Introduction
HRM officials have turned to intervention measures that ensure employee engagement such as empowerment, teamwork and working relationship, effective management, performance management, training and development, provision of good working conditions, and good work-life balance. To ensure employee commitment, HRM measures such as the development of organisational values, involvement of senior leadership, open communication, rewards and recognition, and appreciation of diversity have become crucial. Employee engagement results are used as signposts that show how performance can be affected. Engagement results indicate the levels of job involvement, satisfaction, training, and loyalty of employees. Such indicators as low employee morale, absenteeism, high turnover, strikes, and increased voice guide the action in engagement campaigns. With such results, organisations can work out strategies to align them to their goals. Employee development can improve levels of engagement. This goal is achieved through the development of organisational values, the involvement of senior leadership, open communication, rewards and recognition, and appreciation of diversity. With such engagement interventions, employees begin to own the organisation and its goals. In other words, they become more loyal. Using Dubai Airports Company as a case study, this paper will explore how the employee engagement survey can influence effective performance. It seeks to analyse the extent to which HRM practices influence employee performance in this organisation. The goal is to offer recommendations on how HRM practices can be developed to improve employee performance.
How Employee Engagement Survey can Influence Effective Performance
The most important reason for carrying out an employee engagement survey is that it enables HRM to measure the level of commitment. In this aspect, an organisation can measure various drivers of employee engagement to assess the level of engagement or disengagement. Several drivers are used in measuring the degree of dedication. Advancement is one of the drivers of employee engagement. HRM evaluates the individual employee’s level of personal and career growth. Secondly, the HRM also assesses the level of recognition that employees are accorded in an organisation to establish their engagement levels. According to Mishra, Boynton, and Mishra (2014), cues such as verbal applause, awarding of presents, and written recognition count as key aspects of recognition. Thirdly, evaluation of pay and benefits that are accorded to employees is another indicator that HRM uses in assessing the level of recognition in organisations. The degree of employee satisfaction with pay and benefits that they get from their employers is also an indicator of engagement. Fourthly, according to Roberts (2013), job roles that are assigned to employees in an organisation are other indicators that are used in measuring the level of engagement.
When an organisation trusts its employees in implementing crucial decisions and/or making them part of the decision-making team, one can use it to gauge the intensity of engagement. Increased level of employee engagement results in increased job involvement and hence increased performance. Fifthly, the strategy of training and development is another indicator that HRM deploys to measure the degree of employee dedication. Employees are more loyal to organisations that engage them in tuition and development. This strategy enhances their skills and job experience. Also, according to Alfes et al. (2013), while assessing the level of worker engagement, HRM also evaluates indicators such as leadership. Allowing employees to be in charge of others and various activities show how an organisation values its human resources. An organisation that works closely with these indicators boosts its employee performance.
Employee engagement survey allows employees to voice their opinions and feedback to the organisation (Wiley 2013). Through employee engagement surveys, Hynes (2012) shows how a two-way communication forum is established. The HRM can read the opinions of the employees who in turn understand their leaders’ mind and the demands of their organisations. During the surveys, employees can pass their opinions to the management in a direct and non-mediated approach. With information, according to Alfes et al. (2013), the management department can handle its human resources better, hence enabling them to improve their work. When employees are allowed to give their views, they develop a sense of job involvement (Fachrunnisa & Adhiatma 2014). Increased level of job involvement spurs a sense of loyalty since employees feel that they are part of the organisation. This participation motivates employees and makes them perform better.
After establishing the degree of employee engagement through surveys, it becomes possible to move ahead to establish new targets and action plans towards raising it. Survey results are a good indicator of the faults and opportunities that are available for the organisation to raise its worker commitment (Wiley 2013). The presence of reduced levels is an insight into the HRM to improve its approaches to employee issues or develop new ones to attain the required commitment (Mishra, Boynton & Mishra 2014). Surveys are also important since they indicate the specific factors of engagement, their faults, and strengths. Therefore, the organisation can act on the individual aspects of engagement. Surveys reveal all imperfections in individual areas of employee engagement. According to Medlin and Green (2014), out of the survey results, organisations can develop action plans that are tailored to specific departments that have low employee engagement or have a complete overhaul of the organisation’s employee loyalty programme. With a plan on how to cover the faults and/or handle the problem of low employee engagement, organisations can prioritise engagement actions and project resources to develop a clear implementation plan (Alfes et al. 2013). This plan makes the whole process of raising employee engagement easier. The witnessed commitment translates into excellent organisational performance.
Organisational growth is pegged on various factors that are used in measuring the extent of worker commitment. Such factors include the effectiveness of leadership, worker contentment, the working environment, and employee rewards and recognition (Redmond 2013). These factors form the objectives that organisations have in their endeavour to achieve growth. Most of the indicators of employee engagement are also pointers of organisational growth (Roberts 2013). Therefore, addressing the factors of employee engagement raises opportunities for organisational growth. Engagement surveys enable the HRM department to point out the specific departments that are scoring high in terms of engaging their workers (Medlin & Green 2014). Surveys offer insight into how one department can learn from the other how to raise its members’ level of engagement. When this goal is achieved, it becomes easy to unite and work towards attaining the set organisational goals.
Through employee engagement surveys, organisations get an opportunity to benchmark their performance and carry out comparisons. The results of engagement surveys give a clear insight into the position of an organisation compared to other organisations. Deploying clear results of the degree of engagement under various factors, organisations can compare their performance with that of others under various specific areas (Roberts 2013). Benchmarking on the engagement levels enables institutions to know whether certain faults are universal to all companies or are unique to some organisations (Medlin & Green 2014). Using the results from different factors of engagement, for example, the level of satisfaction, recognition, and pay, one can appreciate his or her organisationâs position. If the level of engagement under these factors is below what is witnessed in other businesses, the organisation can take the necessary steps to raise it or bring it at par with that of others.
How Human Resource Development Practices from Dubai Airports Company Influence Employee Performance
As evidenced by the employee engagement surveys from Dubai Airports Company, it is clear that human resource management interventions influence employee performance. From the survey, employee equity score increased in 2013, indicating a rise in the level of commitment and engagement. This outcome followed the implementation of 2010 and 2012 employee engagement survey recommendations in Dubai Airports Company. For instance, employee commitment levels rose from 69% in 2010 and 70% in 2012 to stand at 78% in 2013. This observation indicates the influence of HRM intervention on employee performance since performance is dependent on worker dedication. Similarly, employee equity levels at Dubai Airports Company have been on the rising trend, owing to HRM engagement surveys. For instance, in 2010, employee equity was at 70%. It rose to 76% in 2012. By 2013, it was at 76%. Equity is a strong indicator of the level of employee satisfaction. The actual worker commitment levels also went up because of increased engagement surveys.
For example, in 2012, it was at 65%. By 2013, it stood at 73%, despite a slight decline in 2012. A closer look at individual pillars of employee commitment to the results of 2013 engagement surveys indicates a general improvement in all pillars because of the previous HRM interventions. From the results, each indicator of commitment experienced an upward trend. For example, the reward and recognition index rose from 58% in 2012 to 68% in 2013. Diversity also indicated a positive trend from 67% in 2012 to 70% in 2013. Organisational values moved from 54% in 2012 to 64% in 2013. With the increased HRM interventions, levels of communication also rose from 54% to 64%. The involvement of senior leadership also rose from 56% to 68%. Although most of these developments in commitment levels were below the Dubai Airports Company’s average, they indicate positive engagement results. When commitment levels increase, employee performance and efficacy also increase, thus resulting in increased productivity (Roberts 2013).
Another factor of engagement that is worth noting from this survey is training and development. Training and development index rose from 49% to 60% in 2013. The concept of training and development is one of the major drivers of employee satisfaction with an employer or organisation. The positive index in employee training and development at Dubai Airports Company is an indicator of higher levels of employee engagement and hence better performance. When employees are assured of training and development, they tend to be more patriotic to their organisations (Roberts 2013). Also, the level of turnover goes down. Tuition boosts understanding and expertise, which in turn amplify the information base of an institution. A more informed human resource means better-equipped personnel. Training reduces scrap work, increases efficiency, instils confidence, and enhances creativity and competition within the organisation (Parry & Sherman 2015). It influences employee performance. Another indicator of commitment is the work-life balance. This element increased with a 5% index from 55% in 2012 to 60% in 2013. The implication of these scores is that engagement survey at Dubai Airports Company has had a positive impact on work-life balance. As Fachrunnisa and Adhiatma (2014) confirm, when employees can balance their work and family life, it becomes easy for them to be more engaged in their work.
From the above analysis of employee engagement survey at Dubai Airports Company, one can see how HRM interventions such as employee engagement surveys enhance performance. The human resources majorly spearhead the performance of any organisation. Through engagement surveys, an organisation can understand and appreciate employee opinions. Using their voice, engagement levels are raised, organisations can benchmark with others, and organisational growth is directed (Medlin & Green 2014). HRM interventions in employee engagement are a crucial venture toward performance improvement.
Employee development helps to reach the organisation’s goals. To begin with, an intervention such as tuition boosts workforce proficiency and information capacity. With improved skills, workers become more confident, autonomous, and have less scrap. Moreover, the organisation is bound to record the improved quality of production, efficiency, and efficacy. Secondly, open communication between the management and employees opens up a space for dialogue and understanding. When the organisation develops reliable and easy-to-use means of communication, employees can vent their emotions before they turn hazardous to the organisation. In the same way, the management can read the mood and emotions of employees. Such a situation results in better employee involvement in decision-making processes. This case makes the employees own the organisation by forming a teamwork culture. Involvement of senior management in engaging employees instils confidence in them. A reduction of the gap between the management and employees opens the internal environment in a way that negotiations can take the upper hand in case of a hitch. Through rewards and recognition, elements such as employee loyalty and determination to stay in the organisation are nurtured. Every employee wants to be appreciated for the work he or she does in the organisation. Rewards are a means to access employee emotions. They realise that their contribution to the organisation counts. Reinforcing organisational values sets the pace and direction of the organisation. Values bring employees and management to a common working strategy where universality guides diversity. From such values, the culture of an organisation is established. Values guide time management, respect for work and one another, the language of communication, and the level of interaction between employees and among organisational stakeholders. Development of diversity within an organisation encourages teamwork. It also builds confidence among employees and even with the outside environment. Employees of different gender, sexuality, age, colour, race, religion, and culture can work together by adding up their experiences to the benefit of the organisation. Diversity is also a key driver of creativity since people are gifted in different areas.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Based on the above discussion, it is clear that HRM interventions are key drivers of employee performance. Therefore, businesses such as Dubai Airports Company need to harness and develop these factors for better organisational performance. To begin with, it needs to develop and improve employee commitment factors. One such driver is reward or recognition. Griffin (2014) shows how reward and recognition can be developed through continuous evaluation of employees. The HRM uses the results of such assessments to reward and even recognise better-performing employees. Also, reward and recognition need to be timely. Hence, employees should be rewarded immediately they perform well. Similarly, they should be reprimanded immediately they perform poorly (Redmond 2013). Organisations can measure their position in rewards and recognition through surveys and interviews of employees to know whether they are satisfied with methods that are applied in rewarding them. A comparative survey where an organisation compares what it does with its competitors’ practices is also important at this level. The second element that influences worker dedication is diversity. Diversity can be developed through policy enactment and implementation. Organisations should have policies that allow the employment of a certain percentage of people with disabilities, people of different races, tribes, sex, religion, and cultures (Fachrunnisa & Adhiatma 2014). This plan promotes diversity in the workplace.
To evaluate diversity, HRD can carry out surveys of the composition of its personnel. Evaluation of voice and reduced cases of harassment and abuse are also indicators of a diversity-embracing environment. Environmental audits, for example, on whether the environment is enabling for people with disability, also informs HRD. Thirdly, organisational values should also be established through the engagement of both employees and management in the process of developing them. Such values should then be written down and implemented. Dubai Airports Company should make it a repeated affair to affirm the values to all stakeholders. Through surveys of employee behaviour and records of complaints, HRD can locate the level of value embracement. Performance levels and morale of employees are also indicators of the level of value embracement. Fourthly, a two-way communication environment should be nurtured in the organisation. This culture can be developed through the establishment of communication avenues such as suggestion boxes, emails, blogs, meetings, and hotlines. Also, an open-door policy can enhance communication between the management and employees (Hynes 2012). To measure the degree of open communication in an organisation, HRD carries out communication audits. Finally, to enhance commitment, senior leadership should be in contact with the employees. This plan can be implemented through policymaking and ensuring that senior leaders address meetings or participate in social events occasionally.
Also, aspects of employee engagement need to be developed. One engagement factor that the Dubai Airports Company needs to improve is teamwork and working relationships. This aspect can be established through training and/or involving employees in social activities. Secondly, employee empowerment as an engagement factor can be established through workshops, assigning of leadership roles, and better remunerations (Griffin 2014). Thirdly, organisations should develop performance management strategies by conducting thorough employee assessments, benchmarking, and motivation so that workers can invest their efforts in the organisation since they are satisfied. Fifthly, Parry and Sherman (2015) present the importance of social working conditions of employees, which Dubai Airports Company can establish. This goal is achieved through good leadership, health auditing, and socialisation of employees. Many organisations have witnessed high turnover rates because of failing to address the issue of work-life and/or family-life balance. Such organisations end up tying employees such that they (workers) cannot get a spare time with their families. The outcome is work and family conflict where employees resort to abandoning their organisations. To avoid this occurrence, Dubai Airports Company should address the issue by upholding the flexibility concept, for instance, through the implementation of flexi-time and flexi-place policies.
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