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Employee Engagement
Introduction, Definition and Meaning
Kahn (1990) was the
first academic researcher to use the term employee engagement and defines
that
employee engagement is the level of dedication and involvement of the
employees
towards their organization

Employee engagement has emerged as a popular organizational concept in

recent years.
Engaged employee is almost three times more sincere toward his job in
comparison to those employees who are actively disengaged
Employee engagement is considered as
an important technique that is commonly used now a days in the corporate
world,
mainly in service industry
Today the business scenario is changing both in terms of the global nature of
work and diversity of the workforce. Each and every organization across the
globe
wants to make the best utilization of its human resources in order to achieve
competitive advantage in the market
Employee engagement can be a deciding factor for
organizational effectiveness. It does not only have the potential to significantly
affect
employee retention, productivity and loyalty, but also has a key link to customer
satisfaction, company reputation and overall stakeholder value (Sundaray,
2011).
Engaged employees provide a lot of benefits to the organization such as (Key
areas of Improvement) productivity,
improved quality, customer care, cooperation among the employees, reduced
employee turnover, reduced absenteeism and disputes

Types of Employee Engagement

According to the Gallup, the Consulting Organization, there are mainly three
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types of engagement that occur in the organization. All are different in terms of
involvement and their role in the organization. Types of employee engagement
are
shown in figure 3.1:
Figure 3.1. Types of Employee Engagement
Source: Author’s own observation based on literature survey
Types of Employee
Engagement
Engaged Employees
Not Engaged Actively Disengaged Employee Engagement: A Conceptual
Framework
61
Engaged Employees
An engaged employee is considered as the base of the organizational
development. Such kind of employees carry the organization in positive
direction.
They not only perform their work but also play an important role in achieving the
organizational goals and objectives. Engaged employees want to use their talent
and
strength at work every day. They perform with passion, drive innovation and
move
their organization forward through their performance (Vazirani, 2007).
Not Engaged
These kind of employees care only about their work not any other things like
goals, objectives and development of the organization. They do not have energy
and
enthusiasm in their work (Reilly, 2014). These categories of employees do not
have
cooperative relationship with their colleagues as well as the employers also.
Their
contribution is little in the success and development of the organization.
Actively Disengaged
Actively disengaged employees do not perform their work in a proper manner
and do not complete their work timely. Their contribution is almost negligible in
the
success and development of the organization. They are unhappy at work and
look
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after the work of the other member of the organization. Such kind of employee
carry
the organization in the negative direction and organization suffers in achieving
its
goals and objectives (Vazirani, 2007).

Some of the advantages of

employee engagement are given below:
• Employee engagement is an innovative thought that enhances positive
attitudes among the employees towards their job (Robertson, 2012).
• Engaged employees work with passion and enthusiasm to get the job done
(Ference, 2009).
• Employee engagement builds passion, commitment and alignment with the
organizations’ strategies, goals and objectives.Employee Engagement: A
Conceptual Framework
65
• Engaged employees put their all efforts and enthusiasm towards their work
and also care about the future of the organization (Mani, 2011).
• Engaged employees understand the value of ensuring a positive customer
experience and are more likely to demonstrate their commitment by delivering
high quality products and services (Haid & Sims, 2008).
• Engaged employees act in a way that reflect the greater level of commitment
to the organization and contribute his/her skills and abilities for the betterment
of the organization. It increases the level of trust and reduces the problem of
turnover of the employees (Hamid & Farooqi, 2014).
• Engaged employees are not only happy with their job, but also translate that
satisfaction into higher productivity and profitability of the organization
(Larkin, 2009).
• Engaged employees are less likely to feel exhausted and make the
organization
a success in this competitive era.
• Employees with higher work engagement have higher level of confidence and
a high quality relationship with their employers (Saks, 2006).
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• Engaged employee is optimistic, highly focused towards the work, energetic

and willing to work for the sustainable development of the organization (Jose
& Mampilly, 2012).
• An engaged employee is more productive, has greater level of customer
satisfaction and loyalty towards the organization that leads to the success of
the business (Cook, 2008).
• Engaged employees will normally perform better and are more motivated than
other employees working in the organization.
• It creates a sense of loyalty in a competitive environment and provides a
highly energetic working environment.
• It boosts business growth and makes the employees effective brand
ambassadors for the organization.
The Gallup Q12 Index. Gallup's employee engagement work is based on more than 30
years of in-depth behavioral economic research involving more than 17 million
employees. Through rigorous research, Gallup has identified 12 core elements --
theQ12 -- that link powerfully to key business outcomes.

Gallup Q12 Questions

1. Do you know what is expected of you at work?

2. Do you have the materials and equipment to do your work right?

3. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every

day?

4. In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for

doing good

work?

5. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you

as a person?

6. Is there someone at work who encourages your development?

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7. At work, do your opinions seem to count?

8. Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job

is important?

9. Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality

work?

10. Do you have a best friend at work?

11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about

your progress?

12. In the last year, have you had opportunities to learn and grow?

Kahn model of Employee Engagement/Conceptual Framework of

Engagement
Kahn Model of Employee Engagement
Kahn (1990) was the first academic researcher who used the term employee
engagement and define the term employee engagement as “the simultaneous
employment and expression of a person’s “preferred self” in task behaviours that
promote connection to work and to others, personal presence and active full role
performance.”
Kahn (1990) has developed the first grounded model of personal engagement
and personal disengagement. Kahn's work conceptualised employee
engagement and
is therefore considered a seminal work on the topic and contributed significantly
to Employee Engagement: A Conceptual Framework
74
developing the concept further. According to Kahn model of engagement,
employees
can be engaged on three different levels that are physical, emotional and
cognitive.
These three levels are affected by three different psychological conditions such
as
meaningfulness, safety and availability. These conditions influence the
performance
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of employees at their works Sakovska (as cited in Kahn, 1990).

Kahn (1990) has also found that workers were more engaged at work in
situations that offer them more psychological meaningfulness and psychological
safety and when they were more psychologically available. He also looked at
why the
three psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability are
important to fully understand why a person becomes engaged in their work. He
defined meaningfulness as the positive "sense of return on investments of self in
role
performance", safety as the ability to show one's self "without fear or negative
consequences to self image, status or career" and availability as the "sense of
possessing the physical, emotional and psychological resources necessary" for
the
completion of the work. All these psychological conditions show positive
connection
with the engagement of the employees (May, Gilson, & Harter, 2004).
An empirical test of Kahn model (May, Gilson, & Harter, 2004) found that
meaningfulness, safety and availability have significant influence on employee
engagement.

Figure 3.4. Path Analytic Framework of Engagement

Source: Adapted from May, Gilson, and Harter (2004).
Kahn (1990) has reported that job enrichment, work role fit and co-workers
relation were positive indicators for meaningfulness. Rewarding co-workers and
supportive supervisor relation enhance safety and self consciousness, resource
availability and outside activities were positive signs for psychological
availability.

0 Barriers of Employee Engagement

Researchers have observed that there are certain barriers which inhibit
employee
engagement. Hauck (2011) reported that improper performance appraisal and
lack of
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skills in the managers are barriers of employee engagement. Sales Benchmark

Index Employee Engagement: A Conceptual Framework
84
(2014) has candidly discussed that income inequality, job insecurity and work life
imbalance are major barriers of employee engagement. The typical pay for
performance policy is also a barrier of employee engagement (Hauck, 2011).
Other
key barriers of employee engagement may be as follows:
• Poor leadership and ineffective management of manpower in the organization
is major cause of turnover or absenteeism of employees. Hauck (2011) has
reported that employees do not leave organization they leave their managers.
• Unhealthy working environment within the organization.
• Improper communication or lack of proper communication also contributes to
a negative work environment in the organization.
• Lack of cooperation among the employees and employer also.
• Lack of support from the employers or organization.

Measures to Improve Employee Engagement for Organizations

According to Smith (n.d.) the organization should focus on the positive
working environment, develop workers’ skills and evaluate job satisfaction in
order to
enhance employee engagement. According to Reilly (2014) there are five
strategies
which the organizations can use to build engagement among the employees
working
in the organization. These are:
Use the Right Employee Engagement Survey: When organization asks its
employees for their opinions, those employees expect to implement their opinion
and
suggestion, but organization often makes the mistake of implementing that
survey.
Employee survey data must be specific, relevant and actionable for any team at
any
organizational level.
Focus on Engagement at the Local and Organizational Levels: The organization
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should follow the engagement policy at local level and organizational levels
because
change in organization occurs at local work group levels. Managers and
employees
must feel empowered to make a significant difference in their immediate
environment.
Select the Right Managers: An effective leader understands the organizational
goals
and objectives and cares about the employees working in the organization. They
seek
to understand each employee’s strength and provide every opportunity to use
their
strengths in their job. Effective managers empower their employees, recognize
and
value their contributions and actively seek their ideas and suggestions.
Employee Engagement: A Conceptual Framework
90
Trained Managers: Gallup research has found that managers are accountable
for the
engagement of the employees. Therefore the organization should provide
training and
orientation to the managers to take active role in building employee
engagement.
Define Engagement Goals in Realistic, Everyday Terms: Leaders must make
engagement goals meaningful to employee’s day to day experiences. Managers
should discuss employee engagement at weekly meetings, in action-planning
sessions
and meetings with employees to weave engagement into daily interactions and
activities and to make it part of the workplace.
Markos and Sridevi, (2010) have discussed that in order to engage employees in
any organization, managers need to look at the following ten points. They
named
these points as “tablets” because it is believed that they will cure employee
disengagement diseases. These are as follows:
• Start it on the first day for newly recruited employees.
• Start it from the top management to every employees of the organization.
• Enhance employee engagement through two-way communication among the
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employees of the organization. Create an environment where people can ask

questions, provide opportunities to talk to other functions, face to face
communication and open door policies.
• Give satisfactory opportunities for development and advancement of the
employees.
• Ensure that employees have all the resources which they need to do their jobs.
• Give employees appropriate training to enhance their knowledge and skills.
• The organization should have strong feedback and performance appraisal
system.
• The organization should provide financial and non-financial benefits to the
employees in order to engage them towards the job.
• Create healthy work environment within the organization.
• Focus on top performing employees and what they are asking in order to
reduce the turnover of high performing employees.

Kahn (1990) was the

first academic researcher to use the term employee engagement and defines
that
employee engagement is the level of dedication and involvement of the
employees
towards their organization

There are a number of methods of measuring employee satisfaction e.g.

survey, rating scale, interviews etc. which provide proper result for measuring
employees' satisfaction in organization. Most commonly organizations are using
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survey methods to get proper results. This chapter defines the complete step by
step
procedure of survey technique for getting employees satisfaction level

The most accurate method of assessing employee satisfaction is a

wellconstructed employee satisfaction survey. Employees provide a rating
against a
series of questions or statements related to their job, supervision and the work
environment. Survey results are reported at a business unit or workgroup level,
offering a level of anonymity that encourages employees to respond honestly.
Surveys must be carefully worded, as there is no opportunity to clarify
ambiguous
questions or statements. Care must be taken when comparing small
departments or
workgroups. Their results can be unreliable, as a random error has greater effect
when analyzing a small number of responses.
PROCEDURE OF EMPLOYEES SATISFACTION SURVEY
For employees' satisfaction survey, a common procedure can be used.
Conducting survey is a systematic step by step effort undertaken by the
organizations to measure employees' satisfaction levels. This procedure
includes
following steps:-
Step1. Define Survey Objectives and Target Group
Define the objectives
Define the final use of the results
Ensure a perception survey is the adequate tool
Define target group
Step 2. Draft Survey Questions
Set up discussions with members of a target group to identify key issues
Translate those into questions and answer categories
Draft simple and clear questions
Keep the questionnaire short to maximize response rate and concentration
Ensure respondents have the opportunity to report problems
Step 3. Pilot and Re-adjusting the Questionnaire
Test the survey on a smaller-scale target group to identify weaknesses in the
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survey design
Possibly ask volunteers to think aloud while answering questions and
analyses what motivated their answers
Adjust questionnaire if neededEmployees Satisfaction: An Introduction 15
Step 4. Select Respondents and the Data Collection Method
Select a sample either by random sampling or other methods
Ensure that the sample size allows drawing valid conclusions from the
results
Choose the data collection method: personal interviews, telephone
interviews, internet surveys, email surveys, etc.
Maximize response rate through appropriate data collection method.
Step 5. Run the Survey
Ensure high response-rate through follow-up emails otherwise conclusions to
the survey could be biased
Use trained interviewers to avoid unintentional influence on responses
Step 6. Analyze the Results
Interpret results as perceptions rather than facts
Take into account the response rate. A low rate means that no general
conclusions can be drawn.
Take into consideration the number and the way respondents have been
selected in the result analysis.
Understand how results were reached is essential to draw findings and
conclusions.
Write up a summary of what is found.
(Source- http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/)
1.7 IMPLICATIONS ON EMPLOYER FAILING EMPLOYEES
SATISFACTION
Employee satisfaction is important for company's overall success. Employee
dissatisfaction is the forerunner to a number of problems that can be quite
serious to
a business. Employees with low satisfaction can negatively affect a company or
employer because they typically lack motivation, perform poorly, poor customer
service and possess negative attitudes. These symptoms can directly affect a
Employees Satisfaction: An Introduction 16
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company‟s bottom line. There are following implications on employer‟s failing

employee satisfaction.

Workforce Productivity Declines

Dissatisfied employees tend to spend less time focusing on their job duties
and more time discussing with family, friends and co-workers, why they are
unhappy at work. Lack of motivation and attention to detail are the results of
employees' dissatisfaction, which translate to low productivity. Consequently,
companies whose employees' productivity levels are low also experience loss of
profits.
2) Low Customer Retention
Customer loyalty declines when employees are dissatisfied with their jobs.
"Nayar states that "Employees first and Customers second is a management
approach. It is a philosophy, a set of ideas, a way of looking at strategy and
competitive advantage." Satisfied employees, according to Nayar, are excited
about
doing their jobs. Employees who enjoy what they do, especially employees in
the
customer service area are more likely to interact with customers and clients in
much
more positively and cheerfully. An oft-used business tenet is that happy
employees
equal happy customers.
3) Increase in Employee Turnover Ratio
As turnover rates increase, dissatisfaction can spread throughout the
workplace, encouraging others to find employment elsewhere. Employee
retention, a
workplace measurement related to turnover, can be extremely difficult in an
environment where employees are frequently dissatisfied with their jobs or
working
conditions.
4) Low Company Morale
A single unsatisfied employee is capable of disrupting morale in a
department or throughout the company. The pessimistic attitude of that one
person is
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transmitted to others and passed around just as though it were a tangible item
handed Employees Satisfaction: An Introduction 17
from one employee to another. The result is low morale for multiple employees
that
in turn become a costly situation for the company to deal with.
5) Poor Work Quality
Employees who are not satisfied with their home or work situation are less
likely to pay attention to details on the job. Production suffers and work
performance lags until the employee's task performance is barely acceptable or
even
useless. An employee working on an assembly line can disrupt the process by
incorrectly putting the pieces together or forgetfully omitting minor parts that
cause
the product to fail or not work at all.
6) Declines in Business Reputation
Employees are the face of the organization, which means, business
reputation, depends on employees' behavior, actions and performance.
Improving
employees' satisfaction can work wonders for the way of business is viewed by
competitors, customers and people interested in working for the organization.
Employees' dissatisfaction impacts employer‟s ability to reach certain business
markets as well as employer‟s ability to recruit qualified applicants. Business
failure
can be linked to variables such as financial distress or economic hardship;
however,
employees, who are dissatisfied with their jobs and the company they work for,
can
have a tremendous impact on organization reputation and success.
7) Constant Complaints
Dissatisfied employees are largely unfocused on their work and attention to
detail. Hence, chances of errors and shoddiness in their work are more. A
constant
stream of complaints from clients about the work done by a certain employee or
a
group of employees might, thus, indicate that they are unhappy.
8) Violence
In extreme cases, dissatisfied employees might resort to violent activities to
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vent their frustration, such as destroying office property or displaying overt

hostility
with co-workers. If a certain employee has often been reported to display such
violent acts, it might indicate dissatisfaction with the job.Employees Satisfaction:
An Introduction 18
9) Absenteeism
A high level of absenteeism among employees could be a sign of
dissatisfaction. Employees who are unhappy with their jobs tend to take longer
lunch breaks, stay away from work more and take more leaves. If other
employees
are asked to fill in for the absent ones, it might lead to the spreading of ill will,
resentment and low morale in organization.
10) Poor Attitude
The poor attitude of an employee might be indicative of his/her
dissatisfaction. Continuously refusing requests by co-workers, refusal to follow
instructions, rudeness or aggressiveness, outbreaks of temper, as well as a
regression
in appearance and hygiene, can show that the employee is unhappy.

The following worksheet is a list of statements that have a score-chart of (0-5),

where 0 stands for lowest, and 5 stands for highest.
4 is considered a good score, worthy of being a 5, while 3 stands for something that could have
been true with a slightly more effort.

Text 0s 1s 2s 3s 4s 5s

The management appreciates new ideas.

I will stay in this organization for the next 12 months.

Growth opportunities provided here are satisfactory.

I am happy with the quality of my output.

I am satisfied with the product my company produces.

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Employees are treated with respect here.

There is good teamwork here and everybody helps.

The team accepts constructive feedback.

The Management doesn’t have unrealistic expectations.

The company addresses customers’ complaints effectively.

The company addresses employees’ concerns effectively.

It’s easy to communicate here.

Issues get addressed by the direct supervisor immediately.

My supervisor knows how to identify strengths.

I get plenty of references to improve my work.

My supervisor encourages implementing new ideas.

Performance Evaluations are fair and honest.

I receive recognition for my efforts.

I am happy with the training provided to me before the job.

The working environment is comfortable.

The management has effective problem solving skills.

I am provided the tools needed to deliver the best results.

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The salary provided here is extremely competitive.

The benefits are competitive to other organizations.

The management offers promotion to deserving candidates.

The management keeps its commitments to the employees.

Leadership works in accordance to the company’s mission.

I will recommend a friend to work with this company.

OVERALL I AM SATISFIED WITH MY JOB.