PROPOSAL

1.0. Introduction:
1.1. Title:
A study on effectiveness of employee engagement at Aldi, Old Kent road
1.2. Background of the study:
The study makes the analysis of the effectiveness of the employee engagement in the Aldi,
old Kent road. The employee engagement could be defines as something that is cognitive
(mental), physical and emotional attachment that the employee has towards his/her work.
The engagement is not something which the satisfied employees have with their jobs. This
also doesn’t have any relation that the commitment of the employees that they have for their
organization. [ CITATION Gem12 \l 16393 ]This doesn’t show how likely employees will remain
with the organisation. The engagement is said to have more tied up with the financial
performance of the company. The engagement of the employees is also considered to be on
the decline as there is an economic decline that is experienced throughout the world.
[ CITATION Car11 \l 16393 ]
As the economy is bouncing the organisation must make an assessment whether the most
vital talents will stay with their organisation. The organisations try to manage their growth,
cost and the risk in the changing economies, along with the stability in the market and
increase in the regulation and shifting in the demographics. [ CITATION Aon10 \l 16393 ] The
HR professionals will be able to understand and appreciate the link that is present between
the engagement and the outcomes like the organisational profit, job satisfaction and also their
retention. The organisations must be able to check the focus of their employee engagement
throughout the year and this must be checked for the entire lifecycle of the employees.
[ CITATION Mar112 \l 16393 ]
The employee engagement will have an impact on the decisions that is made in the
organisation and the vital issues which are communicated throughout the entire organisation.
The employees will perceive that these tools and the resources will be performing their jobs.
The way the organisation treats their employees are also counted how the employee will be
engaged in the organisation. [ CITATION Ish11 \l 16393 ]
The measurement of the engagement is vital and for this survey is one of the vital methods
and this helps in the development of the set of items which will measure eth outcomes and
the drivers of the engagement. The organisations will be able to develop more insight from
the survey results that they are into so that the comparisons can be made. The results can be
compared with the employee segments.[ CITATION Sha11 \l 16393 ] The organisation must be
able to establish a level of the engagement and monitor the results so that there is an
improvement and decline in the response to the changes that happen in the organisation and
also with the external environment. The external comparisons that are made must also be
relevant since no two organisations will be the same and there will be difference in the
employees and in their markets and they might face different challenges. [ CITATION Aon10 \l
16393 ]
The measurement of the employee engagement does not end with the survey that is done but
in converting them into action. The results that are obtained from the engagement results
must be made actionable. There must be an improvement that is made so that this will
prioritise the actions and the overall role for employee segments. The initiative that is made
in the organisation is also important so that they are implemented at the individual manager
level and also at the level of employee. The understanding of the survey data is very vital so
that they will be able to provide the best results. [ CITATION Sha11 \l 16393 ]
There are certain strategies that will make an impact in the engagement of the employees in
the organisation. The satisfaction of the employees will depend on the talent and the
management of performance, the training and the selection which is given so that they can
address the satisfaction of the employees and their communications. [ CITATION Car11 \l
16393 ] The training and the professional development opportunities will be providing the
education, feedback and experience. The support for the diversity must be there. The
financial health must also be seen so that they will enhance the ROI and will reduce the
expenses which are related to the various human resources functions. The open
communications is also the way for the improvement of the communication strategy. The
respect, caring and also the fair treatment will improve the skills training and also the
diversity training. [ CITATION Mar112 \l 16393 ]
1.3. Rationale for the study:
The employee engagement is very vital in any organisation but they have their difference
from the satisfaction and the commitment of the employee with the organisation. The
employee engagement will act as the driver for the retention and the performance of the
employees in the organisation. This will make the organisation to retain the employees and
survive even in the toughest of the environment. The main reason to identify this is in the
times where there is tough economic crisis the ability of the employees to get engaged in the
work they do. This is the main purpose of the research that is done.
1.4. Research aims and objectives:
1.4.1. Aim:
To make a study on the effectiveness of the employee engagement at Aldi, Old kent Road
1.4.2. Objectives:
 To have an understating of the elements of the employee engagement and to
understand the factors that will keep the employee engaged
 To assess the relationship between the employee engagement and economic
conditions
 To assess the strategy that is followed by the employees to keep the employee
engaged
 To suggest suitable recommendations for the further study.
1.5. Research questions:
 What are the elements of the employee engagement and to understand the factors that
will keep the employee engaged?
 What is the relationship between the employee engagement and economic conditions?
 What is the strategy that is followed by the employees to keep the employee engaged?
2.0. Literature review:
There must be an understanding level of the engagement in the organisation that are very
much effective for the increasing the engagement level. The following are some of the drivers
of the drivers of engagement which can potentially drive their level. They are the work,
people, opportunities, rewards, company practices and the quality of life. [ CITATION Aon10 \l
16393 ]
The work can drive the engagement of the people with the work tasks, the processes, and
resources and also with the sense of the accomplishment that the employees receive in their
work. In the case of the people, their leadership, manager, people focus and the customers
will make the employees to get engaged. The opportunities of career, learning and
development will also increase the engagement of the employees in their work. The rewards
like pay, benefits and the recognition will make the employees to engage. [ CITATION Car11 \l
16393 ] The company practices, the management of the performance, the alignment of the
brand, organisational reputation, diversity and the communication will make the people get
more engaged. The physical environment and the work life balance is the final factor that
makes the employee engaged as per the above model. [ CITATION Car11 \l 16393 ]
The engagement model goes beyond the satisfaction of the people with their drivers. The
model will give more priority for the improvement in many areas which is based on their
potential and also their performance. The main premise with the engagement drivers is that
they are interrelated. The analysis shows that the experience of the employees, the changes is
what will make the employees to get engaged in the work that they do are not in isolation.
The analysis will describe the experience of the employment and identifying the drivers and
see how they had created an impact on the employees as a business results.

Fig. 2.1. Drivers of Employee Engagement

Quality of Life Work

Company
People
Practices
Engagement

Total Rewards
Opportunities

Source: (By the author, 2013)

Trends faced in the global employee’s engagement:
Over the past few years the employers as well as the employees are facing the challenges of
the human capital in the most uncertain economic conditions. The economic downturn in the
year 2008 resulted in a significant impact with the decisions that is made by the company. In
the last few years of the growth which is seen in the markets like china, India and sub- Sahara
Africa has shown the different levels of the engagement which makes difficult for the
employees to attract and retain the talent. These different set of the decisions that is made by
the management has affected the levels of the engagement of the employees. [ CITATION
Gem12 \l 16393 ]
Economic conditions and the employee engagement:
The employees worldwide is engaged in the work at the beginning of the year 2012 as they
were in the year 2008 but they got more engaged at the peak of the economic crisis that was
in the year 2009. Compared with the normal trend there is a difference that is observed that as
the economy goes down the engagement of the employees is going up in the same way as the
unemployment rate is going up. The engagement will fall under the scenarios where there is
more stress and worries about the security of the job. The potential is lagging their effect
with these economic indicators which is highly related to the downward spike in the
economic data and the slight recovery that happened in the year 2012. [ CITATION Sha11 \l
16393 ]
The analysis shows that the pattern of the engagement gets aligned closely with the trends of
the unemployment. There is also a lagging in the relationship where there is an increase in
the unemployment and this is followed by the decrease with the engagement of the
employees in the following year. There cannot be a reverse in this condition since the sharp
decrease in the unemployment will never show the increase that they have in their employee
engagement. [ CITATION Car11 \l 16393 ]The economic disruptions might come and go but
there is an estimate lagging of the time with the duration of the effect that varies with the
person. The way in which the organisation reacts to the changes in the economic cycles will
predict how they can succeed or survive. During the times of turbulence there are uncertain
forecasts and this makes the organisation to focus on how to manage their talent and make an
engagement at times when the economy is healthy as well as during the crisis. [ CITATION
Gem12 \l 16393 ]
The engagement is seen as the most leading indicator for performance of the business. The
smart leaders must be able to realise that they need not find the short term solutions which
will help them to identify the long term talent management strategies so that they remain
more feasible. In case of the recovery periods the engagement will become more crucial since
the organisations will ask very fewer people to create the risk for the top performing
employees and the conditions will get improved. This will make the performers will engage
the understanding and the engagement in itself. The engagement is demonstrated so that the
people will exhibit the behaviour associated and helps in speaking more positively about the
organisation. [ CITATION Car11 \l 16393 ]
Career opportunities:
The desire to be the part of the organisation and the willingness to make the extra effort for
the success of the organisation will make the employees to get more engaged. There are
certain perceptions which will make an improvement in the overall perception scores. These
perception drivers are the rewards, people and the company practices which had improved
globally. [ CITATION Gem12 \l 16393 ]The effective leadership has increased at all levels.
There are certain opportunities which will improve the engagement of the employees and this
will create a positive impact in the minds of the employees. The career opportunities
remained the top driver in the levels of the engagement. Adding to the career opportunities
the communication, reputation and the performance of management makes the engagement
levels of the employees to increase. [ CITATION Ish11 \l 16393 ]
Recognition:
The engagement of the employees continues to be the foremost for all employees in their
career paths. This is challenging for many of the organisations where they have delay in the
retirements and low turnover. The companies will have more vital opportunity so that they
will communicate the clearer career path and prepare their employees for the next role that
they need to occupy so that this will provide them with the growth opportunities for key
employees.[ CITATION Ish11 \l 16393 ] It is also vital for the manager to own the critically
engaged driver. The employees will require the feedback and the positive underpinning
which will go above and beyond. This is very much critical for the motivation of the
employees and also for the engagement equation. [ CITATION Aon10 \l 16393 ]
Reputation of the organisation:
 The employees in the joint organisations will have their reputation for being the best
employer. They are also engaged with the best employer so that the people belong to the
winning team. The strive component of the engagement will make a vital path in the
opportunity for clearing the career path so that the employees are prepared for the next role
and this will provide more role for the cost and the growth of the employees. These extra
efforts that are made by the employees will be tough in the business and this will make them
pay the dividends and often they are at no cost for the organisation. [ CITATION Car11 \l 16393 ]

Organisation reputation:
The employees will be joining the organisation where they have the reputation as being the
best employer. They will be engaged by the work for being the best employer. The people
would always wish to be the part of the winning team. These driver acts about how they
connect the employers to the company, their mission and with the work that is beyond the
financial business performance. The working with them will offer them a more compelling
value proposition which is backed by the set of the rewards and work experience which is not
replicated anywhere else. [ CITATION Mar112 \l 16393 ]
Communication:
It is not possible for the employee to get engaged with the connection, commitment and the
consistency in the messages that they deliver. The effective engagement of the
communication will resonate the employee in an emotional, rational and behavioural ways.
This makes the messages about the leadership with the business objectives and with the
changes that are occurring so that the requirement of the employees will be put for the
employee with the centre of the story. The corporate communications is the primary
connection with the majority of the employees and also with the leadership. The messages
will break down and the mid – management with immediate manager level. [ CITATION Gem12
\l 16393 ]
Management of the performance:
The efficiency in the performance where the mechanism is to translate the performance of
the business where the objectives are not set so that the individual objectives which will
enable the effectiveness of the employees. The organisation will make the engagement of the
employees with the low effectiveness of the management. [ CITATION Sha11 \l 16393 ]
Pay:
Though the pay is not considered as the top engagement driver the prevalence in the study
will indicate that the organisations who are struggling to get the fundamental component in
the employment contract. As the pay freezes the tightening of the economic environment and
the employees will get engaged in the increasing way, hence there will be secure basic pay
needs which will show the decrease in the appetite for the payment risk.
There are certain aspects which need to be developed for the increase of the employee
engagement in the organisation. The organisation must create the culture of the engagement
with the leadership. Before they make their focus on the key drivers it is worth that they need
to note what they believe to be best and what other employers are not seeing. This will make
the leaders to have a serious view of the employee engagement. This will have a very positive
impact on their employees and their motivation to say about the company. There is also a
culture of the engagement which is created with the multiple layers which includes the
ownership and also the sponsorship. [ CITATION Mar112 \l 16393 ]
The employers and the employees must focus more on the matters that they consider as
important where there is greatest opportunity for and their improvement. There is no little
improvement in the top engagement driver across the globe. In this constrained environment
the organisation will have the highest ROI with the employee engagement so that they focus
on the driver that has the high impact and their opportunity for the improvement and the
likelihood of the movement. The analysis also shows that this will indicate the one – size –
fits – all strategy which is not likely across the globe. The focus on the employee segment
will also be more critical. [ CITATION Mar112 \l 16393 ]
The efforts and the performance of the people must also be recognised. The continuation for
the efficiency in the gains will make the employee appreciate and get motivated with the
recognition and often they are simple feedback from the manager for doing the good job.
The employees will get motivated with the non monetary recognition which is an important
factor employers keep in mind. This is a type of recognition which will not carry a cost so
that they are vital for the employees.[ CITATION Ish11 \l 16393 ]
The communicate and the promotion that is made for the reputation of the organisation at
every opportunity. The employees will continue to get engaged and their organisations will
remain more focused with the strategies that are successful in their current environment so
that they can link the employees in their everyday activities to the more strategic imperatives
of their organisation. Their link for the missions will give them more meaning and adds
purpose to their lives. The consulting firm will make an improvement in the workplace of
future. The employees would work with the companies who can manage the performance in
the more aligned way and they are known as the good organisations work for. This will
present the more significant opportunity for the improvement in their frequency, relevance
and their effectiveness. [ CITATION Mar112 \l 16393 ]
These employees are also looking more with their current employers for the enrichment of
their job opportunities. In the developed economies there are cutbacks from all even in the
training budgets that are reduced so that this will make the employees to get frustrated and
less engaged. The employees around the world will understand the opportunities that they
have in the traditional sense which is more difficult to obtain in the sluggish economy. The
employees must be able to develop more creative and less traditional growth which will help
the employees to re- navigate their expectations with the development that will support the
needs of the business.
There is also a growing body which will identify the personal traits and the characteristics of
engaged employees. These are some of the personality traits and the dispositions which the
organisation will have little control at. The traits will have a positive effect and consciousness
which is considered to be the strong indicator of engagement behaviours. The managerial
skills and their competencies will also promote the team engagement which is used for
selection during the employee recruitment process. The assessment of the potential
employees for their traits is mostly to lead with the engagement in addition to the knowledge,
skills and the ability that they have in the future. [ CITATION Car11 \l 16393 ]
The pressure for the improvement of the business is more intense either global or local the
organisations are forced to make tough choices and make priority for their challenging goals
so that they can survive, grow and recover. This will also create more opportunities for the
employers and also for the employees with the dynamics that are changing constantly in the
more stressed environment which has become a new norm. Thus, with the assessment of the
employee engagement data for that the organisation will be able to develop the more
sustainable engagement model to combat the crisis and approach that they have led in the
recent years and this will help them to find new ways for motivation of the employees and
they continue to adjust with the current environment. [ CITATION Mar112 \l 16393 ]
The development of the more sustainable engagement of employee plan is more critical than
they are ever so that the experience of the employee in the recent years. This will represent
the more opportunity for them to look forward and utilise the views of their employees and
provide them more opportunities, feedback and communication as per their desire. This will
pave way for the improved performance in the business. The organisations will rise to the
challenge and they will focus more on the key drivers which will matter more for their
employee and this will ride out the storm and helps in sustaining the performance of the
business in the future. [ CITATION Car11 \l 16393 ]
The analysis shows that the engagement of the employees leads to the higher financial
performance and their profitability and this will lead to higher customer service and also the
satisfaction. The overall level of the employee engagement and their performance will get
widened compared with their previous benchmark. It is also proved that there is a strong
relationship that exists with the employee engagement and the performance of the
organisation. The employees those who said that their organisations is one of the best
performers financially were more twice likely to get engaged compared with the employees
who reported that they had the average organisational performance. [ CITATION Ish11 \l 16393 ]
3.0. Research design and Methodology:
Research method:
The research method will describe in details about the different methods that are used in the
research. They are explained in the forms of philosophy, strategy and also the approach. The
data analysis is also explained in the forms of primary data and also secondary data.
Research philosophy:
The research philosophy is explained in the form of positivism, realism and the
Interpretivism. The positivism and the realism are used in the research since they explain
clearly about the different aspects of the research. (Blythe, 2010)

Positivism:
The positivism will explain the theoretical phase of the research and the knowledge that is
obtained with the research. The theory of research and the knowledge that is obtained by
reading the secondary sources is used here since they help in delivering the required
knowledge for the source. This will also help in knowing the developments in the field with
the review that is made so that they give the ideas of the various authors and how they feel
about this. The study makes a clear approach of how the theory is used and how they differ in
the current research findings can also be understood. (Mc Burney and White, 2009)

Realism:
The realism is the way by which the researcher makes the understanding of the theory. The
emphasis here is not just on the research alone but something more than that. The application
of the statistical tools is done here so that they reveal how the research is more relevant here
and shows how far they are applicable and reliable. The realism is used so that primary data
that is collected is checked and their results are analysed. This gives more additional
knowledge along with the ones that is obtained through the positivism. (Donald and David,
2009)

Interpretivism:
The Interpretivism is the manner in which the researcher is making use of the research and
shows how they are different and change according to the change in the human beings and
their behaviour. Example: the survey on customer satisfaction with the product would vary
since this will change according to the attitude of the customers. Thus in this case the
Interpretivism can be applied but the present research will be able to get the sufficient
answered with the realism and the Interpretivism and thus this is using the positivism. (Mc
Burney and White, 2009)

Research strategy:
The strategy deals with how the business is done and in what line they are dealt with. It
shows the kinds of the data that is used and the way they are used in research. The research
that is done is classified into the qualitative and quantitative. (Mc Burney and White, 2009)

Qualitative:
It is the area where the research that is done is classified in the form of the theory. This is
done by the process of making the literature review as this will give more details about the
research and the idea behind which it is done. This is done with the view points of many of
the authors whose opinion is considered by this review and the results are interpreted in this
research. Though the data is secondary this is very much helpful in making the research
done. (Donald and David, 2009)

Quantitative:
The research that is done by making use of the numbers is called as the quantitative data.
The data that has the numerical format is used here and they are selected from the primary
data that is collected. The data is collected with the use of the questionnaire and they shall be
initially in theory form and later they get converted into the form of numbers so that the
statistical tools can be applied and they can be made use in the research that is done. This
makes the researcher to use this kind of the research. The researcher thus will be using the
quantitative and the qualitative data for the collection of the information and doing the
research. (Mc Burney and White, 2009)

Research approach:
The research approach is the way by which the researcher designs the entire research. This
can be done in two forms they are induction and deduction. The deduction will be used here
and the reason why the deduction is used and how they are interpreted in this research will be
explained as follows. (Blythe, 2010)

Induction:
The induction is the manner in which the researcher does the research from the narrower to
the broad perspective. This is since the researcher will start from the review of the literature
and then when they move to the data analysis this will have a broader analysis of the research
that is done so that they give more emphasis on the theoretical side. This will take into
consideration not only the research questions that is asked but the all other relevant details
will also be considered so that the researcher can draw information from these sources. This
is not used in this research.
Deduction:
The deduction is where it starts with the broader approach and then moves to the narrower
perspective. The research here similar to the induction method starts from the review of the
literature and then moving to the data analysis the analysis will be done specific to one
company. The review gives the broad idea of the research topic and how the research is here
is analysed. The findings from the primary data are obtained in the data analysis and this is
compared with the secondary data that is done in the review of the literature. The deduction
method is more suitable here and hence this is used. (Mc Burney and White, 2009)
Data Analysis:
The data analysis is done with the help of the primary and the secondary data. The research
uses the primary and the secondary data for the research that is done as both gives the
information that is required for the achievement of the objectives.
Primary data:
The primary data could be collected in many ways and they are with the help of the
questionnaire, interview, survey, and observation. For the convenience and to cope with the
cost and the time allotted the questionnaire is used and this will give the information about
the research that is done and hence this is used. (Donald and David, 2009)

Sample size:
The sample size gives information about the entire population. Since it is not feasible to
collect the information from the entire employees in the Aldi, the few selected employees are
only assessed so that they give the information regarding the research that is done. The
sample size that is used for the collection is 100. (Blythe, 2010)

Sampling design:
The sampling design that is used for the research shows the design that is used for the
collection of the data. The sampling design that is used is Judgement sampling since the data
from the employees alone that too specifically the Aldo employees are used for the research.
(Donald and David, 2009)

Secondary data:
The data that is used for the research from the published sources are secondary in nature.
The data is from the journals, magazines, books, etc. This shows how the secondary data
helps the researcher in having the basic foundation knowledge of the research that is done.
Reliability:
The reliability shows the consistency of the research that is done. The positivism and the
realism are used in the research since they explain clearly about the different aspects of the
research. The research that is done is classified into the qualitative and quantitative. The
researcher thus will be using the quantitative and the qualitative data for the collection of the
information and doing the research. The deduction will be used here and the reason why the
deduction is used and how they are interpreted in this research.
Validity:
The validity shows the depth of the research that is done. The data analysis is done with the
help of the primary and the secondary data. The research uses the primary and the secondary
data for the research that is done as both gives the information that is required for the
achievement of the objectives. For the convenience and to cope with the cost and the time
allotted the questionnaire is used and this will give the information about the research that is
done and hence this is used. The sample size that is used for the collection is 100. The
sampling design that is used for the research shows the design that is used for the collection
of the data. This shows how the secondary data helps the researcher in having the basic
foundation knowledge of the research that is done.

4.0. Time table and resources:

Chapter Week 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1
Introduction
Review
Research Methods
Results
Analysis and Discussion
Conclusions/Recommendations
References/Bibliography
References:

Journal:
 Aon Hewitt. (2010). 2012 Trends in Global Employee Engagement. Aon Hewitt
Consulting , 45 - 67.

 Bakker, S. (2011). Control, Opportunity & Leadership A Study of Employee

Engagement in the Canadian Workplace. Psychometrics Canada Ltd , 132 - 145.

 Markwick, C. (2011). Employee Engagement Maximizing Organizational

Performance. Journal of Human Resources , 39 - 45.

 Pullins, M. (2011). Employee Engagement. Journal of Human Resources , 55 - 67.

 Robertson, G. (2012). Employee Engagement A review of current thinking . Report

iES , 33- 45.

 Thalwar, I. (2011). Driving Performance and Retention Through Employee

Engagement. Corporate Leadership Council , 34 - 56.

Bibliography:

 Blythe.J., (2010), “Principles of research”, published by C & C offset, Newyork, Pp.

37 – 45
 Donald. D.B., David. J.K., (2009), “Research Methodology in Strategy and
Management”, Emerald group publishing ltd, 2nd edition, pp 133 - 145
 Mc Burney. D.H., and White. T.L., (2009), “Research Methods”, published by
cengage learning Inc, 8th edition, pp. 25 – 34