MNG82001: Comprehensive Literature Review of Employee Engagement

This literature review examines employee engagement, focusing on its impact on organizational productivity and profitability. It defines employee engagement as an intellectual and emotional commitment to the organization, highlighting its connection to integrity, loyalty, and communicati...Read More

Running head: Organizational behavior
Organizational behavior

Organizational behavior
(Literature review on Employee engagement)
Mehta,D. and Mehat, K.N.2013.Employee engagement: A Litreature review, Economia Seria
Management, Vol.(2).
The main aim of this literature review is to measure and analyze that how happy and
engaged employees are with their respective employment, working environment. Managing high
morale among the workers can be of significant and incredible advantage to any company in the
market. The company with high employee engagement levels is more efficient, productive and
more profitable than low and poor than those companies with low levels of employee
engagement. The paper explains that how employee engagement can provide enormous benefits
to the company as well as customers. More detail of the task has been detailed below.
Engaged and motivated workers tend to contribute more in terms of organization
productivity and provide support in maintaining a high level of commitment in the workplace.
Employee engagement is becoming a hot topic in today’s modern world. Mone and London
(2018) define that employee engagement is an intellectual and emotional commitment to the
organization. Apart from this, employee engagement is an asset of the relationship between
employees and organization. An engaged worker is one who is fully absorbed and enthusiastic
about their tasks and duties to attain organizational goals and objectives. Bedarkar and Pandita
(2014) noted that employee commitment is a workplace strategy and approach resulting in the
right and appropriate conditions for all the members of the firm to give of their best in each and
every day, attained to their objectives and goals, motivated and encouraged to contribute
organizational success and growth (Mehta and Mehat, 2013). It shall be noted that employee
engagement is based on integrity, loyalty, trust, confidence, communication and two way
commitments between the company and its members. It is an approach that maximizes the
changes of business growth and success within the organization. Das and Baruah (2013) argued
that employee engagement is about positive attitudes, values, actions and behaviors leading to
improved and enhanced the outcomes and results, in a way that they emphasize and underpin one
another. Schullery (2013) stated that employee engagement is the extent to which workers feel
passionate and dedicated about their job, duties and tasks to accomplish the long term goals and
objectives of the firm. Employee engagement helps in increasing productivity and decreasing
employee turnover within the organization (Shuck, 2011). The employee is most important part
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Organizational behavior
of the company who uses the company’s intellectual capital to gain competitive advantages in
the global market. To gain competitive advantage, they make strong policies and utilize the
resources effectively. One of the significant ways to reduce and avert competitive challenges and
issues is to foster employee engagement. In addition, engaged workers are committed, energetic,
enthusiastic, inspired and motivated about problem solving in the firm. Ram and Prabhakar
(2011) defined that an engaged employee continuously performs tasks and duties effectively and
attain new standards of excellence. After the various researchers, it was studied by Gruman and
Saks (2011) where they argued that employee engagement is an effective concept in the
organization to attain and establish both empirical and conceptual gaps. Albrecht and Andreetta
(2011) found that there is a close relationship between engagement, customers, business success
and profitability. It shall be stated that employee commitment is the emotional interconnection of
the worker towards his employment with positivity. It is an attractive, continuance, commitment
and normative which could help maximize profitability within the organization. The worker
engagement is motivated and inspired to go beyond the required efforts in order to accomplish
the business objectives and goals.
Employee engagement is adopted by each and every organization to attain maximum
level of outputs in the global marketplace. It provides a comprehensive framework and structure
that guides and helps the business leaders and managers to interconnect with overall business
approach and strategy with the human resource. Albrech (2011) stated that stronger employee
engagement provides various competitive benefits to the organization globally. One of effective
and dynamic studied done by Schaufeli (2013) where he proved that employee engagement
strategies help to eliminate staff turnover, enhance productivity and effectiveness, attract and
retain the customers at higher rate and generate more and more profit and revenue. In today’s
era, employee commitment is becoming a focal point to keep the customers happy and create a
good image in the minds of the customers. There are enormous strategies used by the
organizations to build and improve the employee engagement that has been discussed below.
Use the right and appropriate engagement survey: It shall be noted by Bedarkar and Pandita
(2014) where they found that the company needs to seek right and appropriate employee for
engagement. Apart from this, right and attractive engagement survey is done by the organization
to improve and enhance the employee engagement within the organization (Shields et al, 2015) .
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Organizational behavior
Focus on engagement at organizational and local levels: Karanges et al (2015) found that the
top management and managers need to focus on the engagement at organization as well as local
levels as it helps to minimize the risks and challenges of the market and competitors as well. The
leaders and employees should feel empowered to make an important difference in their
immediate and favorable environment. Top management and leaders should work with
employees to identify and analyze barriers and hurdles to reach its top level of the market
(Robertson, Jansen Birch and Cooper, 2012).
Select the right managers and leaders: It has been studied by Mone et al (2011) where they
said that the best and effective managers and leaders understand and measure the issues and
problems of the employees. Great and potential managers care about their employee’s success
and growth. It is noted that managers seek to understand and identify each employee’s strength
and provide workers with every opportunity to utilize their strengths in their role and tasks. Great
managers empower their workers, recognize and value their contributions and directly find out
their ideas, thoughts and opinion. Along with this, HRM should set the specific criteria and
eligibility to appoint an effective and potential manager at the workplace for employee
engagement.
Define engagement goals in realistic, everyday terms: To bring effective and unique
engagement to life, managers and leaders should set the engagement roles and goals meaningful
to the employee’s day to day business experiences. Apart from this, it shall be noted that
planning shall be done by the top management and leaders to improve and enhance the employee
engagement in a better way.
Now it is assumed that employee engagement is one of the significant and vital functions
of human resources management that helps to build and improve the loyalty, confidence and
trust of the employees at the workplace (Kang and Sung 2017). It shall be stated that employee
engagement drivers play critical role to satisfy the needs and requirements of the employees.
Leadership, meaningfull work, relationship with coworkers and subordinates are main and
significant drivers of the employee engagement. The relationship will increase and enhance the
friendship and sense of belongings that encourages psychological meaningfulness. Appreciation
from supervisors and coworkers will create caring and enhance the safety of the workers in the
workplace (Men and Stacks, 2014). Byrne (2014) analyzed that employee engagement provides
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Organizational behavior
enormous benefits to the organization as well as employee. Some of the benefits have been
detailed below.
Employee satisfaction: Researchers indicate that if the workers are engaged and committed with
the firm their job satisfaction level is increased and enhanced. The employees who are engaged
and satisfied are very invested in growth and success of the business and they maintain high level
of loyalty and commitment within the organization. Satisfied and motivated employees play a
key role in the success of the firm. They support and encourage the company’s mission,
objectives and goals (Kang and Sung, 2017).
Productivity: Motivated employees help to reduce absenteeism in the company as it also
maximize the outcomes of the firm. No company can survive and grow its business without
effective employee engagement.
Retention and recruitment: Retaining employees is a key to the growth and success of every
business across the world. Employees who are engaged and committed significantly lower the
risk of the turnover for the company help in retaining and attracting the workers in a large extent
(Kang and Sung, 2017).
Innovation: It is seen that there is a reciprocal relationship between employee engagement and
innovation. Engaged and motivated employees perform tasks and duties at higher level and bring
interest and passion to their job which often leads to achievement and innovation at the
workplace (Coetzee and Stoltz, 2015). Apart from this, collaboration and communication in the
workplace amongst the engaged workers and managers also leads to overall growth and
sustainability of the company.
Profitability: When workers are engaged and committed with work and employment, they
become more efficient and productive as it positively affect the company’s bottom line. It will
help to maximize the outputs and profitability in the organization. In this way, it can be said that
more engaged employees are considered more motivate and efficient to reduce the operating cost
and increase the profit margin (Coetzee and Stoltz, 2015). It shall be analyzed by Byrne (2014)
where he said that employee engagement helps in maintaining a favorable culture and working
environment at the workplace.
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Organizational behavior
On the above mentioned study, it can be concluded that Employee engagement is a
favorable attitude held by the worker towards the company with his trademark values and
beliefs. The practice of employee engagement can improve and enhance the organizational
citizenship actions and behavior. This study provides an answer that workers who demonstrate
higher level of commitment will much contribute to their firm with maintaining high level of
behavior. Employee engagement is essential to run the business activities and operations
successfully and effectively.
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Organizational behavior
References
Albrech, S.L 2011, Handbook of employee engagement: Perspectives, issues, research and
practice, Human Resource Management International Digest, 19(7).
Albrecht, S.L & Andreetta, M 2011, The influence of empowering leadership, empowerment and
engagement on affective commitment and turnover intentions in community health service
workers: Test of a model, Leadership in Health Services, 24(3), pp.228-237.
Bedarkar, M & Pandita, D 2014, A study on the drivers of employee engagement impacting
employee performance, Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 133, pp.106-115.
Bedarkar, M & Pandita, D 2014, A study on the drivers of employee engagement impacting
employee performance, Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 133, pp.106-115.
Byrne, Z.S 2014, Understanding employee engagement: Theory, research, and practice.
Routledge.
Coetzee, M & Stoltz, E 2015, Employees' satisfaction with retention factors: Exploring the role
of career adaptability, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 89, pp.83-91.
Das, B.L & Baruah, M 2013, Employee retention: A review of literature, Journal of Business
and Management, 14(2), pp.8-16.
Gruman, J.A & Saks, A.M 2011, Performance management and employee engagement, Human
Resource Management Review, 21(2), pp.123-136.
Kang, M & Sung, M 2017, How symmetrical employee communication leads to employee
engagement and positive employee communication behaviors: The mediation of employee-
organization relationships, Journal of Communication Management, 21(1), pp.82-102.
Karanges, E, Johnston, K, Beatson, A & Lings, I 2015, The influence of internal communication
on employee engagement: A pilot study, Public Relations Review, 41(1), pp.129-131.
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Organizational behavior
Men, L.R & Stacks, D 2014, The effects of authentic leadership on strategic internal
communication and employee-organization relationships, Journal of Public Relations
Research, 26(4), pp.301-324.
Mone, E, Eisinger, C, Guggenheim, K, Price, B & Stine, C 2011, Performance management at
the wheel: Driving employee engagement in organizations, Journal of Business and
Psychology, 26(2), pp.205-212.
Mone, E.M & London, M 2018. Employee engagement through effective performance
management: A practical guide for managers, Routledge.
Ram, P & Prabhakar, G.V 2011, The role of employee engagement in work-related outcomes,
Interdisciplinary Journal of Research in Business, 1(3), pp.47-61.
Robertson, I.T, Jansen Birch, A and Cooper, C.L 2012, Job and work attitudes, engagement and
employee performance: Where does psychological well-being fit in?, Leadership &
Organization Development Journal, 33(3), pp.224-232.
Schaufeli, W.B 2013, What is engagement, Employee engagement in theory and practice, 15,
p.321.
Schullery, N.M 2013, Workplace engagement and generational differences in values, Business
Communication Quarterly, 76(2), pp.252-265.
Shields, J, Brown, M, Kaine, S, Dolle-Samuel, C, North-Samardzic, A, McLean, P, Johns, R,
O'Leary, P, Robinson, J & Plimmer, G, 2015, Managing Employee Performance & Reward:
Concepts, Practices, Strategies, Cambridge University Press.
Shuck, B, 2011, Integrative literature review: four emerging perspectives of employee
engagement: an integrative literature review, Human Resource Development Review, 10(3),
pp.304-328.
Mehta,D & Mehat, K.N 2013, Employee engagement: A Litreature review, Economia Seria
Management, Vol.(2).
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