PLUGGED IN! How Important is Team Engagement? Congratulations! Welcome to your new workplace and the new team that has joined you in this new chapter! A bright smile and clean introduction can really leave an impression on a new recruit. However, if the new culture is riddled with negative energy, it can feel like a scam. Like buying a brand-spanking-new appliance with no plug. Negative energy here is particularly referring to team synergy. How well does the new person fit in? Are they suitable for the job? What do they bring to the proverbial table? Being engaged in the workforce of the company requires us to be engaged in the team first. So, are we to expect the boss to bring us amazing cranberry & white chocolate cookies every last Friday? Or is there an annual event that all our hard work culminates into? In their article on Developing and Sustaining Employee Engagement, global HR leaders, SHRM refer to Gallup’s definition stating,” engaged employees [are] those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.” These employees believe in the vision and mandate of the company and strive to help those goals become a reality. Imagine four employees of a shipping company: Steve, Zara, Amma and Juan. All four are placed in one boat and are given one oar each. The boat is typically shaped, and they are generally the same size. Their expedition aims to cross a short lake. They start at the same time, rowing with the same vigour but alas! The boat remains at the dock. What could be the problem? They try again, with more fervour but at staggered times. The problem remains. They are not going anywhere. A team is utterly useless if they are disconnected from each other. The four employees are rowing in different directions. Furthermore, the boat goes nowhere. Amos chapter 3 verse 3 states, “can two walks together, except they agree?” That
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is the point of Team Engagement; to agree with each other. To agree on a personal level so that strengths innate to each team member can be explored and weaknesses compensated. Agreeing in this context does not mean saying “yes” every time but rather indicates a willingness to work together and through the problem to achieve the solution. Activities outside of the routine career-based portfolio fosters the environment for team building. Activities like group volunteering, team-based initiatives and regularly checking-in as a team, just to name a few. Charles Woodruffe did an article titled the crucial importance of employee engagement, where he states in his abstract that “having employees who are thoroughly motivated and truly engaged is the most powerful competitive weapon an organization can enjoy.” This must translate into team building and team engagement as well. Teams are the families of the company where recruits are most influenced by attitude, hierarchy, and company norms. A dysfunctional team is lopsided and ineffective due to disconnections. A solid and effective team is plugged into each other, working together, and growing forward. Are you plugged in? by Chantel Baker
References
Gallup, Inc. (2017). State of the American Workplace. Retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/reports/199961/7.aspx SHRM. (2021). Developing and Sustaining Employee Engagement. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/ resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/ sustainingemployeeengagement.aspx Woodruffe, C. (2006). The crucial importance of employee engagement, Human Resource Management International Digest. ISSN: 0967-0734 Retrieved from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/ doi/10.1108/09670730610643891/full/html
