Summary
Employee engagement at the workplace is an integral part of enhancing the chances of success because it provides a platform for the employees to build on the relevant changes at the workplace. Employee engagement entails the involvement of the employees in decision-making, which gives them the feeling of ownership to the changes that take place at the workplace (Raines, 2011). Naturally, people develop a high level of satisfaction when they are involved in the making of important organizational decisions. Additionally, since the employees are directly affected by the changes, engaging them in the decision-making process provides a clear picture of the desired changes.
One of the advantages of employee involvement and engagement in enhancing safety in the workplace is that they report injuries and their causes, which helps in developing the relevant interventions. If changes are implemented in the workplace without involving the employees, the changes might increase safety risks rather than reducing them. It is imperative to involve the employees in safety committees because they have a clearer picture of the safety risks associated with every area of the workplace (Raines, 2011).
Furthermore, the engagement of employees in the enhancement of safety gives the notion that the organization takes safety seriously, and this is likely to compel the employees to observe safety in their daily activities.
It is apparent that safety policies in a given organization compel the employees to assume specific behaviors that might not be desirable. This leads to the development of resistance to the policies, and a low level of satisfaction on the part of the employees because they feel insignificant for not being involved in designing the changes. The management function is prone to missing out on some of the safety concerns at the workplace, but the engagement of the employees results in a comprehensive coverage of safety concerns. Raines (2011) wrote the article with the intent of providing managers and leaders with sufficient information on enhancing safety through the involvement of employees in developing ideas to enhance safety at the workplace.
Strengthening employee engagement saves money for the company because the company is liable to claims by injured employees. Employee involvement and engagement can be attained by ensuring that safety meetings have representatives from the human asset base. The management should also always consider the safety concerns highlighted by the employees (Raines, 2011). This implies that there should be a good communication platform between the management and the employees, as well as a positive feedback system that reveals the respect that the company has for the ideas pitched by concerned employees.
Raines (2011) could add on the main points of the article by reviewing some of the limitations associated with involvement and engagement of the employees. For instance, employees might take advantage of the opportunity to raise false safety concerns to achieve personal interests, rather than to benefit the overall safety level of the workplace.
Application
The article is relevant to this course because it highlights the development of a good relationship between the employees and the employer. Involvement and engagement makes it easy for the employees to develop the appropriate level of commitment to the employer. The article relates to the course text with respect to the role of the management function in ensuring that the employees are motivated to enhance their commitment to the employer.
The article reveals some of the ideas that can help the management and leadership functions to enhance their performance in the retention of human assets, as well as reducing the financial liabilities associated with injuries on human assets. The text also addresses the issue of change management, whereby the author suggests that involving the employees in designing the changes fosters a higher level of commitment to embracing the changes.
Reference
Raines, M. S. (2011). Engaging employees: Another step in improving safety. Professional Safety, 56(4), 36-43.