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Solution
Employees engagement is defined in earliest Khan’s definition as employees expression in a physical, cognitive and emotional manner in interactions in their job roles (CIPD, 2024c). The definition is supported in Utrecht University Group of Occupational Psychologists identifying employees’ engagement to be a state of mind where as opposed to getting burnouts, they evidence vigourness (energetic, resilient and efforts), dedicated (enthusiastic, inspired and proud) and absorption (concentration and engrossed in individual functions) (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2024). In an organisation such as Saudi Aramco, investments in employees’ engagement strategies have a direct correlation with other business metrics. According to CIPD (2024c), these metrics entail the clients’ satisfaction, performance, innovativeness, reduced turnover, efficiencies and health and safety performance. The strategies for improving employees’ engagement include;
Communication Strategy
An effective communication strategy is a foundation to develop a transparent and trusted employer-employee relationship (CIPD, 2024a). At Saudi Aramco, the communication strategy has been implemented that supports open and consistent two-way communication, for employees to be informed with corporate development and get aligned with the organisational objectives. A large organisation like Saudi Aramco requires such alignment even more as it could bridge the gap between management and a geographically spread workforce. This open and consistent two-way communication is required at Saudi Aramco in order to bridge the management and the workforce, since everyone will have an opportunity to understand and be aligned with the organisation’s goals, hence working towards their achievement. For example, Aramco provides information on the company’s strategic priorities, ongoing projects and changes in policies through several channels, including town halls meetings, department briefings, and digital newsletters. These initiatives act as a means to encourage a steady flow of communication that strengthens transparency culture and employee trust and engagement. Such communication efforts boost employee confidence and promotes a sense of belonging which leads to increase in engagement. In addition, employee voice is encouraged through the communication strategy (Musheke & Phiri, 2021). This means encouraging employees to bring their ideas forward and give their inputs on decisions that will be affecting their work. This is important since it aligns employee roles with an organisation’s objectives creating a sense of purpose. Although this strategy may be effective, its strength could be compromised if employees perceive it as unidirectional, with no real avenue for their voices to make a difference in the decision-making process. Effective engagement through communication depends on whether leadership is open and responsive to employee feedback and insight.
Impact on Organisational Performance
The impact of communication strategy on engagement and performance can be measured through employee surveys and key performance indicators (KPIs) including employee satisfaction and turnover rates at Aramco. Quantitative insights regarding the effective use of a communication strategy can be gained from the regular engagement surveys undertaken to gauge employees’ understanding on organisation’s vision, their perception on their role in decision-making and also the effectiveness of communication channels (Kazakov et al., 2020). These metrics helps in assessing whether employees are informed and aligned with the company’s objectives. Qualitative feedback from focus group and town hall meetings can also provide more insights in employees perception about communication. For example, a combination of quantitative survey data and qualitative insights allows Aramco to measure the impact of communication on employee engagement effectively. By maintaining high levels of employee engagement through effective communication, this correlate positively with the productivity and innovation, all of which affect organisational performance.
However, while structured communication helps dramatically increase engagement, it also requires constant improvement, and response. For Aramco, there are significant challenges of feedback incorporation and transparency in the decision-making process. If employees fail to get any action from their responses through surveys or when the feedback is shared in town halls and the employees perceive that the feedback is not taken into consideration, the power of feedback is reduced (Huda, 2023). This results in frustration and disengagement when engagement efforts back fire. Aramco therefore need to establish clear mechanisms through which employee feedback should be responded to, to enhance the communication strategy as an effective two-way process.
Employee Feedback
Another important strategy which encourages the development of a culture of continuous improvement and personal…….
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