want to take ownership of problems and their Solutions. 8. Collaborate: Studies show that, 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. Surveys indicate that being cared about by colleagues is a strong predictor of employee engagement. Thus, a continuous challenge for leaders is to rally individuals to collaborate on organizational, departmental, and group goals, while excluding individuals pursuing their self-interest. 9. Credibility: Leaders should strive to maintain a companys reputation and demonstrate high ethical standards. People want to be proud of their jobs, their performance, and their 10. Confidence: Good leaders help create confidence in a company by being exemplars of high ethical and performance standards. Practitioners and academics have argued that Competitive advantage can be gained by creating an engaged workforce. Leaders should actively try to identify the level of engagement in their organization, find the reasons behind the lack of full engagement, strive to eliminate those reasons, and implement behavioral strategies that will facilitate full engagement. These efforts should be ongoing. Employee Engagement is hard to achieve and if not sustained by leaders it can wither with relative ease. THE LOYALTY FACTOR The key to employee engagement is creating greater motivation for their work and commitment to their organization. It is not possible to retain professionals only by paying high salaries and offering attractive benefits. We need to create enthusiasm for their roles, their work and the organization and ensure they are well integrated.

Employee engagement relates to the employees commitment to the organizations success. Engaged employees who are inspired and guided by the leadership equipped with the right tools and managed by the right systems and process deliver superior performance. Employee engagement today encompasses training, development, work environment, leadership, performance management, work- life balance, communication, compensation, benefits, commitment, fun and social activities. The quality of output and competitive advantage of a company depends on the quality of people. Employees want to work for an organization that is-successful, legal, provides opportunities to grow, has managers who help employees and is socially responsible. FACTORS LEADING TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT The critical factors which lead to employee engagement are; 1. Career development Opportunities for personal development - Organizations with high levels of engagement provide employees with opportunities to develop their abilities, learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and realize their potential. When companies plan for the career paths of their employees and invest in them, then they prove to be the assets of the organization. Effective management of talent - Career development influences engagement for employee and retaining the most talented employees and providing opportunity for personal development. 2. Leadership

Clarity of company values - Employees need to feel that the core values for which their company stands are unambiguous and clear. Respectful treatment of employees - Successful organizations show respect for each employees qualities and contribution regardless of their job level. 3. Empowerment - Employees want to be involved in decisions that affect their work. The leaders of high engagement work places create a trustful and challenging environment in which employees are encouraged to dissent from the prevailing orthodoxy and to input and innovate to move the organization forward.

4. Image - How much the employees are prepared to endorse the products and services which their company provides its customers depends largely on their perception of the quality of those goods and services. High levels of employee engagement and are inextricably linked with high levels of customer engagement. 5. Equal opportunity and fair treatment - The employee engagement levels would be high if their superiors provide equal opportunities for growth and advancement to all the employees. 6. Re- inforcement of people focused policies - Continuous re-inforcement exists when senior management provides staff with budgets and resources to accomplish their work and empowers them. 7. Communication - The company should follow the open door policy. There should be both upward and downward communication with the use of appropriate communication channels in the organization. If the employee is given a say in the decision making and has the right to be heard by his boss then the engagement levels are likely to be high 8. Quality of working relationships with peers,superiors & subordinates - If employees relationship with their managers is fractured, then no amount of perks will persuade the employees to perform at top levels. Employee engagement is a direct reflection of how employees feel about their relationship with the boss. 9. Perception of the ethos and values of the organization -inspiration and values are the most important factors that influence engagement. Inspirational leadership is the ultimate perk. In its absence it is unlikely to engage employees. 10. Performance appraisal - Fair evaluation of an employees performance is an important criterion for determining the level of employee engagement. The company which follows an appropriate performance appraisal technique (which is transparent and not biased)will have high levels of employee engagement. 11. Pay and benefits - The company should have a proper pay system so that the employees are motivated to work in the organization. In order to boost his engagement levels the employee should also be provided with certain benefits and compensation. 12. Health and safety - Research indicates that the engagement levels are low if the employees do not feel secure while working. Therefore every organization should adopt appropriate methods and systems for the health and safety of their employees.

13. Job satisfaction - Only a satisfied employee can become an engaged employee. Therefore it is very essential for an organization to see to it that the job given to the

employee matches his career goals which will make him enjoy his work and he would ultimately be satisfied with his job. 14. Family friendliness - A persons family life influences his work life. When an employee realizes that the organization is considering his familys benefits also, he will have an emotional attachment with the organization which leads to engagement. 15. Co-operation- If the entire organization works together by helping each other i.e., all the employees as well as superiors co-ordinate well then the employees will be engaged. DOES ENGAGEMENT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE? Should executives be concerned about these findings? Perhaps a more interesting question to executives is: Is there a strong relationship between, say, high scores on employee engagement indices and organizational performance? It seems obvious that engaged employees are more productive than their disengaged counterparts. For example, a recent meta-analysis published in the Journal of Applied Psychology concluded that, employee Satisfaction and engagement are related to meaningful business outcomes at a magnitude that is important to many organizations. A compelling question is this: How much more productive is an engaged workforce compared to a non-engaged workforce? Several case studies shine some light on the practical significance of an engaged workforce. For example, New Century Financial Corporation, a U.S. specialty mortgage banking company, found that account executives in the wholesale division who were actively disengaged produced 28 percent less revenue than their colleagues who were engaged. Furthermore, those not engaged generated 23 percent less revenue than their engaged counterparts. Engaged employees also outperformed the not engaged and actively disengaged employees in other divisions. New Century Financial Corporation statistics also showed that employee engagement does not merely correlate with bottom line results it drives results. BENEFITS TO THE ORGANISATION Employee engagement builds passion, commitment and alignment with the organizations strategies and goals. Attracts more people like existing employee. Increases employees trust in organization. Creates a sense of loyalty in a competitive environment. Lowers attrition rate.

Increases productivity and improves morale. Provides a high energy working environment. Improves overall organizational effectiveness. Boosts business growth. Makes the employee effective brand ambassadors for the company. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

Keeping remote employees engaged is a critical challenge for managers. Employees need to be engaged through various forums and interactions to build excitement and passion through various communication channels and events. For example, at Sun Microsystems, employees are treated with utmost importance. The senior management team interacts with the employees through the intranet where the employees are engaged in active dialogue on corporate goals and directions and also solicits their feedback. Management members engages with the employees on technological directions through personal blog.(holding six town halls with employees every year).The company also reaches out the employees family by inviting and involving them in some events. The internal website of the company is updated daily, thus keeping employees abreast of the happenings and developments in their organization. MEASURING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Employee engagement can be measured from two dimensions; How employees feel(their emotions towards the company, the leadership, the work environment etc). How they intend to act in the future(will they stay, give extra effort etc). Employee engagement can be revealed in several ways, including pulse to annual surveys, tracking changes in the attrition rate, increase in the number of employee referrals and growth in productivity and business. In many organizations the age old employee satisfaction surveys were considered the most popular method for measuring how happy an employee was in the organization. This is slowly being replaced by surveys that can effectively measure employee engagement. For example, employee opinion survey.

The analysed results help us gauge the level of employee engagement within the company. It also helps to identify the weak areas. After each survey Action Planning Group is formed within the organization that comprises a cross-section of people from across the company; all departments and all levels are fairly represented. This group then works on different projects leveraging the strengths identified by the survey. Conducting a survey without planning how to handle the results can lead employees to disengage. It is therefore to feel the pulse, the action plan is just as essential. Employee engagement should be measured at regular intervals in order to track its contribution to the success of the organization. HOW TO MEASURE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Step 1- Listen The employer must listen to his employees and remember that this is a continuous process. The information employees supply will provide direction. This is the only way to identify their specific concerns. When leaders listen, employees respond by becoming more engaged. This results in increased productivity and employee retention. Engaged employees are much more likely to be satisfied in their positions, remain with the company, be promoted and strive for higher levels of performance. Step2- Measure current level of employee engagement Employee engagement survey let us know what level of engagement the employees are operating. Customizable employee survey will provide with a starting point towards the efforts to

optimize employee engagement. This kind of survey is a diagnostic tool of choice in the battle for the hearts of employees. Step3- Identify the problem areas Identifying the problem areas helps to see which are the exact areas, which lead to disengaged employees. Step4- Taking action to improve employee engagement by acting upon the problem areas Nothing is more discouraging to employees than to be asked for their feedback and see no movement toward resolution of their issues. Even the smallest actions taken to address

concerns will let the staff know how their input is valued. Feeling valued will boost morale, motivate and encourage future input. Taking action starts with listening to employees feedback and a definitive action plan will need to be put in place finally. IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGEMENT Engagement is important for managers to cultivate, given that disengagement or alienation is central to the problem of workers lack of commitment and motivation. Meaningless work is often associated with apathy and detachment from ones works(Thomas& Velthouse ).In such conditions, individuals are thought to be estranged from their selves. An organizations capacity to manage employee engagement is closely related to its ability to achieve high performance levels and superior business results. In the workplace research on employee engagement(Harter,Schmidt&Hayes,2002)have repeatedly asked employee whether they have the opportunity to do what they do best everyday. While one in five employees strongly agree with this statement. These work units scoring higher on this perception have substantially higher performance. Thus, employee engagement is critical to any organization that seeks to retain valued employees. As organizations globalize and become more dependent on technology in a virtual working environment, there is a greater need to connect and engage with employees to provide them with an organizational identity. Engaged employees are more likely to stay and be an advocate of the companys product and services. They contribute to the overall success of the organization. A greater number of loyal employees ensure low recruitment and training costs, in effect enhancing the productivity of the organization. They are also more willing to put in extra effort when the organization needs it. Their impact on the working environment is also significant as they are more focused on organizational benefit than personal goals. This consequently reduces feelings of acrimony and internal rivalries. They also project a positive image to new recruits and this motivates the latter to perform better and assimilate themselves in the office culture. Research also shows that engaged employees in customerfacing roles are more likely to treat customers in ways that positively influences customer satisfaction.

ORGANISATIONAL INITIATIVES Most organizations have a range of programmes to improve the engagement level of their employee. It should start right at the selection stage. Choosing the right fit and giving a realistic job preview. Strong induction and orientation programme.

Rigorous training and development from technical to soft skills to leadership development programme. To keep up the morale of people and drive them towards excellent performance, incentives can be given such as recognition letters, profit sharing schemes, long performance awards, ESOPs, building assets like own home. Regular feedback to all people. Communication forums like the in-house magazine and regular surveys and conferences. To maintain the quality of work-life and a balance between personal/professional lives, there are recreational activities like festivities, get-togethers, sports etc. An open and transparent culture to empower its people and develop entrepreneurs. INCREASING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Provide Variety - Tedious, repetitive tasks can cause burn out and boredom over time. If the job requires repetitive tasks, look for the ways to introduce variety by rotating duties, areas of responsibility, delivery of service etc. Conduct periodic meetings with employees to communicate good news, challenges and easy-tounderstand companys financial information. Managers and supervisors should be comfortable communicating their staff and able to give and receive constructive feedback. Indulge in employee deployment if he feels he is not on the right job .Provides an open environment. Communicate openly and clearly about whats expected of employee at every level-your vision, priorities, success measures etc. Get to know employee interests, goals, stressors etc. Show an interest in their well being and do what it enables them to feel more fulfilled and better balanced in work life.

Celebrate individual, team and organizational success. Catch employee doing something right and say, Thank-You. Be consistent in your support for engagement initiatives. If you start one and then drop it, your efforts may backfire. Theres a strong connection between employees commitment to an initiative and managements commitment to supporting it. REAL EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT RULES We often think that super important corporate initiatives will transform our organization into places where everyone will come to work and want to be more engaged. Corporate initiatives cant make the magic. Employee engagement happens only when you remove barriers to work and these barriers are unique to every work group. The people who deliver the corporate initiatives have to make engagement happen, i.e., the managers. HOW TO MOVE OWNERSHIP TO MANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES In order to move the employee engagement process from ownership by corporate HR to ownership by and employees, several things must happen-

1. Measurement of employee engagement must be done more than once in a year. We need multiple ways to assess engagement , the engagement metrics must include performance measures. 2. You cant have engaged employees without super engaged managers. Engagement improving efforts must start at top and work their way down. The most senior executive must be assured that they are engaging their senior team and that team has to work on creating a high engagement environment for its direct reports & so on. Engagement must be done by leadership through example. This process of top down engagement is owned by each level of management. Each manager himself benefits from the process, and then they share the benefits with their own employees. In this learning process managers own employee engagement.

3. Engagement is about getting rid of things that block productivity. We bring people to work, then put lots of obstacles in the way of their being able to succeed. Creating an engaged workforce means getting barriers out of the way for your employees to be effective. We cannot create a magic set of 20, 40, 80 survey questions that will assess the things that are getting in the way of productivity and performance. These things can be lumped into categories but they differ from company to company, department to department and employee to employee. These productivity blockers and de motivators are not taught in a basic introduction to management book. They are not going to disappear with the purchase of some new technology or from hiring the latest management guru. Engagement will happen when each individual manager learns whats getting in the way of his/her employees performance and each manager chooses to take action. 4. The process of engagement is a process , you cant get it right at the year end. You have to create a continuous learning, continuous improvement, continuous measurement and continuous action process to maximize productivity.

CONCLUSION Employee engagement is the buzz word term for employee communication. It is a positive attitude held by the employees towards the organization and its values. It is rapidly gaining popularity, use and importance in the workplace and impacts organization in many ways. Employee engagement emphasizes the importance of communication on the success of business. An organization should thus recognize employees more than any other variable, as powerful contributors to a companys competitive position. Therefore employee engagement should be a continuous process of learning, improvement, measurement and action. Research studies have thus made a contribution in adding an additional P to the 4Ps of marketing i.e., Product, Price, Place, Promotion and now People to the mix.

CONCEPT OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN TRL The people are the most important assets and through their capabilities and use of their knowledge, TRL has been able to maintain the leadership position in the market. Tata Refractories limited belongs to Tata steel group of companies and it is leader in Indian refractory industries. The human resource department of TRL experiments and conducts surveys to develop new concepts relating to employee well being, satisfaction and organizational Behaviors for the development of the employees in the organization. Engagement of an employee is an important factor of consideration for every organization for the prosperity and integrity of the organization. Satisfied knowledgeable workforce is therefore instrumental in achieving organizational success. If an employee is not satisfied in any of the factors which are basic ,prior and unavoidable like good and secured job, working environment ,salary, proper and effective interpersonal communication among all the level of the organization, scope of development ,recruitment policy, reward and appraisal system ,organizations discipline, training facility, recreation facility, complete understanding of the work, goals and values, decisions making policies then they will feel de motivated to work and the organization will not get the desired output even from the best employee working within it. In other words, job dissatisfaction leads to psychological withdrawal, dispensary visits, poor mental health, poor performance, lower attractiveness of the job and absenteeism. they will find opportunities elsewhere, where they can avail a better job that can satisfy all their needs. This will in fact lead to the increase in the level of absenteeism. Hence the human resource management conducts a survey on the employee satisfaction, every year, to find out the various factors of sin whish employee feels satisfied. This survey also helps them to find out in which an employee feels satisfied. survey also helps them to find out new factors apart from the standardize factors that are usually being prescribed as factors of satisfaction. Therefore these factors eventually help the department and the management to take proper action in future for the well being, motivation, satisfaction and development of the employees working within it from the human relations and organizational behavior point of view. Employee training & development, competency mapping through HRRA, career progression, succession planning is given utmost attention by top management for developing a world class workforce. HR programs are tailored to meet these objectives.

WORKFORCE FOCUS In alignment with the company's vision, mission and values, TRL's workforce focus aims at creating a flexible, knowledgeable & satisfied workforce. The company achieves high performance by creating agile & flexible organization design, understanding workforce needs through various listening and learning posts, promoting innovation and creativity through Cross Functional Teams, motivating employees through performance management and professional development and providing a safe and supportive environment. WORKFORCE ENGAGEMENT

Determination of workforce engagement and satisfaction Determination of key factors for employee engagement and satisfaction starts with classifying employees into appropriate groups based on hierarchical, functional levels etc. and capturing workforce needs through different listening and learning posts. The identified factors for workforce satisfaction and engagement are validated through reviews in the HR Council meetings correlating the same with the organizational results. High performance work culture This objective is achieved through the following factors: MOTIVATION Senior leaders use many formal and informal means to motivate workforce through out the company. Some of the steps taken by senior leaders in this regard are Creating an environment of achievement by setting challenging targets for the subordinates, Giving adequate resources for enabling people to succeed, Personal involvement and Reward and recognition based on consideration on meritorious performance. EMPOWERMENT An environment of empowerment is built through: (a) Enabling workforce through training and development to take decisions closest to the front line.

(b) Delegations of authority with trust & support, to take actions and make decisions, to satisfy the customers at first contact. General Managers and Chief Managers have been given both financial powers to reward workforce under them. (c) Providing easy access to the senior leadership (through open house, e-mail and freedom to meet informally). (d) De-layering for more freedom to act, job enrichment through task forces to work for special projects. REWARD AND RECOGNITION Reward and recognition system is one of the most important elements of a high performance work culture at TRL. Important R & R schemes are CPI, PPI, Bonus, Sabash awards, Gunwant Karmachari award etc. In addition to this, senior leaders take active part in rewarding people in annual JDC meetings, Safety week, productivity week and innovation week celebration and quality nite etc. MD is personally present in the annual functions of rewarding the winners. This encourages workforce to take part in improvement groups such as QCs, VE and other innovation projects in most of the forums in India. Contract workmen are also rewarded during the Safety week celebration by the Senior leaders. CO-OPERATION The change in the organization design from functional orientation to SBU-wise structure has resulted in improved cooperation and communication amongst production, marketing, technology and support services since these have become part of the individual

SBUs. This has resulted in improved productivity and business results. The company's vision and strategic plan (Mission-2000) has been communicated across the organization; thus providing a clear big picture to the entire workforce about company's objectives and growth plans. INFORMATION FLOW AND TWO WAY COMMUNICATION Communication across the work units, jobs and locations is achieved through a) Documentation of all work procedures and instructions (in IMS) and their communication to all employees through training b) Availability of these on in the intranet and as hard copies, which can be accessed by all, c) Through positional training where a highly skilled worker/officer trains a group assigned to him on-the-job as per the needs of his colleagues d) Knowledge Management system (KM site) where the knowledge champions and experts gather and place knowledge pieces including all successful CIPs on the K.M. site, e) Departmental meetings for knowledge sharing. f) Logbooks maintained by departments, g) Job rotation.

INDIVIDUAL GOAL SHARING & INNOVATION The CBSC is cascaded to Divisional/Departmental Goal Sheets and to individual KRAs, which help in aligning and integrating the performance targets; thus taking out any ambiguity and providing clear and specific goals for individuals. The workmen are trained and developed through Millwright, and other training programs to empower them for self-supervised working. This enhances their agility and they work seamlessly on all machines of all units of the department. Involvement of employees across all levels in various CIP teams, such as VE, WS and WCs have not only created a culture of collaboration but also fosters an environment for high performance. These interventions also help in skill and knowledge sharing & innovation. The associated rewards and recognition practices with these interventions motivate and engage the workforce across the organization. Innovation Is also encouraged through suggestion and innovation schemes, with appropriate reward and recognition. SAFETY AND SECURITY TRL's work climate is governed by HR Policy, IMS(Integrated Management System) consisting of ISO 9001:2000,ISO14001:2004,OHSAS 18001:2007,Tata code of Conduct, Sexual Harassment (Prevention Policy) and Whistle Blower Policy and is improved by reviewing the current practices and implementation of improvement initiatives. Central Safety Committee is the apex committee which decides the strategy for safety and its successful implementations. Safety initiatives in the company include hazard identification & risk analysis (HIRA), preparation of job safety analysis, housekeeping and safety surveys, mock drills, reporting and analysis of near miss incidents/accidents etc. Employee's involvement in improving the safety standard is ensured through their participation in the departmental safety committees, plant safety committee and other forums. WORK ENVIRONMENT

TRL is the first Refractories company in India to establish a full-fledged environment protection department. The system for air and water pollution monitoring, measurement, corrective, preventive action & periodic review are in place. HEALTH INITIATIVES Considering the nature of operations, system has been established to prevent occurrence of silicosis, a major health hazard by ensuring effective dust control systems, use of dust masks, job rotation and conducting health awareness classes regularly. PMC are conducted for all employees & contract labour as E&I. Replacing old producers by modern ones and replacing coal with petcoke has minimized toxic gas pollution in Gas Producers area, and gas monitoring is done regularly to check gas levels. TRL also proactively encourages its employees to preventing problems related to health by exposing them to knowledge on different aspects of health under the Work Life Balance and program which is conducted by doctors of JG

Hospital. Special programmes on 'meditation' are also conducted by Bramhakumaris from time to time to improve physical, mental & spiritual health of employees.

THE ASSESSMENT OF WORKFORCE ENGAGEMENT AND SATISFACTION This is done by an annual survey called EES (Employee Engagement Survey). The findings are analyzed and actions are initiated in low score areas to improve them. The absenteeism rate of 2.0% is a benchmark in Refractories industry. Method of measurement of employee well-being and satisfaction/dissatisfaction are: absenteeism, b) grievances) loss due to strikes (zero since last 20 years). The assessment method takes care of segmentation of the workforce such as employees at different levels, women employees, employees located at different locations. For workmen there is a separate survey which is administered in Oriya language. THE EES FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS These are presented in the BEC meeting to the senior leaders along with their correlation to the business results e.g. CBSC and AOP targets. Recognition was an area of concern in the last ESS. Hence a new set of recognition measures were designed for the employees and executed e.g. best housekeeping competition, Shabash award for Gunwant Karmchari. The improvements brought about based on the employee satisfaction survey and their correlation with the key business results are given in needs are identified during annual strategy planning process. Based on the 5 year business plan which gives projections of different business, VP (HR) in consultation with SBU Heads / GM's of production, maintenance and project departments make HR plan which take into account capability & capacity needs. The HR strategy focuses on three HR elements (i) Attract (ii) Retain and (iii)Develop of Strategy Planning Process. The recruitment process addresses (i) additional manpower requirement for business growth (ii) to fill up vacancies arising out of attrition.

OBSERVATION This place under this heading is the most appropriate place for me to pour my heart and acknowledge my observation with due integrity and earnestness. Here I have made up my mind to discuss my survey work including Employee Engagement, Employee Suggestion, their opinion and problems at length .I have segregated the different aspects of the survey into different sub-heading. I commence with the discussion above. OBSERVATION OF TRL I first went through the structure and a function of the TRL whose over all ambience was aesthetically maintained. In the process I came to know the rationale behind the tag line of TRL always satisfying After observing all the departments meticulously. I tried to elicit the information as to which part or the aspect of the activity is taken care of by whom. I gradually got the information of the roles and duties of each head of the departments.(Refer chart below)

OBSERVATION OF CUSTOMER FEEDBACK Prominent observation is made in connection to the feedback which I received from the employees. We know jolly well that no five fingers are same, similarly the opinions, comprehension and thoughts process of the various employees are also diverse and many.

A succinct elaboration of the roles and the function of the various employees will be a welcome step here.

OBSERVATION OF EMPLOYEES ATTITUDE I had a remarkable and flabbergasting experience when I approached the employees and personally asked them about their suggestion, comments, compliments or grudges, if any, which they have for their job in TRL.I deem it appropriate and prudent to make a mention of a fact that the attitude which the employee possessed were diverse, but I can categories those attitude under three categories which I have learnt in my HR paper in IST trimester. According to what we have learnt, employee attitudes, by and large, are of three kinds:Cognitive Approach Suggests that attitudes are based on cognitions (thoughts). It consist of beliefs,knowledge and information held by a person regarding an object or an issue.The knowledge comprises of the knowledge about the existence of the product,belief about its different characteristics. Affective Approach Suggests that attitudes are based on affect (emotions).A persons emotions or feelings towards an object comprise the affective component of an attitude.Such feelings,which are called the Affective component of attitude,may transform themselves into emotionally charged states such as anger,happiness,shame,distress,guilt and so on . Behavioral Approach-Behavioral component comprises of a persons future actions and intentions. It is concerned with the likelihood or tendency that an individuals will behave in a particular fashion with regards to an attitude object. FACTORS AFFECTING HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

Employee Engagement Study

MAFOI CONSULTING SOLUTIONS LTD

1.0

Ma Fois Approach to Employee Engagement: Employee engagement is one of the key contributors to an organizations growth. Empirical evidence suggests that employee engagement has a direct impact on the quality of work and customer service as well as retention of employees. Ma Foi approach to employee engagement is based on the following premises: Employee engagement is healthier when the drivers (motivators) of employee engagement are in alignment with the needs of the organization. Every organization is unique, that is shaped by the organizations needs - articulated in the form of vision and goals. Consequently, the key drivers of employee engagement differ from one organization to another. In other words, what would drive employee engagement in an organization would be not fully relevant for another organization.

Therefore, the core tenets of Ma Fois approach to enhancing employee engagement are as follows: That the study is organizations goals-centric as well as employee-centric. The study is customized for the organization.

Employee engagement is defined at two levels - at one level, employee engagement is summarized by the following: Overall opinion about their working experience in the organization; Loyalty intent; Recommendation likelihood; and Feeling inspired to give their best efforts

These are called the engagement measures. The second level would be the key drivers that impact employee engagement. The drivers provide specific inputs to enhance employee engagement to the organizations goals. In addition, there would be inputs to control attrition. Broadly, the dimensions that would go under the microscope of an employee engagement study are as follows: Quality of Experience: Role, Infrastructure, Managerial support, Inter-departmental interfaces, Team-work, Compensation, Communication. Customer orientation and practices: Opinions about organizations products and services vis--vis customer needs, complaint resolution and other relevant aspects. Work processes: Quality, efficiency, productivity. Vision / Mission: Awareness and related practices PMS, Career intent & growth opportunities: Peoples disposition to build a career and opinions about succession planning. Views about brand image: Pride in working with the organization.

While the above dimensions are a starting point, the specific and relevant dimensions as well as the areas under each dimensions to be studied in an organization are finalized based on a rigorous research process that encompasses the organizations needs as well as employees expectations and experiences. In summary, Ma Fois approach can be described as follows: Organization-centric as well as employee-centric; Customized questionnaire; Overall engagement measures; Drivers of employee engagement; Juxtaposing drivers of engagement with organizations needs; and Actionable findings to address attrition and to enhance quality of work and customer service.

The following sections detail the objectives and the methodology.

2.0

Objectives: The objectives of the study are as follows: To understand the organizations goals/needs; To understand employees experiences and expectations in their working with the organization; To design a customized employee-friendly questionnaire; To enable employees participation in the study; To determine engagement measure and the key drivers of employee engagement; To determine key strength areas that need to be consolidated; and To determine key areas for intervention to enhance employee engagement.

3.0

Methodology:

The above objectives will be achieved in five phases as follows:

Initial Sensing: Organizations needs, Peoples experiences & expectations

Questionnaire Customization

Data Collection

Data Analyses and Outputs

Blueprint

3.1

Initial Sensing:

The initial sensing phase is a rigorous qualitative process with the objective of developing a customized questionnaire.

This phase will comprise two stages as follows:

In the first stage, Ma Foi consultants will have discussions with key executives of the organization. The objective would be to understand the organization in terms of its businesses, its goals and various aspects related to employees. In the second stage, Ma Foi consultants will hold in-depth, one-on-one interviews with a sample of employees. This is aimed at understanding employees experiences and expectations in their working with the organization. These employees would be chosen across level, tenure and employees performance. In addition, we will conduct such interviews with a sample of employees who have exited Kalyani Lemmerz.

We will conduct interviews with about 20 employees. These interviews will be conducted by skilled consultants.

A findings report will be prepared based on the above. This report will be the basis for customizing the questionnaire.

3.2

Questionnaire Customization:

The findings from the above will be the basis for questionnaire development. Specifically, the issues will be converted into positive statements with a five-point scale ranging from strongly agree strongly disagree.

In addition, the questionnaire design will ensure continuity with any similar studies conducted in the past. Specifically, all the critical statements asked in the earlier studies will be included in the questionnaire.

Typically, the questionnaire will comprise about sixty statement spread over six to seven dimensions. There will be a demographics section to capture employees level, location, function and such others. The questionnaire design will ensure confidentiality of employees responses.

The questionnaire would be bi-lingual of English and Marathi.

Ma Foi and Kalyani Lemmerz will jointly finalize the questionnaire.

3.3

Data Collection:

All employees numbering approximately 350 across Pune will be targeted for coverage.

The data collection can be done through the electronic as well as the paper-pen method.

The data collection process will be organized to ensure confidentiality of employees responses.

The following are the essential steps in preparation for data collection through the electronic method:

Personalized letter from the CEO/MD detailing the objectives of the study, Ma Fois involvement and assuring confidentiality. Converting the finalized questionnaire into the electronic format. Questionnaire testing. Hosting on Ma Fois server. Password for each employee (not linked to the employee). Questionnaire access for each employee through Kalyani Lemmerz firewall.

The following will be the process to complete the data collection through paper pen method:

Personalized letter from the CEO/MD detailing the objectives of the study, Ma Fois involvement and assuring confidentiality.

Employees taking part in the survey will be divided into groups of 25 each on a one hour slot to finish the questionnaire. Ma Foi consultants will brief each group of employee on the questionnaire and assure confidentiality. The filled questionnaire will be dropped in a sealed ballet box. These boxes will be taken by the Ma Foi consultants to their office every evening.

3.4

Data Analysis Methods and Outputs:

The data analysis is a rigorous process with the help of time-tested statistical techniques. The following will be outputs as a result of the data analyses:

Dimensions and specific areas (within each dimension) where employees are positive and negative respectively, in their working with Kalyani Lemmerz. Employee engagement index and the key drivers (motivators) of employee engagement. Level of alignment between employee engagement drivers and organizations needs. Organization-wide and department-wise action agenda to enhance employee engagement in the context of organizations needs.

All the above analyses will be done separately for workmen and executives.

The following is a brief description of the statistical techniques:

Factor analysis is a classical statistical technique that looks for patterns across employees responses and groups attributes that employees see as being related to one another. In other words, factor analysis will help unearth the model through which employees relate to Kalyani Lemmerz. Regression analysis helps in prioritizing the factors, which then become the key drivers of employee engagement.

Attribute-Sensitivity analysis will prioritize the attributes in terms of their significance to employees.

3.5

Blueprint:

The findings will be collated and sent across to key executives of Kalyani Lemmerz for familiarization with the findings. A presentation will need to be organized a week thereafter where senior Ma Foi consultants would discuss the implications of the findings, based on its past experience and in the perspective of organizations needs. The blueprint will detail the key strengths of the organization that needs to be consolidated and key action areas that will enhance employees engagement. These would be organization-wide and wherever relevant, specific to a department or a workgroup. 4.0 Similar Consulting Assignments:

Ma Foi has conducted numerous such assignments. Some of our clients include the following:

Thomas Cook WNS Global Tata Honeywell DHL, UAE and Bahrain ENOC Group, Dubai DIFX, Dubai Mphasis JCB Addison SKF OWSC, Muscat Nations Trust Bank, Colombo Hatton National Bank, Colombo Infinite Computer Solutions Syntel Amrit Fields Bonfiglioli Vodaphone Kumaran Software Knowledgeworks Global Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

Centurion Bank of Punjab Reliance Life Insurance Oilco Services Limited Keld Ellentoft Times Internet Royal Orchid LM Glasfibre BASF The Chemical Company

5.0

Profile of key consultants in Employee Engagement Studies:

1. Name of Staff: 2. Profession: 3. Designation: 4. Years of Experience: Key Qualifications:

S Ram Kumar Human Resource Consulting Practice head - Diagnostics 14

Expert in: Organizational diagnostics Employee Engagement Studies, Exit Diagnostic studies Ram specializes in determining the key motivators for employees through employee engagement studies. He has developed a framework of employee engagement that combines organizations needs as well as employees needs so as to draw-forth key issues relating to their alignment. Ram is skilled at qualitative and quantitative research techniques that helps derive key insights that help organizations move closer its goals. He has handled numerous studies for a wide range of organizations in the sectors of engineering, IT, ITES, services, petrochemicals and FMCG. A second area of his focus is exit diagnostic. This is aimed at arriving at a prioritized set of actionable inputs to control attrition. As part of practice development he developed a robust electronic-based data collection module with the help of the technology team. His consulting approach is essentially, client-business centered and decision-oriented.

6.0

About Ma Foi:

Ma Foi (my trust, in French) has within a decade of its existence grown to be one of the countrys most renowned integrated HR services company, with a core team of over 400 professionals bringing diversity in background and domains of experience. Ma Fois HR Consulting arm has worked with over a hundred organizations across India in areas spanning employee satisfaction studies, organization structuring, manning, HR policy development and deployment, training, compensation studies and structuring, assessment.

Ma Fois consulting approach has been built on a preliminary diagnostic platform, the depth of which has often been guided by the scope of engagement. This ensures that the consultant achieves clarity of the client context and deliverables, and realistically communicates capabilities, expectations that can be fulfilled and those that cannot be. Our interface with our partners is marked by candor rather than obfuscation, professional integrity in delivery rather than expediency.

Ma Fois quest for installation of quality processes in all its services led it to model its quality system consistent with ISO 9001 standards. It was awarded the ISO 9001 certificate in 2000. It is also aware that such certification is a beginning in the quality journey rather than the pinnacle, and focuses on on-going review and improvement of its processes. In a nutshell, Ma Fois internal structuring along practices, its manning composition that ensures diversity of experience and expertise, its internal processes that enable transfer of resources and expertise across teams and locations, and its client centered systems come together to in the consulting context and make for a meaningful and fulfilling consulting experience.

Today Ma Foi Management Consultants is Indias leading company in the area of HR Services. With offices across 10 locations in India and 4 locations internationally (London, Singapore, Dubai and Malaysia), we are Indias first domestic international player in this industry.

There are two key principles that have brought us to this position:

1. A belief that there is great value in our Indian-ness. A key learning for us from the Indian systems of knowledge is the ability to see holism in whatever we do. Thus, when we work on a consulting assignment with an organization we first see it as a whole and subsequently as interrelated parts. 2. We believe in combining internal wisdom with external insights. In all our work we spend time trying to understand the Internal Wisdom while providing the Insights of a consultant. Thus our recommendations are close to what is most likely to work within your particular organization.

Govind Viswanathan Consultant HRC

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER By Joanne Dustin Calling all Executives and Managers! Are you engaging the hearts and minds of your employees? Youre probably thinking, This line has been used so often that its become a clich. Of course I am! But are you really? According to Gallup research, 29% of employees are engaged, 54% are not engaged, and 17% are actively disengaged. Gallup researchers estimate that the lower productivity of actively disengaged workers costs the U.S. economy about $370 billion annually. With employee disengagement so prevalent, could it be that managers dont understand what engaging the hearts and minds of our employees really means? Rational engagement, another way of saying engaging the mind, is the intellectual commitment that people make to their organizations. Its their understanding of how they can help their organizations succeed. And its recognizing whats in it for them as well as for the organization. Rational engagement is conditional. The expectations that you define with your employee at the beginning of a new assignment determine its conditions. With each assignment and with each change of direction in the organization, these expectations are renegotiated. Emotional engagement, on the other hand, is about something more fundamental, and much deeper. Its about the visceral connections your employees have with your organization. Its how your employees feel about what youre asking them to do. They may not tell you what theyre feeling, but it nevertheless has a huge impact on your organizations success.

Emotional engagement is unconditional. Your employees expectations are defined by your relationship with them. Your relationship becomes a lens through which your employees view your organization. Heres a story of a manager who believed her employees were highly engaged. What do you think? Diane was a project manager in an I.T. support group in a large retail organization. She thought of her management style as tough but fair. The project lead and the other six members of her project team were just wrapping up a six-month project. They had received acceptance sign-off from the users and were preparing to implement the new software that evening. The users were excited that the project was finally coming to an end and that their system would be ready for them when they came into the office the next day. The project team had spent some late nights reworking the software because of the users changing requirements, and the users had expressed their appreciation to Diane about the project teams efforts, especially the project lead going way above and beyond. Diane didnt pass their feedback along to the team. She thought the team members werent working up to their capabilities, and if she gave them the users feedback, they would probably slack off more than they already were. The organization had not been doing as well as expected, and there were rumors of layoffs. The team had heard the rumors and they expressed their concern to Diane. She said she had heard them too, but they should not be worried - no layoffs were being planned. In reality, Diane had known for several months that layoffs were coming. The I.T. Operations Manager approached Diane at 3:00 pm. He had just learned about the pending implementation. He asked if they had tested the software on the new equipment that had been installed earlier that week and was being moved into production that night. Diane was momentarily speechless she had not heard about any new equipment, much less tested the software on it. She told the Operations Manager they would test now, and continue with the implementation as planned. Diane met with her team and explained the situation. She said the Operations Manager had failed to tell her about the new equipment, and that the team would just have to work late until the testing and implementation were complete. The team members grumbled and complained, as Diane had expected, but they agreed. She said, Ill stay and help you. At 4:30, Diane received a call from her daughter reminding her that this was school parents night. Diane had completely forgotten about it. She left the office at 5:00, asking her project lead to let the team know, and asked him to call her cell phone when the system had been implemented. After she left, the team got together. What really happened? they speculated. Diane didnt have the best relationship with the Operations Manager. One team member said he thought the Operations Manager had set her up theres no love lost there. Another said, Well she deserves it. Here we are again. And where is she? The project lead stepped in and said, Forget it lets get this over with. The project team began the test. They encountered many problems. By 11:00 pm, they decided that they couldnt complete the work that night. They would finish it in the next morning. When Diane arrived at the office in the morning, she was greeted by the V.P. of I.T., who asked her to join him in his office. Her project lead was already there. He closed the door and demanded to know

what had happened. His phone was ringing off the hook! Diane immediately blamed the project lead for not calling her, and she blamed the team for not getting the work done. Theyre simply not reliable, she said. The V.P. of I.T. shouted, Get them all in here! Diane nodded and assembled the team. The V.P. said, We were going to meet on this later, but I might as well tell you now. Youre all being laid off. Were going to outsource I.T. Support. The project team was stunned, all except the project lead who responded, Since youve put your cards on the table, I will, too. Im leaving. Ive only stayed on until now to complete the project. Diane was stunned. What happened here? There are two key elements in a relationship that foster emotional engagement: Trust and Respect. Trust is created in three ways: Openness Keeping your employees in the loop through sharing as much information as possible about the direction of your organization and the importance of the roles theyre playing in it. Diane didnt keep her team in the loop about the positive feedback they were receiving from the users, or about the problems the organization was experiencing. Honesty Responding to questions truthfully, except in those situations in which you are constrained by your organizations confidentiality requirements. When asked about the layoffs, Diane didnt respond truthfully. This is one of the most difficult questions for a manager to answer because he/she may be under an organizational directive to not divulge anything about the layoffs. A guideline to follow is instead to say, When I have information to share, I will let you know. Integrity Keeping your word by doing what you say you will do. Diane had said she would stay and help, but she didnt. She had a reasonable excuse under ordinary circumstances, but these were not ordinary circumstances. As the project manager, she was ultimately responsible for the successful completion of the project. If she had stayed, she might have averted the situation. Respect is created through treating your employees in the same way you wish to be treated by your manager. Diane openly disrespected the project manager and the team in the meeting with the Vice President. The bottom line? Diane had not gotten to the heart of the matter with her team. How about you?

Examples of Employee Engagement Approaches

A successful employee engagement strategy helps create a community at the workplace and not just a workforce. When employees are effectively and positively engaged with their organisation, they form an emotional connection with the company. This affects their attitude towards both their colleagues and the companys clients and improves customer satisfaction and service levels. Most organisations have a range of practices to improve the engagement level of their employees. One of the pitfalls of any employee engagement program is a failure whether real or perceived - to follow through on the initial that the company is felt by their employees If your organisation is to succeed you must look use as many different approaches as you can. Here is a round-up of some of the best approaches. Employee engagement approaches for new employees

Best practice recommends starting right at the selection or recruitment stage with: The right person and giving them a realistic job preview A strong induction and orientation program Rigorous training and development, from technical to soft skills to leadership development programs. Regular technical/soft-skill updates. Certification programs to drive people towards excellent performance Employee engagement approaches for all employees Beyond initial recruitment and induction, employee engagement activities can be broken into a number of groups. These include: Communications activities Reward schemes Activities to build the culture of the organisational Team building activities Leadership development activities Communications activities These help employees find out what is going on within the company outside of their immediate team. They also help to create an environment of trust and openness within the organisation where they are able to talk openly. Employees who feel they are listened to are able to express dissatisfaction and work together to resolve their causes, without it affecting their performance. Good examples of communications approaches include: Communication forums to provide regular feedback to all people, including team meetings, conferences and away days In-house magazines On-line communications, including discussion boards and blogs by company personnel including senior management Monthly updates on corporate goals and directions Regular employee opinion and satisfaction surveys Active soliciting of employee feedback, including opinions and pet peeves

Reward schemes Reward schemes are an important part of a company's overall employee engagement program. Studies have long shown that, while money in itself is not a motivating factor, the absence of financial reward can be a significant demotivator. Thus the role of reward schemes in boosting employee engagement is: to remove barriers to satisfaction in the organisation; to provide a framework for rewarding everyone in the organisation for their performance; to give those who are motivated by financial gain an opportunity to achieve this. Typical approaches include: Compensation and benefit programs Stock ownership and profit sharing Recognition programs Idea collection schemes linked to rewards for idea generation Long service and good performance awards

Activities to develop the culture of the organisation Giving employees a feeling of belonging is crucial in creating a thriving organisation that people feel committed to and others want to join. Common approaches includes: Clear and humane HR policies Pro-social corporate objectives and Corporate Social Responsibility Equal opportunities policies and practices Initiatives to maintain the quality of work-life and a balance between personal/professional lives Developing a safe, clean and inspiring work environment Demonstrating a commitment to employees well being Team building activities Culture-building activities are great for generating a feeling of belonging, but all organisations are build out of smaller teams who can get on and work together. Popular approaches include: Small team recreational activities, such as bowling, skating, trips to the cinema (or the pub!) Social activities, such as family gatherings and barbeques Community outreach activities such as volunteering and fund-raising. Leadership development activities A great organisation needs not just a great leader, but people with leadership skills. This stimulates good performance, boosts creativity and eases succession planning. Good practices include: Effective Leadership Effective Performance Management Fair evaluation of performance Empowerment through effective delegation Coaching and mentoring activities to give honest feedback by supervisors and peers An open and transparent culture to empower people and develop entrepreneurs

Employee engagement in action: Sun Microsystems Employee engagement becomes that much more critical in such a virtual or global environment. Employee engagement is imperative for an organisation like Sun as they operate in virtual teams across the world: At Sun the virtual nature is partly due to flexible working practices. While flexible working arrangements are a plus for many employees and reduces facility costs for the organisation, that flexibility comes with some downsides like; isolation, loneliness and an increase in personal distractions Isolation, especially when paired with the demands of work in an increasingly competitive environment, can wear down the sense of connection, commitment and excitement about any job. Thus a critical challenge for managers of virtual teams is how to keep remote employees engaged.

At Sun, the concept of employee engagement starts right from the top: Scott McNealy, the CEO, interacts with Sun employees through WSUN, a forum on Suns intranet. He uses this to sustain an active an ongoing dialogue on the corporate goals and direction. Through this interactive on-line resource he also solicits their feedback and opinions Other senior management members like Jonathan Schwartz, the COO, engages with employees on technology directions through his personal blog Business Unit Heads and Executive Vice Presidents have a target of holding six town halls with employees every year across the globe At the country level, Senior Management is tasked with constantly engaging employees through various forums, communication media and events to build excitement and passion including some that also reach out to the employees families.

Employee engagement benefits Benefits of engagement from employee 1. Improve pride of the corporate-partners will have a feeling of corporate pride among their staff by showing off their commitment to a sustainable development. Staffs deep attention to the program also shows that their development is highly in accordance with the agenda of the organization. 2. Putting fellowship into practice of HR-When the programs are included in the partners HR strategy, they may become an important part of plans on professional development. 3. Motivational driver the management can use placements as a reward for staff but not use pay. 4. Identify internal champions for change The program of employee engagement helps practitioners of CR to discover and establish internal champions that are expected to create a great change in the company. 5. Increased productivity employees will feel relaxed and inspired. Direct managers will report greater productivity in returning employees. 6. Improved competency of employee soft skills can be built through experiences but not in the environment of a training room. After such experiences, participants can improve their confidence in all aspects of lives, helping them do job more effectively. In additions, your skills of team building, communication, analytical thinking, leadership, diplomacy, flexibility, conflict resolution, changereadiness, problem-solving and listening will be improved. 7. Recruitment Research has shown that in case of making decision on two equal companies, highly 8. qualified staff will select the one which has better environmental performance/stance. The program forms part of value proposition to graduate recruits (CPI Shell Research 2005).

9. Retention Showing commitment to corporate citizenship is considered to be a string factor in keeping staff. Aligning individuals personal values with those of the company is a powerful motivator. Employee Engagement Initiatives The highly productive and the most reputed companies across the world have understood the fact that it was employee engagement that made them stand apart from all other companies. Different companies had taken different initiatives to enhance the level of engagement among employees towards their jobs and the organisation. Some offer custom-made incentives while some stick to provide extra facilities like crche for kids, schools for children of employees, pick and drop, provision of food, movie tickets and many other things. Each company has its own reasons to establish a specific type of reward-motivation programme depending upon their financial status, region in which they are operating and level which they function at and the backgrounds of the employees. In the year 2001, an annual study conducted by the research arm of Kenexa, a leading global HR solution provider, revealed that Indian giants rank highest as compared to their peers in other countries when it comes to employee engagement and effective leadership. When compared on the national level, India with 71 percent employee engagement ratio secured the topmost rank while Japan was at the lowest position with 38 percent ratio. This was a surprising fact as it is believed that Indian companies have miles to cover in order to achieve what global companies have done already. Factors that made India stand apart from rest of the countries were employee recognition, emphasis of improvement of quality, show of genuine responsibility of organisation towards employees and opportunities to grow. The research conducted by Kenexa included India, US, UK, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Denmark, China, France, Finland, Germany, Japan, Spain, Russia, Sweden, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico and Gulf countries. The most surprising fact is that the Indian companies took creative and unique initiatives to enhance the level of engagement and involvement of their employees. According to a study conducted by Hewitt Associates in 2009, the software giant HCL Technologies was ranked as the best Indian employer in that year. The reasons being, creation of a positive work culture and its long term approach in the midst of challenging conditions. The other companies who made to the list of top employers were Hindustan Zinc, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, Cisco Systems, ITC Welcome Group, Eureka Forbes, LG Electronics India, Dominos Pizza India and Marriott Hotels India. Infosys in year 2011 plans to have its own radio in establishing a healthy and quick interaction and communication amongst employees. The company also plans to host talk shows where top management would interact with the employees. Besides this, the company also has a social networking portal like Facebook. Named as Bubble, it helps employees connect to their colleagues, seniors, subordinates and top management. Infosys had also created Infosys Television. Indian giants like Mahindra & Mahindra, Mercer, KPMG and Wipro offer democracy to choose their wages and perks depending upon their lifestyles. It is done to decrease as well as prevent dissatisfaction amongst employees. It has worked out very well and companies are successful in drawing and retaining

the best talent. The trend began in these IT giants can now be seen in FMCG, banking and other industries. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS IMPROVING EMPLOYEES PERFORMANCE Author Prof. (Dr.) Rajni Rastogi Prof and Head of the Management DepartmentSitapur Group of Institutions, Sitapur 3, BCM Hospital, khairabad,sitapur ABSTRACT Employee engagement goes beyond the employees intent to leave. It includes the employees commitment to the organization and motivation to contribute to the organizations success. By creating a workforce that is passionately involved with the company, the organization can create a sustainable competitive advantage for itself. This article throws light on the issues to be addressed by the organizations for creating an engaged workforce. Employee Engagement has become a growing management concern today. Engaged workers make more money for the company and contribute towards a healthy working environment. They stay with the organization longer and are more committed to quality and growth. Engaged employees usually need the least amount of attention from managers because they're doing what they are needed to do. According to Scarlett Surveys, "Employee Engagement is a measurable degree of an employee's positive or negative emotional attachment to their job, colleagues and organization which profoundly influences their willingness to learn and perform at work". The evidence of a significant relationship between employee engagem ent and financial performance is undeniable.-Towers Perris An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in and is enthusiastic about, his or her work. Such employees are attracted to, and inspired, committed and fascinated by their work. In a recent research by Hewitt Associates, it was found that engaged employees are not only intellectually committed to the organization but are also emotionally attached to it, as is measured by three primary behaviors: Say, stay and strive. The old business dictum goes that satisfied employees create satisfied customers by constantly striving for the best, contributing to the bottom line of the company success by their motivation and enhanced performance. It is believed that an engaged employee always acts positively in the interest of the company and takes unconcealed pride in the success and prosperity of his employer. The engaged employees and the organizations go that extra mile for each other, thereby realizing the benefits that flow through an investment in such a relationship. According to the former GE Chairman and CEO, Jack Welch, a companys health is determined through its energized workforce who not only realizes the mission of the organization and has an understanding of how to achieve it; help the organization win in the long run. Engaged employees care about the future of the company and are willing to study entitled, The War for talent, reported that a shortage of skilled employees was an emerging trend and it was more so due to the fact that the organizations fail in their attempts to create a workforce that is not only cognitively vigilant but also emotionally connected to the organization. Research has proven that wholly engaged employees tend to be more self-motivated, reliable, and have higher levels of organizational loyalty. They are capable of delivering sustained affecting the key results

areas such as employee turnover, sales, innovation and customer satisfaction, engaged employees in customer facing roles are more likely to treat customer is ways that positively influence customer satisfaction and are more than twice as likely to be company advocates. They share information with colleagues and pass on ideas that speak up for the organization. Engaged employees are much more likely to feel secure and stable in their position and are in fact the ambassadors for the company, singing its praises to everyone, and taking the best foot forward to deliver and over-deliver for customers and the colleagues alike. To determine the level of employee engagement, the organizations should make use of a comprehensive employee feedback and to improve levels of productivity and commitment by identifying the root causes of workplace attitudes. They also help in developing an understanding of the extent to which employees are passionate about their work and emotionally committed to their company and to their co-workers. The other ways used to measure the employee engagement levels is through tracking changes in the attrition rate and growth in productivity and business. Companies like Bharti conduct EES on an annual basis to measure employee behavior on important engagement parameters. The questions are hosted on the organizations website. The findings of the survey are analyzed and the points that need to be addressed are acted upon accordingly. The analysis results not only help gauge the level of employee engagement within the company but also help in identifying the weak areas. The data collected from these surveys can furnish information that can help the management in the following ways:

Identifying cost-saving opportunities Improving productivity Reducing turnover Curbing absenteeism Strengthening supervision Evaluating customer service issues Assessing training needs Streamlining communication Benchmarking the organizations progress in relation to the industry Gauging employees understanding of and agreement with the company mission. The surveys must also be integrated with the culture survey s and since the culture varies within the organization, the companies must aim at measuring the engagement at work group level. Employee Engagement Approaches There can be more than one way to improve the level of employee engagement in a company. In fact, there are many different things that companies not only can do, but also need to do. Most organization has a range of practices to improve the engagement level of their employees. Best practice recommends starting right at the selection or recruitment stage by having the right employees working in the right jobs and having a strong induction and orientation program in place. Besides giving the employees clarity on the vision and goals of the organization, it is essential for organizations to put into place

regular technical / soft skill training and development programs and the certification programs to drive people towards excellent performance as it so happens at HCL info systems. Once the employees become a part of the system, efforts have to be put into place to engage employees to their highest level. Beyond initial recruitment and induction, employee engagement activities can be broken into a number of groups. These include:

Communication: A proper communication system helps employees in finding out what is going on within the company outside their immediate team. They also help to create an environment of trust and openness within the organizations where they are able to talk openly. Employees who feel they are listened to are able to express dissatisfaction and work together to resolve their causes, without it affecting their performance. The initiative must be taken by the leaders at the top as it happens at the Sum Microsystems where the CEO interacts with Sun employees through WSUN, a forum on Suns intranet. He uses this to sustain an active, an ongoing dialog on the corporate goals and direction. The organizations must work towards implementing the communication forums to provide regular feedback to all people, including team meetings and conferences. For example encourages employees to bring forward their questions or concerns through such programs as lets talk It Over, Between Us and various internal and external help lines. Besides using the regular employee opinion and satisfaction surveys, an update on the various organizational issues can be tracked by the organizations through the usage of in-house magazines and online communications, including discussion boards by company personnel including the senior management.

Reward Schemes: These form an important part of a companys overall employee engagement program. Studies have long shown that while money in itself is not a motivating factor the absence of financial reward can be a significant demotivator. Thus the role of reward schemes in boosting. Thus the roles of reward schemes in boosting employee engagement are? To remove barriers to satisfaction in the organization and provide a framework for rewarding everyone in the organization for their performance. This may be achieved through right compensation and benefit programs, stock ownership and profit sharing plans and recognition programs. People want to know if their input matters and that they are contributing to the organizations success in a meaningful way, for which there must be performance based reward scheme in place. In fact, organizations must have flexible benefit schemes, as Hewitt Associates does, to attract and retain their talent, which provides employees with the freedom to choose how they receive their benefits tailoring a package to suit their lifestyle.

Developing the right culture: The organizations must have clear and humane HR policies and take initiatives to maintain the quality of work life of its employees. Opportunities must be provided for social interaction such as family gathering barbeques, and trips to the cinema or picnics.

At HCL Info systems, a balance between personal / professional lives of employees is maintained through recreational activities like festivities @ HCL, get-togethers @HCL, sport@HCL. The company also encourages an open and transparent culture to empower its people and develop entrepreneurs. The organizations must demonstrate a commitment to employees well being by providing opportunities for career advancement and be developing a safe, clean and inspiring work environment for their all-round growth. The employees must be provided with enough resources to solve their day-to-day problems or to do a job well. Culture building activities are great for generating a feeling of belongings. Giving employees a feeling of belongingness is crucial in creating a thriving organization that people feel committed to and others want to join.

Leadership: Effective leaders who help in setting the tone for creating an engaged workforce can really differentiate an organization from its competitors. Everyone in the organization with leadership responsibility must have the emotional intelligence and leadership skills needed to switch and employees on they must act as role models, demonstrate and set high standards to which others can aspire. Good practices include effective performance management and a fair evaluation of performance. The leaders must act as coaches and mentors and must give an honest feedback and guidance to their employees. Ideas should be sought from all employees and the frontiline employees should be allowed to exercise a degree of discretion during service delivery E.g., allowing employees to spend up to a certain amount to correct a customers problem or handle a complaint. The success of Microsoft, for example, stems in part from Bill gates belief that smart people anywhere in the company should have the4 power to drive an initiative. Initiatives such as Six Sigma are dependent, in part on the active participation of employees on the shop floor. For great managements, the path towards engaging employees and keeping them engaged beings with asking them what they want and what is important in order to be effective in their roles. Effective leaders dont wait to get the resignation to know that an employee is dissatisfied. An organization can always gain a competitive advantage by creating an engaged workforce. It therefore, becomes, imperative for the organizations to identify the level of engagement in their organization, strive to eliminate the reasons behind the disengaged workforce and implement strategies to make them fully engaged. Employee engagement is something that is very difficult to accomplish but if efforts are made on an ongoing basis, it can shrivel with relative ease. Methods of increasing employee engagement, An organizations productivity is measured not in terms of employee satisfaction but by employee engagement. Employees are said to be engaged when they show a positive attitude toward the organization and express a commitment to remain with the organization. Organizations that believe in increasing employee engagement levels focus on:

Culture: It consists of a foundation of leadership, vision, values, effective communication, a strategic plan, and HR policies that are focused on the employee

Continuous Reinforcement of People-Focused Policies: Continuous reinforcement exists when senior management provides staff with budgets and resources to accomplish their work, and empowers them.

Meaningful Metrics: They measure the factors that are essential to the organizations performance. Because so much of the organizations performance is dependent on people, such metrics will naturally drive the people-focus of the organization and lead to beneficial change.

Organizational Performance: It ultimately leads to high levels of trust, pride, satisfaction, success, and believe it or not, fun. Handling non-engaged employees Not-engaged employees tend to concentrate on tasks rather than the goals. They want to be told what to do. They have no real aspirations of their own. These employees tend to feel that their contributions are being overlooked. Not all the employees are engaged in an organization. There are those who are not engaged and tend to concentrate on tasks other than the goals and outcomes they are expected to accomplish. Efforts are to be made to raise levels of engagement for those who fall in the not-engaged range. These non engaged employees want themselves to be spoon fed in terms of work targets and are rarely seen to take initiatives. They focus on accomplishing a task rather than achieving an outcome. Managers tend to believe giving targets to employees keeps them engaged. The way to get people to become a part of an organization is through relationships. Employees who feel disconnected emotionally from their coworkers and supervisor do not feel committed to their work. They hang back and do the minimum because they believe their contribution hardly counts. These employees lower the bar for themselves by doing the least amount of work necessary. Managers should try to interact with these non engaged employees so as to identify the improvement areas. Providing consistent and positive feedback to the subordinates can help in boosting the morale of non engaged employees. By exhibiting a caring nature, manager can show his employees of what importance they are to him. Benefits To The Organization

Employee engagement builds passion, commitment and alignment with the organizations strategies and goals

Attracts more people like existing employees Increases employees trust in the organisation Creates a sense of loyalty in a competitive environment Lowers attrition rate Increases productivity and improves morale Provides a high-energy working environment Improves overall organizational effectiveness Boosts business growth Makes the employees effective brand ambassadors for the company. Employee engagement can be revealed in several ways, including pulse to annual surveys, tracking changes in the attrition rate, increase in the number of employee referrals, and growth in productivity and business.

In many organizations, the age-old Employee Satisfaction Surveys were considered the most popular method for measuring how happy an employee was in the organisation. This is slowly being replaced by surveys that can effectively measure employee engagement. Conducting a survey without planning how to handle the result can lead employees to disengage. It is therefore not enough to feel the pulsethe action plan is just as essential. Conclusion Employee engagement is a concept that is generally viewed as managing discretionary effort, that is, when employees have choices, they will act in a way that furthers their organization's interests. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work. Engaged employees care about the future of the company and are willing to invest the discretionary effort. Engaged employees feel a strong emotional bond to the organization that employs them. Most organizations today realize that a satisfied employee is not necessarily the best employee in terms of loyalty and productivity. It is only an engaged employee who is intellectually and emotionally bound with the organisation, feels passionately about its goals and is committed towards its values who can be termed thus. He goes the extra mile beyond the basic job responsibility and is associated with the actions that drive the business. Moreover, in times of diminishing loyalty, employee engagement is a powerful retention strategy. The fact that it has a strong impact on the bottom-line adds to its significance. Engagement is about motivating employees to do their best. An engaged employee gives his company his 100 percent. This is what makes the difference in an industry where the most valuable resource of a company walks out of the door every evening. This is of particular importance in a knowledge industry. The quality of output and competitive advantage of a company depend on the quality of its people It has been proved that there is an intrinsic link between employee engagement, customer loyalty, and profitability. When employees are effectively and positively engaged with their organisation, they form an emotional connection with the company. This impacts their attitude towards the companys clients, and thereby improves customer satisfaction and service levels. A successful employee engagement helps create a community at the workplace and not just a workforce.

Employee Engagement A positive attitude held by the employee towards the organisation and its values. An engaged employee works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organisation. The organisation must work to develop and nurture engagement, which requires a two-way relationship between employer and employee.

Employee engagement is a partnership between a company and its employees Most organizations today realize that a satisfied employee is not necessarily the best employee in terms of loyalty and productivity. It is only an ENGAGED EMPLOYEE who is intellectually and emotionally

bound with the organization who feels passionate about its goals and is committed towards its values thus he goes the extra mile beyond the basic job. Employee engagement is a powerful retention strategy. An engaged employee gives his company his 100 percent. When employees are effectively and positively engaged with their organization, they form an emotional connection with the company. Employee engagement is a barometer that determines the association of a person with the organisation. It is about creating the passion among associates to do things beyond what is expected from him.

EMPLOYEE ENGEGEMENT starts right at the selection stage:

Choosing the right fit, giving a realistic job preview Strong induction and orientation programme To keep up the morale of people and drive them towards excellent performance through recognition letters, profit sharing schemes, long performance awards etc. Regular feedback to all people Communication forums like the in-house magazine, and regular surveys and conferences By helping to maintain the quality of work-life and a balance between personal/professional lives, there are recreational activities like festivities, get-togethers, sports etc. An open and transparent culture to empower its people.

The result of these practices can be evident through the regular feedback from our employees collected through surveys,

Diagnostic tool for employee engagement include the following - training - development - career - performance appraisals - performance management - communication - equal opportunity - fair treatment - pay - benefits - health - safety - cooperation - family orientation - friendliness - job satisfaction

which helps to create - feeling valued and involved which is - ENGAGEMENT. Factors for Higher Employee Engagement Here is a list of some contributing factors: Understanding of corporate goals/mission Understanding of job and how it contributes to overall corporate goals Clear communication of goals, expectations, directions Job design Job fit Support and tools Independence & innovation Relationship with boss/direct reports Clear feedback on performance Recognition Learning and development opportunities Opportunities for advancement Pride in organization Employee input Employee involvement in decision making Work-life balance Workplace culture/morale Co-worker relationships/good team environment (enjoy colleagues) Fair HR practices

Measuring the Impact of Employee Engagement

SOME USEFUL COMPANY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS COULD INCLUDE A daily column, written by Directors, Chairman, on the intranet with company announcements / programs etc. Online real-time tracking of progress. Employees can view company progress towards targets / goals. Provide long term strategic vision for business growth. Employee suggestion systems / quick responses. Weekly blog related to serious business issues and staff to read / comments.

Questions to Measure Employee Engagement Do you know what is expected of you at work? Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right? At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work? Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person? Is there someone at work who encourages your development? At work, do your opinions seem to count? Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?

Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work? Do you have a best friend at work? In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress? In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

We can also have a HR folder or an intranet for employees have you have sections like motivation stories, quotes, Support grievances jokes, etc... Some entertainment for employees KEY EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT OUTCOME METRICS - EMPLOYEE RETENTION - COMPANY PERFORMANCE - CUSTOMER SATISFACTION - PROFITABILITY

Employee engagement can be defined as an employee putting forth extra discretionary effort, as well as the likelihood of the employee being loyal and remaining with the organization over the long haul. Research shows that engaged employees: perform better, put in extra efforts to help get the job done, show a strong level of commitment to the organization, and are more motivated and optimistic about their work goals. Employers with engaged employees tend to experience low employee turnover and more impressive business outcomes.

Employee engagement is more than just the current HR 'buzzword'; it is essential. In order for organizations to meet and surpass organizational objectives, employees must be engaged. Research has proven that wholly engaged employees exhibit,

Higher self-motivation. Confidence to express new ideas. Higher productivity. Higher levels of customer approval and service quality. Reliability. Organizational loyalty; less employee turnover. Lower absenteeism.

Focus on employee engagement: Current studies show that organizations are focusing on the meaning of employee engagement and how to make employees more engaged. Employees feel engaged when they find personal meaning and motivation in their work, receive positive interpersonal support, and operate in an efficient work environment. What brought engagement to the forefront and why is everyone interested in it? Most likely, the tight economy has refocused attention on maximizing employee output and making the most of organizational resources. When organizations focus attention on their people, they are making an investment in their most important resource. You can cut all the costs you want, but if you neglect your people, cutting costs wont make much of a difference. Engagement is all about getting employees to give it their all. Some of the most successful organizations are known for their unique work environments in which employees are motivated to do their very best. These great places to work have been recognized in such lists as Fortunes 100 Best Companies to Work For. The concept of engagement is a natural evolution of past research on high-involvement, empowerment, job motivation, organizational commitment, and trust. All of these research streams focus on the perceptions and attitudes of employees about the work environment. In some ways, there are variations on the same fundamental issue. What predicts employees giving their all? Obviously, all organizations want their employees to be engaged in their work. Several standardized tools exist for assessing employee engagement and providing feedback for making changes. These tools tend to have several common goals and characteristics: Create a simple and focused index of workplace engagement-Many organizations are using very short, simple, and easy to use measures that focus on the fundamentals of a great workplace. Instead of conducting broad culture/climate surveys with 100 or more questions, organizations are opting for a focused approach that measures fundamental qualities of the workplace that likely will be important 10 years from now (e.g., feedback, trust, cooperation). Allow for benchmarking-Most organizations want to know how they compare to other organizations. Using a standard measure of engagement allows organizations to see how they compare to other companies along a simple set of fundamental work qualities. Direct action-Engagement measures tend to be very actionable. This means that the organization can alter practices or policies to affect employees responses to every item in the measure. Show relationship to company performance-Without a link to company performance or other critical outcomes, measures of engagement have little value. The whole idea behind engagement is that it leads to enhanced performance. The link to performance outcomes is a necessary underlying assumption of all engagement measures. Engagement Predicts Organizational Success Many studies have shown that investments in people (i.e., HR-related practices) have a reliable impact on the performance of organizations. The Bureau of Labor conducted a comprehensive review of more than 100 studies and found that people practices have significant relationships to improvements

in productivity, satisfaction, and financial performance. Research has shown that when engagement scores are high, employees are more satisfied, less likely to leave the organization, and more productive. Each organization is different and there are many factors that affect bottom-line outcomes; however, engagement scores can serve as meaningful predictors of long-term success. Some organizations use engagement scores as lead measures in their HR scorecards. When an organization can show the relationship between engagement scores and bottom-line outcomes, everyone pays attention to the engagement index. Establishing this critical link between people and performance helps HR professionals prove that people-related interventions are a worthwhile investment. Elements of Engagement Some researches conclude that personal impact, focused work, and interpersonal harmony comprise engagement. Each of these three components has sub-components that further define the meaning of engagement. Personal Impact-Employees feel more engaged when they are able to make a unique contribution, experience empowerment, and have opportunities for personal growth. Past research (e.g., Conger and Kanugo, 1988; Thomas and Velthouse, 1990) concurs that issues such as the ability to impact the work environment and making meaningful choices in the workplace are critical components of employee empowerment. Development Dimensions Internationals (DDI) research on retaining talent (Bernthal and Wellins, 2000) found that the perception of meaningful work is one of the most influential factors determining employees willingness to stay with the organization. Focused Work-Employees feel more engaged when they have clear direction, performance accountability, and an efficient work environment. Aside from the personal drive and motivation to make a contribution, employees need to understand where to focus their efforts. Without a clear strategy and direction from senior leadership, employees will waste their time on the activities that do not make a difference for the organizations success. Additionally, even when direction is in place, employees must receive feedback to ensure that they are on track and being held accountable for their progress. In particular, employees need to feel that low performance is not acceptable and that there are consequences for poor performance. Finally, employees want to work in an environment that is efficient in terms of its time, resources, and budget. Employees lose faith in the organization when they see excessive waste. For example, employees become frustrated when they are asked to operate without the necessary resources or waste time in unnecessary meetings. Interpersonal Harmony-Employees feel more engaged when they work in a safe and cooperative environment. By safety, we mean that employee trust one another and quickly resolve conflicts when they arise. Employees want to be able to rely on each other and focus their attention on the tasks that really matter. Conflict wastes time and energy and needs to be dealt with quickly. Some researches also find that trust and interpersonal harmony is a fundamental underlying principle in the best organizations. Employees also need to cooperate to get the job done. Partnerships across departments and within the work group ensure that employees stay informed and get the support they need to do their jobs.

Making Use of Engagement

Measurement of employee engagement can have many applications in the organization. Earlier, it is mentioned that engagement could serve as a general index of HR effectiveness in an HR scorecard. Also, engagement measures serve as an easy way to benchmark the work climate against other organizations. Other uses include: Needs Analysis-The fundamental issues measured in engagement provide a quick index of what leaders and HR need to do to make things better. In addition, items in engagement surveys tend to be very actionable. This means that leaders or others in the organization can take action that will affect the score on a single item. Evaluation-Many learning and performance interventions are designed to impact some aspect of engagement. When an engagement measure is used as a pre-implementation baseline, the impact of the intervention can be gauged by measuring post-implementation changes in engagement. Climate Survey-Some organizations like to use engagement measures as simple indexes of the workplace culture. While more extensive surveys are valuable, sometimes its easier to focus attention on a few simple and proven factors. Leader or Department Feedback-Depending on the demographic information collected when the engagement measure is implemented, one can create breakout reports by department or leader. This means departments and leaders can gain a better understanding of how engagement in their groups differs from the rest of the organization. This information can be used to create development plans or plans for larger-scale interventions.

Dear respondent, I am a final year MBA student doing a project on An Analysis on Employee Engagement. I seek your kind support in spacing your valuable time to fill up this questionnaire. Thank you very much for your time and support. Respondent profile Age Gender Department Designation Experience : : : : : 21-30 Male 31-40 Female 41-50 over 50 years

Please tick the applicable choice: Strongly disagree Strongly agree

Statement

Disagree Neutral

Agree

I have the materials and equipment I need to do my job efficiently. I receive the information and communication I need to do my job. I regularly receive recognition/praise for doing good work. The benefits offered here are fair and reasonable. The people here are pleasant and co-operative to work with. There is someone at work who encourages my development. My opinions and ideas seem to matter. My supervisor provides me with feedback and guidance. My supervisor helps me know what is expected of me. My supervisor cares about me as a person. Even if I had the opportunity to get a similar job with another organization, I would stay with my present company. In the last year, I have had opportunities to learn and grow. I would recommend the organization as a good place to work. Overall, I have confidence in the

senior managers at the company. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with my job.

Employee Engagement Activities/initiatives 1. Family Day 2. Outdoor Sports Gully cricket, football, basketball, volleyball etc 3. Coffee with MD communication forum. 4. Face to Face with BU heads, functional heads - communication forum. 5. Diwali celebrations 6. Santa Carnival Christmas celebrations 7. Independence Day, Republic day flag hosting. 8. EID & Ramzan celebrations 9. Ganesh Chaturthi Dept wise aartis to be planned. 10. Traditional Day 11. Goggles day. 12. Birthday anniversary celebrations 13. Marriage Gift vouchers. 14. Anniversary bouques to spouses. 15. Baby kits 16. Gurukool an informal training session for sharing skills. 17. Navratri celebrations - Dandiya event. 18. Workshops for women like make up, cookery show, weight loss/gain. 19. Quiz competitions 20. Toofan sales day out. 21. New year party 22. childrens day celebrations/fancy dress competitions 23. Singing - Antakshri competitions. 24. Bay/Cubicle decoration competitions. 25. Indoor games - carroms, chess, badminton, Table tennis. 26. Food festival 27. Essay competition - where the topic may be chosen from the Industry. 28. Outbound training programs 29. Power Yoga classes. 30. Health Check up. 31. Blood donation camps. 32. Cute baby contest employees kids competition. 33. Introduce fun board in your floor shop, so your employees can pin up their Colleagues candid pics, posters, their paintings, hot news, fun news. 34. Celebrate "One Thing Change day" wherein we have asked employees to do one noticable change in them, it be their dress, style, voice tone, greeting style etc. 35. No vehicle day Go Green. 36. Onam Celeberation Authentic south Indian food specially on this day for employees. 37. Holi celeberation.

38. Organizations birthday celebrations. (date of commencement) 39. Bulk Mailers - Thought for the day, Did you Know, Birthday & anniversary mailers.