Cycle of Engagement – From Joining to Leaving

When one joins a new organization to take up a new position one is generally highly determined and brimming with energy to succeed. One willingly gives the best to help the organization achieve its objectives, especially those for which one is responsible, either directly or in some manner. The passion to succeed is a function of one’s degree of trust on the organization’s ability to help fulfill one’s own career success objectives.

Career success objectives in this context have following connotations, the list of course is not complete.

• Involvement in pertinent decisions taken in the organization
• Promotion to higher positions in the organizational hierarchy ladder
• Increase in compensation and benefits aligned with market and performance
• Opportunities to continuously develop professional competencies

The degree of fulfillment of the above objectives has strong influence on the degree of one’s engagement with the organization. And the level of engagement of an employee with the organization over the next many months, quarters and years is shaped by the extent to which the employee’s objectives are achieved.

When one realizes that further advancement and achievement in respect of the connotations listed above is not possible or becomes increasingly difficult or not at all under consideration by those in one’s line of upward reporting, the writing on the wall is clear. The process of disengagement initiates from this realization and for all practical purposes the employee resigns mentally. 

The employee would resign physically much later, after the employee starts looking out and gets a job offer in hand. This culminates eventually in the employee leaving and joining elsewhere. A new cycle starts thereafter.

Since an employee would essentially work for achieving one’s career success objectives while working with an organization, it is quite important to understand the linkage between organizational objectives and employee’s objectives.  Those in the management ranks in an organization who are aware of this constantly work on the psyche of the employees ‘who work in the trenches’ so as to keep them engaged and productive.