Employee engagement for Nonprofit organisations
Posted on 31 January, 2022 at 13:40
- Organisations do not collapse if they have a workforce that
is engaged and support each other for one goal. Organisations overcome
challenges better with employees who understand teamwork, other than individual
work. A culture of oneness, respect, and appreciation when planted and
motivated from the beginning, organisations tend to excel even through difficult situations.
- Jane was a loner, she lived in a shady apartment along the road, and worked at the Jonas coffee shop across the street. The working environment there was unfriendly, Jonas the owner of the coffee shop was a rude old man who only cared for his money at the end of each shift. Jane would be demanded to report for work even after hours because she stayed close by but she never got a thank you or a cent for her overtime. She wanted to leave so many times but could not because she had no qualifications. Even the clothes she wore, were just baggy rags, no one would give her a chance. So anything that was thrown at her by Jonas she took. She had been fired almost 3 times now after she asked for her money, or for a raise. She could hardly pay for her rent with the money Jonas gave to her but because she was the best coffee maker in town, Jonas would call her back every time. As much as some clients disliked her looks, they loved her coffee. Some of the clients were still rude to her and called her nasty, but she was used to it. Even her workmates did not like her.
- Jane was fed up and wanted to leave. It was her off day and she decided to put on one of her best rags and go town to hunt for a job. Just when she was about to get out of her apartment, Mr. Jonas rang. “Come to the coffee shop right away, we need you,†He said, “but sir, I am off duty†she responded in a cracking voice “do u want to lose your job girl†that was his everyday threat. She quickly hung up the phone and dashed to the coffee shop. Apparently, there was a client who had been ordering coffee and then spitting on it because he did not like it. When Jane got to the shop Mr. Jonas ordered her to prepare a cup of coffee for the client. She did as she was told. The man was staring at her impatiently as she held the cup dearly with her shivering hands. She carefully put the cup on the table and waited there. He took the cup and before he drank he looked at jane and he said “ what are you still standing there for†Jane just looked at the man and turned away before she even reached the kitchen, the man was yelling through the walls of the coffee shop. “Hey you ratchet dirty girl come back here†Jane looked at the man and went back. Before she could even open her mouth to ask what was wrong, the men threw the hot cup of coffee on her face and she screamed in pain. “You want to burn me, bring me another cup†he continued to yell. Jane vigorously removed the apron she was wearing and threw it on the floor. “I quit†she yelled as she marched out of the shop. “You are going to come back here begging foolish girl†Jonas yelled back. After a week, Jonas’ sales began to drop down rapidly, customers were no longer coming to the coffee shop, the only coffee they enjoyed was Jane’s, but now she was gone. Jonas looked for her everywhere but she had already left town. That is when Mr. Jonas regretted mistreating Jane and not encouraging her to teach her colleagues how to make good coffee.
- Employee
engagement definition
- Employee engagement refers to how employees connect
with their teams, their work, and their organization mentally, and emotionally.
Employee engagement focuses on an employee’s connection with their company, not on their own wellbeing.
- Benefits of employee engagement!
- Increased employee productivity
- When employees are more engaged in their work, their productivity turns to more high. Employees with a positive perception towards their co-workers, their duties, and the organisations they work for, are likely to be mentally and emotionally attached to their work. If Jonas Coffee shop employees were mentally, and emotionally engaged to their work and their organisation, cases of returned orders would not have occurred. Organisations should always create an environment that will easily allow employees to engage more with their work to increase productivity.
- Higher employee retention
- Engaged employees don’t have a reason to look elsewhere for
work. Engaged employees turn over less often because:
- They
know they will be recognized for their contributions
- They
see opportunities for professional growth and career development
- They
understand when organizational change happens and why
- These three pillars enable employees to connect to the
present and the future. Organisations should therefore encourage a culture of
recognition for contributions made, create opportunities for self-development,
and also educate employees on the importance of organizational change.
- Increased donor satisfaction
- Engaged employees are committed to efficient use of
resources and implementation of internal control systems that enable the achievement
of goals without waste or loss of funds.
- Lower absenteeism
- Employees that are highly engaged in their work always show
up. Some even get to an extent of working at home and over hours not because there
are forced by pressure but because their jobs become their lives.
- Better employee health and well being
- If employees are less engaged in their work, they are more likely to be going under pressure, stress, and in worst cases depression. Most employees become unhealthy, some end up suffering from chronic illness. Eventually, unhealthy employees’ productivity is low, high absenteeism, and dissatisfaction of beneficiaries and funding partners.
- What are the top drivers of employee engagement?
- Motivating work
- Employees want their jobs to be challenging. They want to own tasks that use their strengths and have access to opportunities to develop in their roles and career. It’s important for organizational leaders and HR teams to match talent to roles that supply these aspects of an engaging job.
- Inspiring teams and leaders
- Leadership and team relationships are extremely important for engagement. Employees want to work for leaders and teams that put people first, value employee contributions, and show integrity.
- Commitment to organization
- Employees want to work for organizations that have a
strategy built for success. They want to believe that they can contribute to
that success in their role. Individuals want to successfully contribute to
winning teams and organizations.
- Who drives employee engagement?
- Every person in your organization impacts employee engagement—in the quality of relationships they build, their approach to teamwork, and general attitudes they bring to the workplace.
- The role of leadership in employee engagement
- Organizational leaders are employee engagement advocates. They are influential and liable to be exemplary to their subordinates. They are required to create a communicative culture that promotes togetherness, respect, and appreciation.
- The role of employees in employee engagement
- Employees engage more with other organizational stakeholders, for example, beneficiaries in different communities. In that, they provide honest and candid feedback on the actual needs of the stakeholders in question. They are also in a better position to brainstorm ideas and creative solutions that can enable them to be more engaged in their work.
