It is not uncommon for an accomplished corporate professional to brandish one's dexterities at outdoor sports or indoor games and vice versa. Initiatives like CSR and a host of recreational initiatives of the organization provides them a platform to engage themselves and create a second identity at workplace affording them a second reason to belong to the workplace.

We can never overemphasize the relevance of employee engagement in these dynamic times. It has direct business impact and affects just about every vital aspect of an organization, be it the ability to attract and retain talent, create a brand presence, ensure customer satisfaction, and increase revenues, and profitability, among others. It is almost axiomatic to say employees who are connected to their organization stay longer, work smarter, and inspire others to do the same.

However, employee engagement, despite being an overused word and most researched topic in the workplace, continues to be elusive for many, particularly for a multi-generational outfit. Leaders are constantly challenged to get the engagement formula right and decrypt the mystery surrounding it.

HR leaders have overtly complicated the notion of employee engagement; we have also overlooked some of the most basic human needs and aspirations that have a bearing on employee workplace engagement.

Workplace as a Social Organism

At the most basic level, for an employee, the workplace is a battlefield where one relentlessly endeavors to establish self-worth and justify one’s place.

Along with it comes the prerequisite to belong and an urge to be accepted and endorsed by people around. An organization that has incorporated a work culture that promotes this vital need and has put in place the necessary policies, processes, and practices has already given itself a jump start to solve part of the puzzle in employee engagement.

At the next level, for most people, the workplace assumes the identity of a social organism by virtue of the interdependence of people for their survival, development, growth, and fulfillment of human needs. The values, belief system, ethos, and thought leadership at a workplace help to maintain its cohesiveness, success, and purpose.

People need love, acceptance, and opportunities to express themselves and make contributions in areas of their interest and affinity beyond work. It is natural for people to look at their workplaces as a social organism.

It is a common observation that many employees continue to be mentally engaged with their previous organizations. Such workplaces continue to benefit from these mental affiliations and engagement, as the exemployees engage in word of mouth endorsements and are always willing to provide testimony or two.

The question that leaders should try to decipher hence is how this gets created and what makes employee cherish their previous organizations. The answer perhaps lies in the symbiotic intimacy that was consciously created and fostered by providing an opportunity to build a second identity for every employee.

The Case of First and Second Identities

The first identity is your professional identity which is short and succinct. The second identity comes from your second string of talents. This identity revolves around the individual’s passion and hobbies or other creative aspirations. A genuine introspection and study of human behaviors will divulge how compelling the need is to establish this second identity for both amateur and professionals.

It is not uncommon for an accomplished corporate professional to brandish one’s dexterities at outdoor sports or indoor games and vice versa. Initiatives like CSR and a host of recreational initiatives of the organization provide them a platform to engage themselves and create a second identity at the workplace.

While we deem professional accomplishments and career advancements as the primary need, I call this as the soft need, the less articulated.

Creating lasting bonds

Today, a lot of progressive-looking workplaces promote fun at the workplace toward creating this second identity for their employees and prodding them with the second reason to be engaged with their workplace. Such efforts:

♦ Create a medium to showcase employee talents

♦ Nurture team spirit and camaraderie

♦ Strengthen employee bonding and a spirit of collaboration

♦ Celebrate togetherness and harmony

In a contemporary workplace, this second employee identity at work and the second reason to make it to the workplace creates an inseparable bond with the organization

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