No matter how big or small a business is, employees should always be given the tools to completely understand their role, not only on an individual scale but also how their role fits into the overall structure of the business and organizational strategy.
You may think that as long as employees have a job description they can refer to they will be OK, but they need more than that to really understand where their role sits. They may well know what their function is and what their day-to-day responsibilities are, but what about where they fit in the grand scheme of things? How do they impact the success of the business as a whole? What role do they play in achieving organizational goals?
Here are some of the reasons having a clear understanding of their role is so important in terms of employee engagement.
Less ambiguity around responsibilities
When all employees are completely confident in what their role is and where it sits in an organization, there should be no ambiguity about what they should be doing (and what they SHOULDN’T be doing). If performance issues arise, you really don’t want the employee in question to be able to use a lack of understanding of their role as a reason for the issues – and of course, if there is no ambiguity, there’s less opportunity for performance issues.
Positive attitudes in employees
When the importance of their roles has been communicated clearly and effectively, employees are naturally going to be much more positive about their work, colleagues, and customers. If you’ve ever managed or worked with someone with a negative attitude, you’ll know that you can’t underestimate just how important positivity in the workplace is! Understanding where they fit into the ‘bigger picture’ and how their seemingly minor actions can help the business grow and prosper can make a real difference to attitude and engagement.
Consistency between people, teams, and departments
When everyone knows how they fit with each other to make the business run smoothly, employees’ performance tends to be more consistent throughout the organization. You’ll experience colleagues, teams, and departments working harmoniously, and while there may still be an edge of friendly competition, there will be less trying to outdo each other, often to the detriment of performance.
More valuable performance management
Employees who understand their roles find it easier to understand where they’re excelling and where they’re falling short, as well as there being a better understanding from both the employee and their manager as to what appropriate goals and targets would be. Creating a development plan that’s relevant to their role within the organization is much easier when both employee and employer are fully in agreement as to where they’re heading and what’s achievable to them.
Overall, engaged employees are more willing to go the extra mile for their employers, leading to better business results. You can use Primalogik 360 to conduct employee engagement surveys, and if the results aren’t quite what you were hoping for, perhaps better clarification of roles is part of the problem.
Another great tool you can use is the Goals Module which allows both manager and employee to clearly document the goals and objectives as well as keeping track of their progress.
Give Primalogik 360 a try today by starting a free trial with no commitment at all – all you need to enter is your name and email address and you’ll be ready to start.