Engaged employees have higher levels of emotional and intellectual connectivity to their job and their organisation, and are consistently willing to ‘go the extra mile’ and to deliver beyond expectations.
That is why employee engagement has become the ‘hot topic’ for most employers. Research has shown that, compared to disengaged employees, engaged employees perform better and are more likely to stay with their organisation – outcomes that have significant financial benefits for any organisation.
Our own extensive research into employee engagement and cross-cultural research conducted by organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, the Institute for Employment Studies, Gallup and the Corporate Leadership Council have informed the theoretical model underpinning our questions and the design of our surveys.
In our ‘House of Engagement’ model the organisation’s culture represents the bedrock of employee engagement. It constitutes the deeply rooted beliefs, values and norms of the organisation and is central to shaping the organisation’s core identity. Culture influences an employee’s job, both intrinsically (such as the amount of job autonomy and variety) and extrinsically (such as the type of rewards, training and development opportunities and working conditions). Culture also impacts on the management and leadership style within the organisation, and communication. Employee experiences and perceptions of their job, management, leadership, communication and teamwork influence their attitudes, which subsequently impact on their engagement levels in the form of discretionary effort and retention. Employee engagement and culture form a cyclical relationship – culture affects employee engagement and employee engagement ultimately affects organisational culture.
House of Engagement click to enlarge
