scholarly journals Remote working and employee engagement: a qualitative study of British workers during the pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toyin Ajibade Adisa ◽  
Chidiebere Ogbonnaya ◽  
Olatunji David Adekoya
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Philosophical Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Work Intensification ◽  
Sudden Transition

PurposeThrough the lens of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study explores how remote working inhibits employee engagement. The authors offer a fresh perspective on the most salient work- and nonwork-related risk factors that make remote working particularly challenging in the context of Covid-19.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use data from semi-structured interviews with 32 employees working from home during the Covid-19 lockdown. Based on the interpretivist philosophical approach, the authors offer new insights into how employees can optimize work- and nonwork-related experiences when working remotely.FindingsThe authors show that the sudden transition from in-person to online modes of working during the pandemic brought about work intensification, online presenteeism, employment insecurity and poor adaptation to new ways of working from home. These stress factors are capable of depleting vital social and personal resources, thereby impacting negatively on employee engagement levels.Practical implicationsEmployers, leaders and human resource teams should be more thoughtful about the risks and challenges employees face when working from home. They must ensure employees are properly equipped with the relevant resources and support to perform their jobs more effectively.Originality/valueWhile previous research has focused on the benefits of remote working, the current study explores how it might be detrimental for employee engagement during a pandemic. The study provides new evidence on the most salient risks and challenges faced by remote workers, and how the unique Covid-19 context has made them more pronounced.

scholarly journals The marketisation of the English higher education sector and its impact on academic staff and the nature of their work

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Mary Taberner
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Plate Glass ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Intensification ◽  
Mixed Approach ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the impact of the marketisation of the English HE sector on academic staff and the nature of their professional work is felt to the same degree in different English universities. The study was conducted between November 2015 and April 2017. Design/methodology/approach Using the interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative, inductive approach is adopted. In total, 12 semi-structured interviews of 60-90 min each were conducted with academics of six English university types (ancient, old and new civics, plate-glass, technological and post-1992). Participants who were identified by non-probability sampling included professors, principal, senior and lecturers and associate lecturers. Findings Six key themes emerged regarding the impact on academic staff and their work: efficiency and quantity over effectiveness; autocratic, managerialist ideology over academic democracy and debate; instrumentalism over intellectualism; de-professionalisation and fragmentation of the academy; increased incidence of performativity, bullying and workplace aggression; and work intensification. The ancient university is least impacted by marketisation in terms of academic staff and the nature of their work. Next are the old and new civic universities, followed by technological, plate-glass universities. The most impact is felt by academics (and the nature of their work) in the post-1992 universities. Research limitations/implications There is a relatively small number of interviews in this study; therefore, it is difficult to categorically correlate an academic biography with their opinion in the context of their university type. More male than female participants were interviewed. International staff were not interviewed, and this could bring a varying perspective to the narrative found in this study. A mixed approach in further research would aid this objective. Some of the questioning in the pilot study was not as focused as any further primary research would have to be. Originality/value A further area of study, which could have practical implications, add originality and value would be to investigate how good practice in “employee engagement” in the university context might pave the way forward. This has the potential to benefit academic staff directly and the institution, a win–win solution for all stakeholders.

Job meaningfulness, employee engagement, supervisory support and job performance: a moderated-mediation analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abinash Panda ◽  
Subhashis Sinha ◽  
Nikunj Kumar Jain
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Supervisory Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Job Meaningfulness

PurposeGuided by social exchange, broaden and build and conservation of resources theoretical perspectives, this study explores the moderated mediating role of supervisory support (SS) on the relationship between job meaningfulness (JM) on job performance (JP) through employee engagement (EE).Design/methodology/approachField data were collected from two hundred and nineteen executives and their thirty-eight supervisors of a large paint manufacturing industry through a time-lagged research design and was analyzed with partial least squares based structural equation modeling.FindingsFindings of this study indicate that JM mediated by EE contributes to JP, which means if an employee finds one's job meaningful, she/he is likely to be more engaged emotionally, psychologically and cognitively to deliver better JP. SS is also found to be salient as it moderates both direct and indirect relationships between JM and JP through EE.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralizability of the findings of this study should be done with caution. Though the study has time-laggard data from two different sources but missing longitudinal data restricts causality of relationships/findings.Practical implicationsThese findings are relevant for organizations given that organizational leaders can create a context, by appropriate job design and engaging work context that motivates employees to perform better in their jobs. Insights of this study will be useful for organizations to curate meaningful jobs for their employees and also groom leaders with requisite skills and competencies to help subordinates perform up to their potential.Originality/valueThis study is an attempt toward a better understanding of the interplay of JM, work engagement and SS on JP in a manufacturing set-up in India, which has not been hitherto examined in Indian context.

scholarly journals Engaging the multi-generational workforce in tourism and hospitality

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Barron ◽  
Anna Leask ◽  
Alan Fyall
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Generational Differences ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to present strategies that hospitality and tourism organisations might adopt as a means of encouraging employee engagement, thus enabling the more effective management of an increasingly multi-generational workforce. This paper evaluates current strategies being adopted that might encourage employee engagement by a selection of hospitality and tourism organisations and develop recommendations for organisations wishing to more effectively engage the multi-generational workforce. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts a mixed methods approach and presents findings based on a series of semi-structured interviews with management and self-completion questionnaires aimed at employees. Findings – The relationship between the supervisor and the employee remains a key enhancer regarding engagement and employees are increasingly demanding more contemporary methods of communication. Employers should take note of generational characteristics and adopt flexible policies attractive to all employees. Practical implications – This paper contributes no t only to the debate regarding generational differences in the workplace but it also identifies that the various generations evident in tourism organisations are desirous of similar working conditions and benefits. Organisations should consider the development of a range of packages that focus on linking employees with their purpose, their colleagues and their resources as a means of encouraging employee engagement. Originality/value – This study contributes to the debate regarding employee engagement and compares and contrasts initiatives that various tourism and hospitality organisations are adopting as a means of encouraging employee engagement. The study also elicits the views of the organisations employees to understand the extent of the effectiveness of such initiatives and makes recommendations regarding the most effective initiatives from both a management and employee perspective.

How does political skill lead to job and organization engagement? Role of self-evaluations

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 895-910
Author(s):  
Ameer A. Basit
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Organizational Identification ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Political Skill ◽  
The Self ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model

PurposePolitical skill is a valued resource employees use to achieve success. Earlier research has mostly focused on the effect of political skill on others rather than on the self of the politically skilled individuals. Specifically, there is disconnect between political skill and employee engagement research as both these fields have been growing in isolation. Drawing from theories of engagement and conservation of resources, this study bridges this gap in knowledge by investigating how political skill leads to job and organization engagement of politically skilled employees via impacting their self-evaluations of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and organizational identification.Design/methodology/approachUsing a survey method, data were obtained from 188 employees who worked in three private schools of Lahore, Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model.FindingsThis study found that individuals who used political skill by practicing social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking and sincerity rated themselves high in OBSE and organizational identification. As a consequence, high OBSE enhanced their job engagement, whereas high organizational identification increased their organization engagement.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first studies to present political skill as a driver of job and organization engagement. It reveals that the self-evaluations of OBSE and organizational identification mediate the political skill–engagement relations in unique manners.

Short-distance corporate relocation: the employee experience

Facilities ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 38-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggie Rothe ◽  
Anna-Liisa Sarasoja ◽  
Christopher Heywood
Keyword(s):  
Short Distance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Workplace Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Qualitative Nature ◽  
Employee Experience

Purpose – This paper aims to examine short-distance firm relocations, the most frequent form of relocation, to better understand how employees as individuals experience those relocations. Design/methodology/approach – This study was a multiple-case study with five organisations that had relocated within the same metropolitan area during the previous 18 months. To understand why and how the relocation was carried out, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with company representatives who were actively involved in making decisions and executing the relocation of their organisation. Subsequently, to study the employees’ experience and perception of the process, 17 employees who did not have an assigned role in the process were also interviewed. Findings – The findings show that even within the same organization, people experience relocation differently; therefore, the employees should not be treated as one object of change but as several individuals who experience change. Further, it was identified that relocation included both location and workplace change aspects. Research limitations/implications – The study is of qualitative nature and, therefore, the findings should not be generalized to individuals outside of the context of study. Instead, the value lies in the description and the themes developed in the specific context. The findings show that emphasis needs to be put on how the relocation process is managed, and that relocation change management efforts should include both location and workplace changes. Originality/value – This study provides new insight on how individual employees experience the relocation process and augments the previous body of knowledge on employee experiences and satisfaction with various elements in the work environment and/or with new ways of working, and the previous studies on relocation that focus on comparing employees’ experiences of the old office with the new one.

scholarly journals From a new workplace to a new way of working: legitimizing organizational change

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grégory Jemine ◽  
Christophe Dubois ◽  
François Pichault
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Transformation ◽  
Insurance Company ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Sociology Of Translation ◽  
Change Projects

Purpose Several studies have recently documented projects of organizational transformation and modernization which, commonly clustered under the umbrella term “New Ways of Working” (NWoW), simultaneously entail material, technological, cultural and managerial dimensions. Academic contributions, however, have paid little attention to the mechanisms allowing such projects to progressively become legitimized in organizational discourses and practices. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the distinctive features of the legitimation process underlying the implementation of NWoW projects. Design/methodology/approach This paper relies on a longitudinal, three-year analysis of a large insurance company. Data were collected through qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews (48), periods of observation (3 months) and document analysis (78). Findings The paper develops a grounded and integrative framework of legitimation processes underlying “NWoW” change projects. The framework emphasizes four decisive operations of translation in “NWoW” design and implementation: translating material constraints into strategic opportunities; translating strategic opportunities into a quantitative business plan supported by the top management; translating compelling discourses around “NWoW” into an organizational machinery; and translating a transformation project into discourses of unequivocal success, conveyed by legitimate spokespeople within and beyond the organization. Originality/value Besides contributing to the understanding of a managerial fashion, which has received little academic attention so far, the paper also offers an original integrative framework to account for legitimation processes that combines two theoretical approaches – the sociology of translation and research on institutionalist work.

Why the availability of telecommuting matters

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline D. Masuda ◽  
Claudia Holtschlag ◽  
Jessica M. Nicklin
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Multiple Mediation ◽  
Goal Progress ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Self Report Data

Purpose In line with conservation of resources theory and signaling theory, the purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and test a multiple mediation model in which telecommuting affects engagement via perceived supervisor goal support and goal progress. Design/methodology/approach A three-phase longitudinal study carried out over ten months was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Individuals who worked in organizations that offer telecommuting were more engaged than those who worked in organizations that did not offer telecommuting. Furthermore, telecommuting availability was not only directly but also indirectly related to engagement via perceived supervisor goal support and goal progress. Engagement in general decreased over time. However, individuals who attained their personal work goals were able to maintain high levels of engagement. Research limitations/implications Giving employees the option to telecommute could increase employee engagement. This study is correlational in nature and relied on self-report data. Originality/value This is the first study examining the effects of telecommuting on engagement over a period of ten months. It is also the first study to use perceived supervisor goal support and goal progress as explanatory variables to the teleworking and engagement relationship.

In pursuit of service productivity and customer satisfaction: the role of resources

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 1836-1855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny (Jiyeon) Lee ◽  
Paul G. Patterson ◽  
Liem Viet Ngo
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Dyadic Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Productivity

Purpose In today’s global marketplace, the mantra of many service firms is enhanced efficiency and productivity. To increase their bottom line, firms must also expand revenue. They thus face the challenge of ways to increase revenue through customer satisfaction while also achieving productivity gains. The current study aims to offer insight into the role of various resources that encourage frontline employees (FLEs) to become engaged in the pursuit of achieving organisational goals, ultimately enhancing service productivity and customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A total of 252 customer-FLE dyadic data were collected at a medium-sized retail bank in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Findings Results show that personal (self-efficacy) and organisational resources impact FLE productivity directly and indirectly through employee engagement. Importantly, service productivity is then positively associated with customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications Extending previous investigations based on the job demands-resources model and theories of self-efficacy and conservation of resources, this study’s findings empirically support anecdotal accounts of the positive productivity–customer satisfaction relationship. Practical implications The results also highlight the importance of the management of human and organisational resources to attain this two-pronged goal. Originality value Using dyadic data (customers and FLEs) collected at a medium-sized retail bank, the authors refute the trade-off effect between attaining employee productivity and customer satisfaction in the service industry. This paper further fills research need to study how various resources available to FLEs can achieve desirable organisational outcomes in service firms – the improvement of both service productivity and customer satisfaction.

scholarly journals The politics behind design projects: when space, organization, and technology collide

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grégory Jemine ◽  
François Pichault ◽  
Christophe Dubois
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Work Organization ◽  
Organization Design ◽  
The Political ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Political Complexity ◽  
Space Organization

PurposeWhile more and more organizations commit to transformation projects with the aim of redesigning simultaneously their workspaces, work organization, and technologies, the design process supporting such projects remains largely understudied. This paper examines the political tensions that occur when such processes unfold as well as their implications for project management. By doing so, the paper counterbalances the prescriptive and normative literature on “New Ways of Working” which largely overlooks the political complexity of such projects.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a qualitative study of a triple design process in a media company. Data collection mainly consists of a nine-month process of non-participant observation of weekly meetings held by the strategic group in charge of the project. Semi-structured interviews with members of the executive committee have also been conducted.FindingsThe analysis illustrates how space, organization and technology are gradually designed and structured. Four interconnected and often concealed mechanisms that support triple design processes are identified: political tensions, unexpected twists, conflicting temporalities and arbitration measures.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper lies in breaking down the concept of design in three separate objects – organization, space and technology – and examining how these objects were conjointly problematized by an organization in transformation, whereas existing studies often investigate organization design, space design or technology design in isolation.

scholarly journals Employee participation and engagement in working for the environment

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 492-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Benn ◽  
Stephen T.T. Teo ◽  
Andrew Martin
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Initiatives ◽  
Environmental Objectives

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of specific human resource management (HRM) practices in the implementation of environmental initiatives in terms of their impact on employee attitudes to the organization and to its environmental programme. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a mixed method approach comprising a survey of 675 employees and 16 semi-structured interviews undertaken across two organizations. Findings – Survey data, analysed using path analysis, showed that participation in environmental initiatives is directly associated with higher levels of employee engagement with the organization, higher rating of their organization’s environmental performance, and lower intention to quit. The qualitative study supports the quantitative data, also highlighting other aspects of environmental initiatives that may affect employee attitudes. Research limitations/implications – Future study should either collect longitudinal data or rely on data collected from two waves of data collection. Objective performance data should also be collected in order to better understand the causal effect of HRM on environmental performance. Practical implications – Our findings have implications for the business case for sustainability, providing some evidence that implementing environmental initiatives with HRM support may not only motivate staff around environmental programmes but may provide wider benefits for organizations in terms of overall job satisfaction and employee retention. Social implications – Successful implementation of environmental management initiatives have both organizational and employee level outcomes. Employees who were more aligned with their organizational environmental objectives were found to be more engaged and less likely to quit. Originality/value – This study provided both quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence to support the importance of integrating the HRM function into the implementation of environmental initiatives.

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