Respond to:

"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time... But what if you had an elephant eating party, who would you invite?"

This quote is a play on the well-known adage of eating an elephant one bite at a time, which motivates employees to overcome an overwhelming problem by breaking it into smaller tasks. But adding to the saying, "but what if you had an elephant eating party, who would you invite" can help employees realize that they are not alone, and there are many ready and willing to help. Perceived organizational support is an important aspect of organizational behavior, an employee's attitude toward their job, and commitment to the organization (Scandura, 2022). An employee who believes that the organization values their opinions and cares about their wellbeing is more likely to show engagement and affective commitment. One element withing perceived organizational support is for an organization to promote strong social networks (Scandura, 2022). The more managers can foster strong relationships within their team, effort and commitment will increase.

Managers want to do everything they can to develop employee engagement. Employee engagement refers to the level of enthusiasm and dedication a worker feels toward their job (Smith, 2023). Employee engagement positively correlates to job satisfaction and employee morale, and it is linked to better job performance. Increasing perceived organizational support can improve employee engagement. With a distributed workforce, it is even more important for managers to help their teams realize that they are not alone. Collaboration and teamwork are critical for employees to feel that they are not alone, and that the organization cares about their well-being and success.