Examining How Employer Brand Perceptions Differ for Potential and Existing Employees in the Indian IT Sector: A Longitudinal Study

Employer branding as a tool is consistently gaining importance to attract and retain talent. Previous studies have observed employer branding process through potential employee’s perspective while others have taken current employees as their sample. It has been well acknowledged that variation exists in perception of potential and existing employees regarding the value propositions that an employer offers. This variation may result in employee disengagement or lower commitment. Considering the importance of the problem, this paper attempts to explore and analyse this phenomenon of variation in employer brand perceptions that exists between potential and existing employees. To achieve this objective, a longitudinal study consisting of 411 employees of top IT companies in India is conducted. Responses from the same sample are collected at two different points; first, when the respondents are final year students (potential employees/applicants) and the second instance is when they are absorbed into the company after induction and training. The results reveal that certain differences (based on instrumental-symbolic framework) are observed in the relative importance of employer brand attributes for the same individuals, i.e. when they are looking for a job and when they are working as an employee. Also, we conclude that though the differences cannot be eliminated totally, however, it can be minimised to a certain level by focusing on certain touchpoints.

Predictors of employees’ self-reported future learning ability and disengagement at work

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between job characteristics that foster learning (experience with and demand for continuous learning at work, skills variety and autonomy) as potential predictors of self-reported outcomes, such as future learning ability and employee disengagement at work for a cohort of employees with no or very limited job change experience. Further consideration was given to employees’ experiences at work (meaningfulness and recognition at work) as potential mediators in this relationship between job characteristics and employee outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional design was applied. Participants (N = 284) were recruited from Northern Germany and asked to complete a paper-and-pencil survey. The results were subsequently analyzed using path models to examine direct and indirect effects associated with mediation. Findings Path model analysis indicated that job characteristics promoting learning at work are positive predictors of self-reported future learning ability and negative predictors of disengagement. Both meaningfulness and recognition predict future learning ability as well. However, these variables only operated as significant mediators in the relationship between job characteristics and employee disengagement (but not self-reported future learning ability). Originality/value The study outlines the importance of job characteristics and employee experience to understand employees’ beliefs about their learning ability and engagement at work. The findings highlight the importance of meaningfulness and recognition for employees, as well as the role of learning-supportive job characteristics.

Impact of engagement exist in organisations’ internal environment on employees’ motivation, satisfaction, commitment and turnover intention

Examining the impact of engagement exist in organisations’ internal environment on employees’ motivation, satisfaction, commitment and turnover intention is the main aim of this research. To achieve this, Hilton Park Lane, London UK hotel was chosen as a case to conduct this research. Interview and questionnaire methods were used together to reach the main aim. The findings from the interview showed that the hotel did not have a separate employee engagement strategy but rather the management has been trying to engage its employees by social activities and providing discounted services. Statistical analyses showed that employee disengagement is positively related with employee turnover intention and employee turnover statistics at Hilton Park Lane. Although no statistically significant result was obtained regarding the correlation between employee disengagement, job satisfaction and motivation, the findings suggested that lack of motivation and dissatisfaction with job could be the underlying factors which would lead employee disengagement.

Antecedents of Employee Disengagement Amid Covid-19 Pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on various aspects of people's lives around the world. Despite the risk of the pandemic, most workers who are engaged in delivering essential services are still reporting for duty as usual (Business and Human Right Resource Centre, 2020). Although this is part of their professional obligation, most of them are highly concerned about their working conditions amid the pandemic (Fernandez, Lord, Halcomb, Moxhama, Middletona, Alananzeha, and Ellwood, 2020). Their anxiety is mainly centred on the perceived risk of contracting the virus, transmission of the virus to their family members, stigma surrounding the vulnerabilities of their work and the threat towards their personal freedom (Fernandez, 2020; Chiang, Chen, and Sue, 2007). In addition, these workers have also been inundated with increased workload and longer working hours (Mhango, Dzobo, Chitungo and Dzinamarira, 2020). This has affected their level of motivation, engagement, commitment, and job satisfaction. Perceived poor working conditions are associated with negative outcomes for employee behaviours, such as turnover intentions (Arnoux-Nicolas, Sovet, Lhotellier, Fabio, and Bernaud, 2016), disengagement, dissatisfaction and lack of commitment. Several researchers have tried to understand the causes and effects of corona virus pandemic on various aspects of life. Although this is the case, little attention has been directed towards examining the key factors influencing employee disengagement amid covid-19 pandemic. To address this gap, the researcher seeks to test the effect of covid-19 pandemic on poor working conditions, the perceived risk of covid-19 pandemic and employee disengagement. Keywords: Covid-19 Pandemic; Employee Disengagement; Working Conditions; Perceived Risk Of Covid-19 Pandemic.

Trustworthiness: a dialectical perspective

Trustworthiness is the core feature of the most productive and effective organizations. While the market value of an economic or business entity would mostly correspond to its trust-equity, however, an erosion of trust-equity will cause the market-value to nose dive. Studies have demonstrated that the ‘distrust’ or a ‘lack of trustworthiness’ can cost a business or government billions of dollars. Lack of trust within an organization can result in employee disengagement and organizational atrophy. An untrustworthy organization will not only alienate its employees, it will also cause damage to customer interests. In this article, we postulate how trustworthiness can act as a dialectical fulcrum between the diametrically opposing market/social forces within an economic/political organization—such as self-interest versus public good, cooperation versus competition, freedom versus control, labor versus capital, and production versus consumption.

Employee Engagement in Multinational Diverse Organization in Difficult Terrain: A Study of Non-Family Station Organization

Engagements and commitments of many expatriates are often determined by several socio-economic, demographic, cultural, environmental and organizational factors. These issues faced by employees in duty stations like United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) often have telling effects on their work. Consequently, the broad objective of this study was to assess the influence of the working environment on foreign job commitment in UNAMID. The study applied "a mixed-method research approach", utilizing both "qualitative and quantitative research" strategies, with a sample size of 100 respondents from the United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in Darfur, Northern Sudan. Specifically, questionnaires and in-depth Interview were the main instruments. Findings from the quantitative studies showed no significant relationship between employee disengagement, work terrain, job stress, communication, socio-cultural factors and expatriate’s job commitment in UNAMID. While for the qualitative analysis, it was reported that there are both negative and positive effects of working in another country. The study, therefore, concludes that employee disengagement, job stress, working terrain, communication and socio-cultural factors are not associated, with expatriate's job commitment in UNAMID. It is therefore recommended that organizations should develop organizational peculiar plans and programs that would help cushion the physical and psychological effect of new working terrain on expatriates for them to be able to be effective, productive and be able to eventually achieve the ultimate goal of their deployment to the new work station.

Conceptualizing employee strengths at work and scale development

Purpose There is a compelling need for developing constructs in management science for higher relevance rather than adapting constructs developed in other domains and applying them in organizations. An inquiry in the relevance of the construct of strength developed in personality psychology and applied to organizations is compelling, as deploying strengths leads to humanizing organizations. With growing disengagement of employees at work, this study makes a significant contribution by conceptualizing strengths in the context of organizations and carrying out two studies on independent samples for developing a psychometrically validated 14-item scale for measuring it. Design/methodology/approach The study has two phases. The first phase is conceptual in nature where the authors deploy the social systems theory and use recent empirical research evidence in conceptualizing the construct of employee strengths at work (ESAW). In the second phase, the author carry out two studies on independent samples for ascertaining the factor structure by carrying out EFA and then confirming it by doing a confirmatory factor analysis. Findings The construct of ESAW, relevant for management science, has five factors: potential deployment, person-jot fit, managerial sensitivity, prompt assimilation and joy. The psychometrically validated scale for measuring ESAW developed in this study has 14 items. Because the construct incorporates key contextual factors, it is more relevant to organizational science and contributes to humanizing organizations. Originality/value This study evolves the construct of ESAW from a predominantly trait-based approach to a conceptualization that accounts for the contextual factors, essential for enabling strengths of employees to manifest. The study contributes to advancing literature that holds promise for humanizing organizations – a pressing need because of the growing instances of employee disengagement. The author develop a 14-item psychometrically validated scale for measuring ESAW that the practitioners can use in first assessing current levels of employee strengths’ deployment and thereafter intervening for increasing the deployment of their strengths for enabling higher well-being and superior performance.

Job crafting, proactive personality and meaningful work: Implications for employee engagement and turnover intention

Orientation: Jobs in the financial services industry are in constant flux because of the ever-changing nature of the products and services provided to customers. This could result in employee disengagement and turnover intention.Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the role of job crafting, proactive personality and meaningful work in predicting employee engagement and turnover intention among employees in the financial services industry based on the central tenets of the Job Demands-Resources theory.Motivation for the study: Organisations or incumbents may redesign jobs. The self-initiated proactive behaviour that incumbents exhibit to shape the meaning of their work is known as job crafting. The relationships that exist among job crafting, proactive personality, meaningful work, employee engagement and turnover intention were, therefore, investigated.Research design, approach and method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used to gather primary data in service-providing firms across South Africa (n = 391).Main findings: Results demonstrated that job crafting, proactive personality and meaningful work significantly predict variance in employee engagement and turnover intention.Practical and managerial implications: Specific human resource practices and interventions are proffered to foster job crafting, proactivity and meaningful work and, in doing so, address employee disengagement and turnover intention.Contribution or value-add: The study highlights the importance of encouraging employees to craft their jobs as it has specific implications for prominent work-related outcomes, such as employee engagement and turnover intention, among employees in the financial services industry.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) AND LEADERSHIP: VALIDATION OF A MULTI-FACTOR FRAMEWORK IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK)

Global surveys indicate that employee engagement costs nearly £70 billion per year in the UK alone with nascent improvement from 2011 to this date. Recognising employee disengagement as a threat to global socio-economic sustainability, experts and scholars offer CSR and employee-centric leadership as practical solutions. Visionary and servant leadership incite superior employee efforts through fair and ethical work values, but past theory and research show limited research on micro-processes that link CSR to employee outcomes. This study tested a value-centered model to examine if the two leadership styles and overall fairness can explain the positive relationship between CSR and extra effort. Data analysis of 512 employee self-reports using the structural equation modelling (SEM), the PROCESS approach and other techniques showed that executive’s CSR values cue to employee visionary and servant leadership, which influence extra effort both directly and indirectly (through overall fairness). Even though employees strongly endorsed the positive influence of universal visionary prototype, overall fairness was more strongly perceived in servant leadership. The paper offers practical implications for organizational theorists and practitioners.