Importance of Organisation Fit for Employee Engagement

Importance of Organisation Fit for Employee Engagement

What is Engagement?

The increased interest in positive psychology, and recognising the importance of enhancing employee wellbeing, has led to organisations becoming increasingly concerned with improving and promoting levels of engagement of their employees.

Although often confused with similar well-being concepts such as job satisfaction, organisational commitment and workaholism, research has indicated engagement is distinct and in fact offers far more value than other phenomenon.

With over fifty definitions, one of the most popular describes the concept as “a positive, fulfilling, work related state of mind that is characterised by vigour, dedication and absorption”
When it comes to the beneficial outcomes of enhanced engagement levels in the workplace there are many, including:

  • Lower staff turnover
  • Organisational commitment
  • Heightened productivity
  • Increased physical and mental health
  • Customer satisfaction

So, how do employers enhance engagement in their workforce?

There are many factors which drive engagement levels within the workplace.

Studies have provided evidence for the influence of

  • Support
  • Challenging and varied roles
  • Regular performance feedback
  • Personality traits
  • Leadership style
  • And more!
  • One of particular interest is how a person “fits” into the company they work for.

    What is Organisational Fit?

    There are several types of “fit” with regards to the workplace.

    How a person perceives their own fit, or congruence, with their peers or their manager is important, as is how they fit with the job role itself.

    It is pretty clear that a person who thrives on creative and imaginative tasks may not be engaged or satisfied in a data entry role for example.
    Person-job fit is a fascinating concept and another blog entirely!

    Another very popular and well researched facet of fit is how congruent the individual is with the organisation they work for. Extensive research and studies confirm that higher levels of Person-Organisation fit significantly predict increased Engagement levels of individuals in the workplace

    Therefore, the more compatible the employee is with the values, attitude, mission and culture of the company they work for, the higher their levels of engagement will be. When this occurs then the benefits to the employee and the employer (as outlined above) are extensive

    How to ensure Organisational-Person Fit?

    The organisation as a whole, needs to analyse and ensure that it is the best version of itself it can be! It needs to be able to present itself in a way that attracts and retains potential employees that are aligned to its core attributes.

    Ways to promote organisational – person fit:

    • Have a clear definition of the organisations mission and purpose
    • Analyse and define the companies core values
    • Design and write compelling job adverts that attract the right people
    • Ensure the organisation has a well design selection and assessment criteria based on testing and promoting fit ie- psychometric testing
    • Regular internal appraisals, development and measurement tools to ensure current employees are satisfied and engaged.
    • Use coaching techniques with existing employees to overcome any issues and regain engagement levels
    • Use surveys and exit interviews to assist in maintaining organisation fit

    Psychorecruit can offer organisations further insight into the importance of fit and work with them to analyse and design tools to ensure a workforce of happy, satisfied and engaged employees!