Employee Engagement

Employee engagement refers to the level of enthusiasm and commitment employees have toward their work and the organization. It is a key factor in driving productivity and overall workplace well-being. Engaged employees actively participate in their tasks and contribute positively to their team's mission, often leading to higher quality work and lower absenteeism. However, many organizations struggle to foster an environment that nurtures intrinsic motivation, which is crucial for genuine engagement. Disengagement, often manifested as "presenteeism," can lead to minimal effort and wasted potential, resulting in significant financial losses for companies.

While employee motivation can be influenced by extrinsic factors like monetary incentives, intrinsic motivation—rooted in autonomy, competence, and relatedness—plays a pivotal role in fostering deep engagement. Communication styles of leadership are also vital; supportive, constructive dialogue can enhance motivation, while controlling or authoritarian communication can drive disengagement. Furthermore, promoting periods of "flow," where employees experience peak engagement and productivity, requires a careful balance of challenge and skill. Understanding individual employee motivations can lead to better task assignments, ultimately enhancing both engagement and performance.

Published in: 2023

By: Froiland, John Mark

Subject Terms

Employee Engagement

Abstract

Companies around the world wrestle with how to better engage their employees in the workplace. Employee engagement supports long-term productivity and well-being. Companies that fail to promote engagement lose money because employees are absent more and invest less in their work when they are present. All too often, employers fail to create an environment that supports employees' intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, many companies fail to invest in enhancing leadership communication styles, which are important for promoting motivation, engagement, and happiness in the workplace.

Overview

Many organizations struggle to adequately engage their employees at work. In fact, companies across the world collectively waste billions of dollars each year by not adequately engaging employees with daily work and training opportunities. Engagement is much more than employees merely showing up for work and logging in a certain number of hours, which is called "presenteeism." Many disengaged employees are present most days but are doing the bare minimum to earn their salary. Others are performing well, but still below their potential, thereby squandering talent.

Engagement entails concentrating on work-related tasks, investing one's energy in meaningful behavior at work, actively participating in meetings, and having productive conversations with colleagues and clients, as well as other behaviors that serve the organization's goals and mission. Highly engaged employees generally produce higher quality work than other employees, have fewer accidents, and make better use of their time. When engagement is a manifestation of employees' intrinsic motivation for work (a love for what they do), they are more likely to be happy and are at a lower risk of being anxious or depressed. This leads to less mental and physical illness, thereby reducing insurance claims and minimizing lost productivity due to absences. Furthermore, highly engaged employees that also enjoy their work are likely to spread a positive attitude to their coworkers, helping to create better morale and greater collective productivity.

Further Insights

Burnout. No employee can be expected to be fully engaged 100 percent of the time. However, the hyperbolic notion of giving 110 percent, which is commonly encouraged in workplaces that value engagement, can lead to unnecessary stress, anxiety, depression, frustration, and burnout. Burnout is a type of disengagement that has a large impact on productivity. Workers that are burned out no longer enjoy work, take extra days of sick leave, function poorly on the job, and may eventually leave their field altogether.

The latter is an economic problem in many fields that serve society such as teaching, nursing, or social work, where highly qualified professionals leave the field after years of training. Field abandonment represents a loss of personal, as well as institutional investment, because professional training has been undertaken at a cost, often with the aid of student grants and loans, and staff development programs. Companies, hospitals, schools, and other organizations face disruption, loss of productivity, increased costs, and loss of revenue when fully trained employees leave because of burnout. Furthermore, burned out employees may model negative attitudes and behavior for fellow employees before they resign or are fired.

To prevent employee burnout, it is important for employers to hold and convey realistic notions of employee performance. Employees that take brief breaks to stretch out, get water, look out the window at beautiful scenery, or take a brief walk may return to tasks invigorated, such that they are more productive than those who do not take restorative breaks (Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Such breaks can also reduce job stress and promote long-term physical health. Likewise, eating a healthy lunch may support employees' concentration, energy, and physical health. Unfortunately, some employees feel pressured to skip lunch to impress employers or get more done, but such practices are believed to lead to decreased productivity and increased health issues.

Work "Flow." "Flow" entails peak levels of performance, enjoyment of the task, and engrossment during periods of time at work. People that experience periods of flow demonstrate high levels of engagement and may later report that they felt like time flew by. When an employee is in a period of flow for just two to three hours, they may produce a higher quality and quantity of work than they normally would in a day. Thus, employers interested in employee engagement would be wise to promote flow in the workplace.

Flow is especially likely to happen when there is an optimal match between the employee's skill level and the challenge provided. Thus, organizations that wish to create the conditions for this high level of engagement would be wise to assign employees to tasks that they will find neither too easy nor too difficult. This means that adequate training must be provided for employees who are expected to take on tasks beyond their current skill level, and employees should not be given many tasks for which they are highly overqualified. In other words, ongoing sound assessment of employee skills and abilities is required to enhance the likelihood that an optimal match is provided.

However, a skill and challenge match does not guarantee flow. Certain people are more likely to experience flow at work than others. For instance, employees who have developed and maintained a high level of intrinsic motivation for what they do are more likely to experience flow. Intrinsic motivation entails seeing the beauty, purpose, or meaning in what one does (Froiland, 2014). This leads to happiness (Froiland, 2013), fewer depressive symptoms, less work-related anxiety (Froiland, 2011), greater creativity, deeper engagement in general, and a greater proclivity to experience flow. This means that companies that want to see their employees have higher levels of engagement and want to foster flow need to support the development of employees' intrinsic motivation.

Incentives and Motivation. Money is a powerful incentive and can activate an employee's extrinsic motivation, which is one's desire to work to obtain a reward. Research on entrepreneurs finds that extrinsic motivation can be crucial for helping someone to keep working hard when they are dealing with certain phases of their project that they find less inspiring, such as writing a grant or seeking a patent, whereas intrinsic motivation is especially crucial when creating a new product or adapting an intervention or program to a new environment. Other research indicates that intrinsic motivation leads to greater depth of understanding of what one reads and better developed problem-solving abilities, whereas extrinsic motivation leads to greater speed on relatively easy tasks.

The most dominant theory of intrinsic motivation in the workplace is the self-determination theory, which posits that people across the world have a need for autonomy, relatedness, and competence (Deci & Ryan, 2008). Self-determination theory indicates that extrinsic motivation is the fourth motive. When the three universal intrinsic needs are supported at work and home, people are more intrinsically motivated and have deeper levels of engagement. Research in numerous countries in every region of the world supports self-determination theory.

Research based upon the sixteen basic desires theory indicates that there are a greater variety of intrinsic motives to consider when supporting engagement (Reiss, 2012). The sixteen basic desires theory indicates that there are sixteen motives, such that desires for physical activity, romance, social contact, independence, order, helping others, curiosity, acceptance, eating, tranquility, power, savings, honor, competition, prestige, and family all are germane to engaging employees (Reiss, 2012). In fact, knowing an employee's top three or four motives can lead to a greater match between the employee and the assigned task or project, which promotes greater enjoyment at work, more engagement, and superior performance. Furthermore, when managers become aware of how their own personality profile may clash with certain employees, misunderstandings and ineffective communication can be prevented, leading to more productive relationships between management and employees. Employers can also use such personality profiles to better select the right employees for the right positions. Although the sixteen basic desires theory leads to very individualized task assignments, self-determination theory has generated a much greater abundance of related research for companies to consider.

Communication. Research from a self-determination theory perspective indicates that employees thrive when their managers or supervisors communicate with them in an autonomy supportive way (Deci & Ryan, 2008). Autonomy supportive communication meets the universal needs for relatedness and autonomy by acknowledging employees' feelings, explaining the underlying purpose for assignments or tasks, clarifying how tasks contribute to an inspiring vision, providing employees with opportunities to help develop innovative practices, highlighting the interesting aspects of tasks, and using non-controlling language (Froiland, 2014).

Authoritarian bosses employ controlling language, often without realizing that it has a negative effect on motivation, morale, and engagement. Despite poor results, supervisors sometimes resort to an authoritarian style because they themselves feel pressure to perform. Furthermore, some aspects of controlling communication are subtle and hard to identify. Many leaders do not realize, for example, that not taking time to listen to an employee's concerns or ignoring employees' feelings has a controlling effect. Busy managers may not believe they have time to listen to employees and get to know them, but it is an investment of time that will reap dividends in engagement and perhaps loyalty in the long run (Mishra, Boynton & Mishra, 2014).

Yelling at employees is a common communication technique. A manager who raises their voice angrily toward a subordinate may be met with acquiescence and, therefore, believe that the mode of communication was clear and effective. The employee, however, may later be more hesitant to share ideas, thereby exhibiting less engagement. Fear of a negative performance evaluation (an extrinsic motive) may become a more prominent concern for the employee than any intrinsic motivation to think deeply about or discuss important issues related to the company's mission. The employee who is now less engaged may be thinking of finding a better work environment. A by-product of this management style is a tendency toward "group think," in which teams with diverse expertise agree on decisions that are bad for the company because they fear the manager.

It is much healthier for a team to welcome divergent views and what David W. Johnson refers to as "constructive controversy," which is the view that some of the most innovative ideas and rich discussion happen when people respectfully share their insights and points of view rather than disengaging and rushing toward an uninformed unanimous decision. Creating an atmosphere for constructive controversy and cooperative learning versus mindless group think is important for teams that wish to nourish and help their company and clients to do the same.

Viewpoints

Organizations often rely too heavily on the carrot-and-stick method of motivating engagement, which entails providing extrinsic incentives for showing up to work regularly (especially, a paycheck) and for excellent performance (for example, employee of the month awards or bonuses). Likewise, consequences are usually provided for unsatisfactory performance such as poor performance reviews, verbal reprimands, withholding promotions, and the threat of being fired.

People are complex and can be operating with extrinsic ("I want to be promoted so that I can make more money.") and intrinsic ("I want to help my clients be healthier.") motives at the same time. Unfortunately, many managers and administrators have been trained within a behavioral paradigm and rely almost exclusively on incentives and consequences to influence engagement-related behaviors. These managers are often unaware of the importance of cultivating intrinsic motivation. Alternatively, some managers believe that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are diametrically opposed. This model precludes practices that promote the development of a motivational synergy in which both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are supported. In either case, employee engagement will not be optimized without actively supporting both types of motivation, because motivation fuels engagement.

Many companies will need leadership interventions that help leaders better communicate with employees if they want to promote deeper engagement (Biggs, Brough & Barbour, 2014). One such emphasis lately has been on developing servant leaders who demonstrate their passion for serving others (Carter & Baghurst, 2014), making it more likely that others will follow their example and become more passionately engaged in their work (Froiland, 2014).

Terms & Concepts

Autonomy supportive communication: A way of speaking to others that involves acknowledging their perspective, helping them to see the purpose in what they are doing, and avoiding controlling language.

Flow: An intense state of work in which the employee enjoys their work, is free of anxiety, and reaches high levels of productivity.

Incentives: Rewards for good behavior, visible engagement, or productivity.

Intrinsic motivation: Working because one enjoys it, sees it as purposeful, or otherwise meets psychological needs.

Presenteeism: An extreme form of low engagement in which the employee is physically at work but is emotionally and motivationally detached.

Self-determination theory: Management theory that posits that workers have a need for autonomy, relatedness, and competence.

Sixteen basic desires theory: Management theory that holds that there are sixteen motives (physical activity, romance, social contact, independence, order, helping others, curiosity, acceptance, eating, tranquility, power, savings, honor, competition, prestige, and family) that drive employee engagement. Knowing an employee's top three or four motives can lead to a greater match between the employee and the assigned task or project, which promotes greater enjoyment at work, more engagement, and superior performance.

Bibliography

Biggs, A., Brough, P., & Barbour, J. P. (2014). Enhancing work-related attitudes and work engagement: A quasi-experimental study of the impact of an organizational intervention. International Journal of Stress Management, 21, 43–68. Retrieved November 25, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=94633109&site=ehost-live

Carter, D., & Baghurst, T. (2014). The influence of servant leadership on restaurant employee engagement. Journal of Business Ethics, 124, 453–464. Retrieved November 25, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database Business Source Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=98676069&site=ehost-live

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Beyond boredom and anxiety (25th Anniversary ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian Psychology, 49, 182–185. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=33773221&site=ehost-live

Froiland, J. M. (2011). Parental autonomy support and student learning goals: A preliminary examination of an intrinsic motivation intervention. Child & Youth Care Forum, 40, 135–149. Retrieved March 22, 2015, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=59459974&site=ehost-live

Froiland, J. M. (2013). Parents' weekly descriptions of autonomy supportive communication: Promoting children's motivation to learn and positive emotions. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 117–126. Retrieved March 22, 2015, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=100274730&site=ehost-live

Froiland, J. M. (2014). Inspired childhood: Parents raising motivated, happy, and successful students from preschool to college [Kindle]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon. com/dp/B00LT4OX5O

Mishra, K., Boynton, L., & Mishra, A. (2014). Driving employee engagement: The expanded role of internal communications. Journal of Business Communication, 51, 183–202. Retrieved November 25, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database Business Source Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=95068909&site=ehost-live

Reiss, S. (2012). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Teaching of Psychology, 39, 152–156. Retrieved March 22, 2015, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=78317059&site=ehost-live

Rigoni, B., & Asplund, J. (2016). Developing employees' strengths boosts sales, profit, and engagement. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2–5. Retrieved December 21, 2016, from EBSCO online database Business Source Ultimate. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=118663667&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Employee Engagement

On this Page

Subject Terms

Employee Engagement

Abstract

Overview

Further Insights

Viewpoints

Terms & Concepts

Bibliography

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