Employee engagement is one of key strategic objectives pursued by modern day businesses with the realisation that businesses thrive and survive by delivering a better customer experience. However not all businesses have woken up to this fact as some do not realise that employees are the critical touch point that delivers that customer experience.  For those who have seen the light, they embrace employee engagement as a strategic lever to deliver superior customer experience and this becomes their differentiator in the market place.

Employees would be provided with necessary knowledge and technology tools they need to excel in their job. They are immersed into the broad view of the organisation by interpreting strategic vision, mission and values to their very own specific tasks so that the intensity of the connection inspires them because they understand the end game. In this case when they serve customers they come across as informed, knowledgeable and confident. They rely less on such statements, as 'I don't know that's in another section'.  Engaged employees keep abreast of developments in their department, company, sector and/or industry.

Employee engagement is defined as a state of positive work related attitude characterised by high levels of energy, emotional commitment, and satisfaction derived from work itself. It is further stated that when employees are engaged they feel a vested interest in the company's success and are both willing and motivated to perform to levels that exceed the stated requirements of their job. Engaged employees positively influence the buying behaviour of customers, leading to higher customer loyalty and profitable growth.

Just a mere glance at this definition, one gets the sense that there has to be structured and well thought out employee engagement programmes if businesses are serious about delivering superior customer service that keeps customers coming back. Employee commitment is not a given as it perhaps was in the bygone era when work was the only pastime.

HR Matters (Pty) Ltd, a Level 1 BBBEE contributor, as a strategic HR Leadership specialist works with its clients on employee engagement as a strategic lever with specific programmes, which are developed to ensure higher levels of employee commitment in the age of attention deficits in the workplace.

HR Matters assists corporates in the private and public sector as well as small and medium enterprises (SME) to meet their human resource needs. Small and medium enterprises often have limited access to regular professional consultancy resources and require a unique blend of ongoing broad based consultancy support.

Service Offering

HR Matters has developed tried and tested methodologies and is able to provide a number of services,
these are:

ƒƒ Head hunting, executive search and contingent recruitment
ƒƒ Background verifications: Qualifications, ID and driver license, credit and criminal checks conducted on or off site
ƒƒ Facilitation: Strategy development and implementation, team effectiveness and cohesion, change management and workplace diversity management
HR Process Outsourcing: Business support scheme (SMEs)
ƒƒ Training: Accredited by Services SETA and offer a wide range of management and leadership skills training, either on site or at HR Matters training Centre in uMhlanga
ƒƒ Payroll Solution: Best of breed web based manager / self service functionality and competitively priced

Self Service Leave Administration

HR Matters Pay Us web based Payroll Solution is not your normal run of the mill payroll system. It boasts a number of modules, which any HR System should have such as: employee and manager self-service leave administration as well as a number of other modules including performance management, internal recruitment process flow. This would drastically cut down on time spent by HR staff chasing paper trails, for them to concentrate on transformative HR work.

This comes also with a payroll module which covers all SARS legislative requirements and makes available IRP5s at all times at a click of a button and for a modest price per pay-slip, no annual license fees or any upfront capital outlays.

Going green has been made real by delivering pay slips via cellphones, taking advantage of the proliferation of mobile technology. Not surprisingly, this has become an instant hit with young entrepreneur owned businesses.

Employee engagement is one of key strategic objectives