Employee Engagement .... Does it Exist

To accomplish great things, organisations must surround themselves with people who complement their business. As global competition intensifies organisations seek to retain their talent, engaging employees becomes an issue of increasingly high importance. To be surrounded by talented people, good work practices need to be in place. Most companies understand the importance of having an engaged and involved workforce, yet often it is seen as a 'nice thing' rather than a must have. Whilst company value statements may mention employee engagement and harnessing the potential of all employees, this may not be backed up by the investment into it. There are many case studies that have shown that by having a committed and engaged workforce can add to the bottom line and it is something that all employers should nurture. Employee engagement is becoming increasingly important for organisations that want to remain competitive and deliver a great customer experience. Organisations are under growing pressure in todays economy to be competitive and to achieve profitability and it is through employees that they can accomplish this. A strategic approach to employee engagement, one that is built on trust, open channels of communication, fair procedures and processes and the development of employees creates a working environment in which employees are willing to go the extra mile. Engaged employees impact on the productivity and financial performance of a company. The relationship between employer and employee has become increasingly more important in recent years, there needs to be that right balance there in order to extract the best from people in the work place. The objective of this dissertation is primarily concerned with employee engagement practices in Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC). The objectives of this study are as follows: - To identify the employment relationship between employer and employee to see if employee engagement actually exists in IBEC. - To determine who has the responsibility to ensure that employee engagement practices are in place. - To identify some of the existing gaps that IBEC have at present in their employee engagement practices and be able to put forward recommendations to be able to remedy these gaps and improve engagement.