Enhancing Employee Engagement: Perspectives and Practices from Engaged Government Leaders

• In Event: Employee Engagement — Enhancing, Sustaining, Transforming

Short Description

Only 13% of the global workforce, including those in the public sector, is fully engaged while on the job. This paper synthesizes survey findings on public employee engagement from over 100 county government officials in the U.S. and provides leadership tactics to help government employees and agencies excel.

Detailed Abstract

The hope is that people preform their best when on the job and end their workday fulfilled (Briskin, 1998). The reality is that only 17.2% of the global workforce report exercising high levels of discretionary effort (CEB, 2016) and only 13% of employees are fully engaged while on the job (Crabtree, 2013). Employee engagement matters, not just for employee morale, but for the bottom line. Organizations reporting higher levels of employee engagement experience substantially higher customer satisfaction scores and profitability, greater productivity, lower turnover, less absenteeism, and less safety incidents (Crabtree, 2013; IPMAHR, 2014).

Fifty to seventy percent of the variability in employee engagement is attributed to leadership at the executive and unit levels (OPM, 2015; Adkins, 2016; Lavigna, 2015; Sanneh & Taj, 2015). While there are specific practices that promote employee engagement, highly engaged employees also perform under inadequate leadership and in unsupportive work environments. The other 30% to 50% variability associated with employee engagement and whether people exercise high discretionary effort is a function of individual psychological work contracts.

Psychological contracts are the key determinants of employees’ attitudes and behaviors in the work place (Coyle-Shapiro & Parzefall, 2008; Conway and Briner, 2005; Rousseau, 2000; Schein, 1980). Employee psychological contracts fall into one of four types: transitional, transactional, balanced, and relational (Rousseau, 2000). The latter is based upon trust, loyalty, and membership and is more conducive to yielding greater levels of engagement and performance. Psychological contracts are idiosyncratic and consistently renegotiated as they are primarily perceived quid pro quo expectations based upon subjective beliefs employees have of their employer. This explains why individuals in the same work culture perform differently – every employee has a unique set of dynamics when he or she shows up to work that trigger their respective levels of engagement (Conway & Briner, 2005). Leaders who lack insight to the nature of psychological contracts fail to leverage and develop employees’ strengths and passions.

While there are proven organizational practices that will enhance employee engagement, one size does not fit all. Given the nature of psychological contracts, engagement strategies that include individual considerations will generate additional high yield performers. Whether they realize it or not, employees and employers engage in idiosyncratic deals on a regular basis (Rousseau, 2000). Formal negotiations in the form of job crafting is one way employers can increase employee engagement. Employees who are allowed to develop idiosyncratic deals tend to exercise higher levels of discretionary effort which in turn yields greater organizational citizenship, employee and organizational productivity, and the distribution and development of the leaders across the organization.

The paper begins with a review of the hype and hope of employee engagement research in both the private and public sectors (OPM, 2015; Bryne, 2014; Maylett & Warner, 2014; Gallup, 2013; Macey, 2009). The nature of employee psychological contracts and idiosyncratic deals are then reviewed and synthesized with the research on employee engagement. While employees may be engaged, it is another situation if their respective psychological contract allows them to preform above and beyond the minimum when on the job. An example of extra-role engagement or someone going the extra mile is when a custodian at a hospital authentically takes time to make a coffee run to a family in distress.

The paper uses survey research and group discussion data from 100 county government executives and human resource personnel on the nature of employee engagement and related tactics to help people excel. The survey research revealed specific mindsets and practices to enhance psychological contracts that to promote higher levels of engagement and, in turn, develop the next generation of leaders among county government employees. This research identified easy to implement strategies that equip and inspire employees to consistently go the extra mile, experience greater fulfillment at work, and take on extra-role leadership responsibilities at work.

Participant

• John R. Shoup, California Baptist University