Improving employee morale in the new normal through sustainable employee engagement in institutional banking

• Main Author: Arcega, Winia Angelica
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Employee motivation; Employee morale; Personnel management
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_manorg/6; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_manorg/article/1020/viewcontent/Arcega2.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This Insider Action Research improved the organization's employee engagement sustainably and strategically specifically in the Institutional Banking Department. In the present business situation during the pandemic, employee engagement has become one of the utmost concerns for human resource department and management in organizations due to its effect on how they do business and how their employees are doing. Organizations nowadays are constantly developing innovative and effective means to engage the employees during this tough time. Our organization has been exploring and converting employee engagement virtually to adapt to the current situation and to help employees improve morale and motivation through this stressful and tough time. Through action research, methods of inquiry, and theories, the action researchers decided to create employee engagement more sustainably and strategically. Change models, motivation theory, force field analysis, and third-person frameworks guided the researchers in each cycle. Before we decided to continue to cycle two, cycle one showed that introducing a more sustainable approach has boosted the employees’ morale despite these being virtual as there were lesser resignations for the past months as confirmed by the Human Resource department. There was an increase in productivity as confirmed by the management in our department. We decided to proceed with cycle two to continuously improve these engagements and introduce activities that some employees also suggested during cycle one. A series of these activities was implemented to further validate the effect of these activities on employee morale and further understand the interconnectedness of this to sustainability compared to the regular engagements the organization had before pandemic. This action research resulted in a framework (Sustainable-Experience Framework) in improving the morale of the employees. Employee-Experience framework focused on the internal facet in the company to enhance employee engagement, as it is necessary for retention and good employee experience. Sustainability Mindset Principles go outside of the company's internal facet, as it is a holistic view from a broad understanding of the ecosystem's manifestations, and an introspective focus on the personal values and the higher self. By combining both of these frameworks, Paillé et al. (2012) stated that the most significant benefits are, among others, higher employee motivation and a greater degree of job satisfaction as employees enhances awareness and compassion and predisposes to social and environmental actions and they develop more profound sense of purpose and values of the higher self as we actively shape a better world. In a broader context, other organizations or other departments within our organization could use this action research as a reference in creating and improving employee engagement to help employees boost their morale during this pandemic. Converting and moving virtually and sustainably to understand employee’s motivations and providing them effectively, healthier ways during this difficult time can contribute to a well engaged employees that will lead to productivity at work and can benefit the triple bottom line of the organization.