Unlocking the HR Paradox, "Employee Engagement and Organization Culture Development"

Often the C-Suites of an organization as well as the HR professionals holding the leadership roles get confused while expediting employee engagement and culture development initiatives. Some treat these sub-fields of human resource management as one, some treat differently and some even perceive their meanings by exactly opposite to what they are. To the best of the understanding from the implications of the initiatives across the organizations, many of the HR professionals of Bangladesh are also not sure of what they are perceiving on these two substances of HR.

Let us try to clarify. We can see how some organizations are now transforming from Human Resource Department to the People & Culture Department. Whenever we are referring the People & Culture Department, then the larger emphasize goes to Organizational Culture Development along with the importance of status-quo on employee engagement. Now what we can be able to understand is to conceptualize the term of organization culture development from the contemporary practices of both employee engagement and organization culture development.

Employee engagement is relative from organization to organization. Employee can be fully engaged just by ensuring the deserving or more salary and benefits for them. Here we need to highlight the term "deserving". Whenever we are able to create a performance-driven scope for all the employees, the purpose of employee engagement can reach 99% of its accomplishment. On the contrary, organization culture development is not limited only to ensure employees are fully functional and satisfied with their jobs and what they are getting in exchange. Organizational culture development covers more than what we think and practice. If we want to ease the understanding, we may think of, for instance, employer's branding and the activities what EHS (Environmental, Health and Safety) department performs. Organization culture development amplifies its functionality not only within the organization to the internal stakeholders but also to the external stakeholders like the candidates or even applicants, govt. of the country, different public organizations, other organizations from same or different industries etc. Above all, the overall perceptions to an organization can create positive or negative impact and impression by the organization culture development initiatives.

On that note, what we do, for instance, arranging mental health session for the employee, participating inter-organizations cricket festa, arrangement of cleaning day/week etc. are organization culture development initiatives rather than treating as employee engagement.