Keywords

1 Introduction

As a consequence of the global corporate environment and competition among companies, getting happy and committed employees is not enough to produce the desired performance. Satisfied employees can necessarily satisfy job requirements; however, this does not, in fact, translate to better results because of certain factors. In order to succeed successfully, companies need to direct their efforts beyond fulfilment, managers inspire their employees to contribute their maximum ability and abilities to their jobs, if not, and they may lose any of their valued employees. Thus, modern organisations need their employees to be full of passion, anticipation and enthusiastic at their jobs if they want them to work efficiently. Commitment is accomplished as individuals feel that their employer values their efforts, that their work leads to corporate priorities and, most critically, that their personal goals for progress, incentives and compensation are fulfilled. Improving workplace engagement has become one of the most critical priorities for a variety of organizations. That is because higher rates of workplace efficiency offer the company and its employee’s different benefits. For example, higher productivity contributes to positive economic development and high prosperity and leads to social change (Sharma & Sharma, 2014). In turn, employees become more successful and will get higher wages, congenial working conditions and more career prospects. Higher efficiency helps to optimize corporate comparative advantage by rising expenses and increasing high-quality performance (Baily et al., 2005; Hill et al., 2014; Wright, 2004). Many of the advantages have rendered the efficiency of employees which are deserving consideration. It is also very important to look at the history of employee engagement in order to study and evaluate factors that incorporate stability and long-term performance. The studies of the 2017 Gallup Poll (Boyle, 2017) analysed just 33% of US employees and found 15% of global employees are working effectively and efficiently. Employee participation is amongst the top three targets amongst the organizational interpersonal relations (Mishra et al., 2014). While communication practitioners use a multitude of platforms to promote interaction (Men & Bowen, 2017; Mishra et al., 2014; Welch, 2011; Welch & Jackson, 2007), they progressively use social networking as part of their internal contact policy. Cardon and Marshall (2014), Haddud et al. (2016), Neill (2015), Sievert and Scholz (2017), Gartner (2013) estimated that by 2016, 50% of major companies will depend on internal social networking for effective relationships (Weber & Shi, 2016) promoted the development of internal social networking and predicted that by 2017, businesses would spend $2.7 billion in internal social media networks. Today’s workforce is becoming increasingly technology-savvy, particularly with the first generation of employees who have grown up in the digital age. The increasing introduction of social networking into companies is contributing to a reshaping of the internal contact approach as businesses try to boost organizational reputations and promote employee involvement (Huang et al., 2013; Madsen, 2017; Men & Bowen, 2017; Neill, 2015; Skrzypinski, 2013; Towers & Watson, 2013). Saxena and Srivastava (2015) stated that job participation has become one of the key challenges which needs to be well handled to achieve the goals of the company. They also showed that there is a need to evaluate its effect on successful outcomes. However, several companies are also trying to draw on the benefits of the numerous emerging technologies and to allow maximum use of such platforms. Wehner et al. (2017) observed that businesses utilize internal social networking to promote workplace communication and information sharing; however they challenge the return on investment (ROI) if optimum returns are not achieved. Employee engagement as key focus in the area of HR is gaining popularity these days. Choudhary and Mohanty (2019) explored the drivers of employee engagement. Many industries strive and survive in competitive environment, and the physical well-being and mental well-being of employees are important aspects that organizations need to focus on in contemporary times. Many drivers of employee engagement have been identified which impact on employee performance. Thus, the main objectives of study are to analyse drivers of employee engagement in today’s dynamic workplace and give suggestions to decision and policymakers to enhance the level of engagement with the employees. Therefore, this study throws light on the drivers of employee engagement by analysing four drivers, namely work-life balance, communication, leadership and organizational culture.

2 Review of Literature

The objective is to study and understand about the key concepts of employee engagement along with the important factors and characteristics of employee engagement. The study is based on the review of literature collected from different coveted journals, Websites and works of several authors. Mani (2011), Seijit and Crim (2006), Watson (2009), Hewitt (2004), Pandita and Bedarkar (2015) studied the drivers of employee engagement in various organizations. Engaged employees are considered as a strategic partner which helps in achieving the organizational goals and objectives. The concept of employee engagement has gained popularity over a period of time. Despite of this certain drivers has been identified, which have direct implication on well-being at workplace. According to Forbes, employees who are engaged in their work are more likely to be motivated and remain committed to their employer. The importance of employee engagement cannot be overstated—employee engagement strategies have been proven to reduce staff turnover, improve productivity and efficiency, retain customers at a higher rate and make more profits. Most importantly, engaged employees are happier, both at work and in their lives. “Vigour” can be defined as an employee's degree of energy and mental strength while doing his job. Shirom (2013) suggested that “Vigour” relates to an employee's emotional and physical well-being. On the other side, Harpaz and Snir (2014) have shared their commitment of being deeply active in the research which showcases the embodiment in their feelings of passion, difficulty and significance. The other aspect of work involvement, known as “Absorption”, with work which has previously been defined as being entirely concentrated and committed employees. One who is happily attached and committed to one's job, whereby the employee also feels that time passes rapidly in his daily routine and has difficulties in detaching himself from job (Truss et al., 2013). Sweetman and Luthans (2015) described from a psychological viewpoint, commitment is a state-like behaviour that is presented as an affective–cognitive state-like disorder. It is not a transient condition such as mood, nor it is fairly non-malleable as set attributes such as personality traits. It is known to be very secure. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workforce Survey in 142 nations, just 13% of employees in question claim they felt involved in work (Gallup, 2016). This shocking outcome indicates that strongly disengaged staff are negative factors that are actually harmful to the company they work for. Taking into consideration the possible advantages of employee participation, such as improved job efficiency (Gruman & Saks, 2011), decreased absenteeism and attrition (Brunetto et al., 2012) and enhanced consumer satisfaction (Salanova et al., 2005), it also brings value to the strategy in which involvement is a significant source of competitive advantage because it allows the company to win. Public relations involvement is examined in various ways, is described in numerous forms and has specific operationalizations. It is seen as an overarching word that encompasses a broad variety of corporate efforts to include members in its operations and decisions. Swaminathan and Rajasekaran (2015) have argued that commitment is the product of employee happiness and job encouragement. There are many descriptions of workplace participation in the literature reviewed. Fleming and Asplund (2017) define employee engagement as “the opportunity to seize the minds, emotions and sprits of the employees to instil an inner drive and pursuit for excellence”. Some scholars also consider employee engagement as a structure composed of cognitive, emotional and behavioural elements relevant to the function of employee success (Shuck et al., 2011). It represents the engagement and participation of employees in their jobs to enhance organizational efficiency (Sundaray, 2011). Bakker and Demerouti (2008) have described engagement as “a healthy, satisfying, work-related state of mind that is marked by vigour, commitment and absorption”.

2.1 Communication

The first driver of employee engagement is communication. Communication plays an important role to ensure engagement level of employee (Wiley et al., 2010). MacLeod and Clarke (2009) stated that poor communication is a barrier to effective employee engagement. Papalexandris and Galanaki (2009), Bakker et al. (2011) found that internal communication is critical for effective engagement. Weber and Shi (2016) divided the social networking industry into two ways, i.e. the third-party business or the patented social network firm. These platforms may involve “organization-based wikis, chatbots, peer-to-peer web portals, instant message apps, Websites and corporate social networking sites”. The study that conceptualizes internal social media is to be included in both corporate social media as described by Weber and Shi (2016) and general social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter which are used for internal communication purposes of the employees. Madsen (2016) showed that the identification of a company is socially dependent on the networking of employees through social media. Madsen’s study draws “attention to horizontal collaboration and points out that in post-bureaucratic institutions co-employees are no longer treated as inert, hierarchical staff but as involved effective communicators who can control and alter the company”. In addition to this, internal social networking will aid business branding, as businesses use employee advertising and lobbying to create awareness and assist with recruiting (Gibbs et al., 2015; Neill, 2015) and help CEOs and HR to make the recruitment process look more personal and affable (Men, 2015). It should be remembered that, given the absence of these academic and empiric attempts, work has been made in the direction to investigate the importance of internal social networking to be beneficial for the advancement of employee participation. The role of print media such as newspapers, journals, brochures is structured means of contact to keep staff updated. Print newspapers are not inherently the safest way to involve staff in real-time jobs, but they can help provide content that is stagnant and not time-dependent (Men & Bowen, 2017). Haddud et al. (2016) used case study methodology to analyse the extent of dedication of a global corporation between social media and the employees. Their study showed that higher usage of self-reported use of internal social media by employees was correlated with higher self-reported workplace involvement. While this discovery is significant, the study was concentrated only on one organization, and the researchers analysed that there was a need to further investigate internal social networking and employee involvement. Sievert and Scholz’s (2017) worked with German businesses and through their studies found that social networking improves interaction by increasing information efficiency, optimizing internal day-to-day processes and promoting effective collaboration. Sievert and Scholz (2017) also observed that social networking is especially well adapted as the voice of employees, a platform where they share their opinions and ideas. A similar study was done by MacLeod and Clarke (2009). In a nutshell, social media and has helped in networking should be utilized for social interaction as well. Friedl and Verčič (2011) recommended that “further work requires to incorporate knowledge from a comprehensive studies can help to understand the real application of social media is and whether it can influence the interpersonal relationship of between the employer and employees”. In a similar way, Karanges et al. (2015) stated that deeper qualitative studies could provide greater insight into employees’ views on internal communication and how open communication channels can improve employee engagement”. According to Bakker and Demerouti (2018), in a research by Karanges et al. (2015), linear regression is used to empirically evaluate the association between internal relationship (i.e. organizational and supervisor) and employee involvement. There is a large beneficial association seen in all regressions. The findings suggest that internal relationship between employees at all levels in hierarchy plays a major role in the productiveness and involvement of the workforce. Further studies show that internal communication aids relationships between organizations, managers and employees, who build strengthened work-related partnerships, thus maximizing employee involvement. According to Neill (2015) study, owing to the shifting tastes of the Millennials, more businesses utilize social networking platforms or communication. One interviewee in Neill’s study spoke about the Millennials’ dislike for “Rush Messaging-Mass Emailing”. Millennial favours virtual communication through smartphones and wants to access details at their convenience as often as they can. In fact, the Millennials wants more discussion through social networking forums. As stated by Sheer (2015), Millennials prefer virtual communication as compared to face-to-face communication. The digitized world of media deals with rich content and accessibility, e.g. embedded audios and videos, webcams or video, posting, online networking, online chat apps to promote effective relationship strengthening with the employees. Social networking in organization platforms is a sure short two-way communication that fosters interactive/dialogical, collaborative and emotional elements that often promote employee interaction and involvement. It also enables interactions amongst employees and the leaders and encourages the employees to share their viewpoints. Again, the ease of communication through digital transformation represents seamless coordination and workflow in the organizations. Welch (2015) provides an in-depth analysis of the relation between engagement and internal communication. He explains that engagement is under the control of internal communication. She points out that internal contact has the ability to efficiently transmit the principles of the organization to all employees and to include them in the company’s priorities. This form of behaviour contributes to new staff (Bindl & Parker, 2013). However, it must be recognized that excessive commitment (over-engagement) can theoretically affect interpersonal relationships. It can contribute to increased tension in the workforce and can contribute to alienation from the organization (Mac Cormick et al., 2014). Increased involvement is not always a positive thing, however. Internal contact as a field is sometimes viewed as associated with intra-organizational contact (Vercic et al., 2015) has become a study source in organizational communication. Van Osch and Steinfield’s (2018) findings concluded that organizations would carefully measure the concerns and benefits before determining how to render collective internal work groups available to other employees. Employees will also know how to manage and utilize the enormous amount of knowledge generated by introducing social networking to the internal contact mix (Denton, 2006; Heini Sisko et al., 2014). Finally, Madsen’s (2017) study indicated other obstacles, such as having staff to buy into the concept of utilizing social networking for day-to-day activity and inspiring senior management to engage. However, given the known difficulties and threats involved with the usage of internal social networking, current research appears to indicate that the advantages of internal social media to improve organizational connectivity and employee participation exceed the dangers they offer under the context of organizational communication. In a nutshell, especially internal communication scholars and researchers widely believe that efficient and successful communication will lead to the efficiency, success and external consumer focus of the enterprise (Downs & Adrian, 2004; Hargie & Tourish, 2000).

2.2 Work-Life Balance

The second driver of employee engagement is work-life balance. Work-life balance has evolved as a significant driver of employee engagement. Hallberg et al. (2007) found that increased workload increases disengagement and work-life balance is a must for all employee to feel engaged at the workplace (Thiagarajan & Renugadevi, 2017). According to this study, job growth, motivating influences and performance evaluation are linked to employee involvement. The implications are that leaders should be sensitive, involved and participative with employees. Professional growth incentives are most significant and can enhance success and be a promoter to work-life harmony, and such activities are valuable for the rates of dedication (Susi & Jawaharrani, 2016). According to the detailed literature review “employee engagement” is defined as a component of workplace culture, work-life balance strategies and procedures adopted in industries that facilitates employee participation in their companies to improve efficiency and retention levels. Work-life harmony is a primary factor of workplace well-being. Hallberg and Schaufeli (2016) conclude that job participation, workplace interaction and organizational contribution are empirically distinct constructions and therefore constitute specific facets of job connection. According to May et al. (2014), participation is nearest to ensure presence and commitment in the workforce. However, work involvement is characterized as a cognitive condition of psychological identity (Kanungo, 1982), and although work involvement focuses on awareness, participation (as described in most of the definitions) involves emotions and actions (Kular et al., 2018). Buettner (2015) concluded that privacy issues, as well as perceived utility and ease of usage, may adversely affect employees’ decisions to usage internal social media. Madsen (2017) described four obstacles that encourage employees to utilize internal social networking: (1) employees might not see the value of utilizing a “private” network for their work; (2) employees may not realize the casual essence of communication; (3) internal social networking was not perceived to be a “normal” part of the day-to-day routine of organizations; and (4) senior managers primarily sponsored interns. Dhanesh (2017) proposed that fame links organizations and the public and that interaction can be conceptualized on the basis of a system of cooperation and power. Prioritizing the problem of salience and recognizing how employees should be active or passive recipients of knowledge will enable internal communication practitioners choose approaches that will allow mutually beneficial results between the company and employees. Centred on a phenomenological analysis of employee expectations, Lemon and Palenchar (2018) stressed the changing and mutual nature of the communication areas. Verčič and Vokic (2017) looked into the connection between internal contact quality and employee participation, finding that employees appreciate input, casual contact and connectivity more during meetings.

Organizational loyalty suggests that employees remain with the company out of a willingness to continue (affective commitment), awareness that the expense of quitting will be large (continuance commitment) and/or a sense of duty to continue (normative commitment) according to Allen and Meyer (1990). As such, corporate loyalty has a long-term outlook related to employee involvement, which is a short-term workplace disposition towards an employee’s work (Pološki Vokić & Hernaus, 2015). Bedarkar and Pandita (2018) performed a report on Workplace Success Employee Involvement Drivers. The study projected three factors of workplace engagement: performance, collaboration and work-life balance (Swathi, 2017). Through various studies, it was found that no particular factor or unique form of factor will be suitable for the individual or industry. The aspect tends to vary from time to time and from sector to sector. Employers need to look into the mental health of their workforce and take necessary steps to ensure that they are happy. For organizational success, it is vital for the biggest assets, i.e. the employees, to be able to balance across all meaningful areas of their lives. And, with an honest effort, achieving this balance is truly possible.

2.3 Leadership

The third driver of employee engagement is leadership. Popli and Rizvi (2016) identified the engagement level of employee in the context of leadership style. Xu and Cooper (2010) identified leadership is a key driver of engagement level of employee. Leadership behaviours are positively associated with engagement level of employee. Studies conducted by Judge and Piccolo (2005) and Erkutlu (2008) showed that leadership behaviours are positively correlated with the followers linked with engagement. Rana and Chopra (2019) identified the engagement level of employee in telecom industries in the context of socio-demographics. Employee participation is also a primary focus of internal collaboration strategies (Jiang & People, 2015; Karanges et al., 2014; Lemon & Palenchar, 2018; Mishra et al., 2014; Ruck & Welch, 2012). Dhanesh (2017), Jin (2016) observed that transformative leadership combines “empathy, kindness, responsiveness, partnership building and creativity”. Transformation leaders have a sincere interest in the well-being of employees, promote a culture of confidence, cultivate faith in their followers and facilitate person growth. To this purpose, transformational leaders also participate in deep conversations with their fans to truly recognize and meet their desires. In terms of decision-making, transformational leaders aim to inspire supporters. They are able to transfer influence and to assign substantial authority to followers to make them less reliant on the leader (Aldoory & Toth, 2004; People & Stacks, 2013). Transformation leaders are also distinguished by engaging, creative, enthusiastic, compassionate and inspiring engagement practices (Hackman & Johnson, 2004). De Vries et al. (2016) analysed the interaction between leadership and behavioural of leaders. It was observed that people-oriented leaders (i.e. transformational leaders) are typically more communicative than task-oriented (i.e. transactional) ones. Out of the different types of leaders, transformational leaders have gained the most important academic interest across disciplines owing to its relationship-oriented existence and abundant analytical proof of its beneficial effect on employee perceptions and behaviour. Samuel Obino Mokayo et al. (2017): According to their report on Employee Commitment was heavily motivated by personal growth and progress, success improvement, remuneration, leisure facilities which is driven by the leadership and the leading culture of an organization. The remuneration of employees reported as the largest contributor to employee retention and the leisure services at work has the least effect on employee engagement. Hung (2016) described “satisfaction” as a good feeling towards the other party; this feeling can be enhanced by optimistic expectations of relationships. According to Ni (2017), of the four commonly researched partnership metrics (i.e. loyalty, responsibility for work, engagement and happiness), has gained the far most recognition in the history of employee engagement and has been used as a critical metric for successful workplace relations. If employees feel happy and fulfilled, they are more inclined to participate in a long-term partnership. Achieving employee engagement is a commitment that starts with leadership. In order to get every individual to contribute their best efforts, leaders must have the ability to recognize the factors that cause employees to participate and those that cause them to disengage.

2.4 Organizational Culture

The fourth driver of employee engagement is organizational culture. Baran and Sypniewska (2020) studied the influence of management methods on employee engagement. Findings of their study revealed that people-oriented management and active participation are the most significant factors for effective employee engagement. Iddagoda and Opatha (2020) investigated the impact of employee engagement on employee performance in companies listed in Sri Lanka. Results indicate that employee engagement has a positive influence on employee performance. Tensey and Sing (2020) studied the influence of HRM system on employee engagement and organizational performance. Results illustrate that HRM system, employee engagement and organizational performance are significantly correlated (Suhasini & Kalpan, 2018). The research indicates that “workplace motivation” is a rigorous process and that successful training programmes cannot be carried out either. Organizations will increase productivity through incentive analysis, increased workplace decision-making and loyalty. Employee participation results in decreased attrition and improved creative work-related behaviour. Siva Kumar (2015) indicates that the high degree of employee participation enhances the productivity of the company and serves as a success tool. This research indicates that the presence of employees of private banks is not sufficient. Anand and Banu (2016): This research demonstrates that employee motivation is a crucial element in the success of all organizations. Employee motivation is strongly affected by jobs, incentives and appreciation, resources, collaboration and contact. It is working positively like an employee retention device. Kiruthika and Kavitha (2015): According to this report, “compensation and rewards” are the most important element in employee motivation. The study explains the correlation between factors such as position, job climate, training and growth, relationship with superiors and the participation of employees of banks. Employee job participation is one of the key market goals for chief leaders. According to McEwen (2016), commitment relies on employees’ impressions and interpretations of their work life, including their managers, corporate members, the day-to-day tasks and the work climate. Echols (2015) recommended that administrators would pay heed to the competence, expertise, abilities and strengths of their employees in order to maximize the participation of employees. The analyst added that once staff become conscious of their abilities and skills their degree of motivation would be greater, which would eventually contribute to improved results. Rothmann and Storm (2013) have shown that “dedication” as a function can be expressed by resources, personal fulfilment, effectiveness and participation. Myilswamy and Gayatri (2017) found that the degree of dedication influences the competitiveness of employees and their desire to remain in the company. Employee participation improves workplace performance by increasing morale, satisfaction, health, competitiveness and profitability. In addition to this, the employees who are really interested in the job become more committed. High-performance cultures clearly outline behaviours and norms that are healthy and supportive. Employees clearly understand their culture and what is expected of them. They feel connected, involved and supported. And, therefore, they feel engaged. Culture and employee engagement are closely tied. To improve employee engagement, its important to start improving the organization’s culture.

3 Conclusion

From the detailed literature review done, the four factors that stood out as the key drivers of employee engagement in today’s dynamic times were: work-life balance, communication, leadership and organizational culture (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1
figure 1

Source Authors Drivers of Employee Engagement

Full size image

Employees that are committed achieve greater outcomes and do not move to other careers. Employees’ degree of engagement relies on several variables. Two of the main reasons are professional growth, motivation, teamwork, incentives and acknowledgement and work climate. Workplace engagement contributes to improved employee efficiency, retention rate, competitiveness and profitability.

Finally, this study indicates that encouraging employees to participate in internal social networking and to act as social media activists will promote participation. The literature review done studied and analysed key drivers of employee engagement. Due to rapid globalization, employee engagement is the toughest challenge confronting the CEOs, HR and leaders. Employee engagement is a critical driver of any organization in this competitive arena as it significantly impacts employee and organization performance. Performance. Organizations use engaged employee as a strategic competence. Companies have to give liberty to their employees to make their work fun and exciting and fostering effective communication through digital platforms and social networking. Organizations have to focus on internal communication because the efficacy of internal communication ensures the high level of engagement. Achieving employee engagement is a commitment that starts with leadership. Work-life harmony has an important role to play in employee engagement. Employee engagement should be integrated with the organizational culture since employee engagement significantly impacts organization performance. Therefore, engaged employees produce better results and contribute to the organizational goals. Companies invest huge amount in creating engagement culture along with career and learning advancement. Thus, it is essential to incorporate such strategies which will have positive impact on engaged workforce.

4 Implications of Study

The discussion from the study has a practical implication for head of organizations and major decision-makers. Engaging employees is crucial for retaining talent in the context of employee satisfaction, as disengaged employees are more likely to leave their jobs. When employees are engaged to their, they are motivated and remain committed to their job. The four key drivers such as communication, work-life balance, leadership and organization culture have been found important for engaging employees towards organizational effectiveness. The study recommends CEOs, HR and key decision-makers to concentrate on enhancement of engagement level of employee by effective internal communication, providing flexibility, promote taking vacations and breaks, providing feedback, clarifying goals, providing congenial work environment, ensure work-life harmony, have people-focused culture, encourage collaboration, etc., which will enhance organizational competencies resulting in organizational effectiveness.

5 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Study

More theoretical studies are required to explore key drivers of employee engagement. Thus, we might have included more objectives like enhancing the engagement level of employee, will have an impact on employee performance. However, our study is concentrated on key drivers such as communication, work-life balance, leadership and organization culture. We recommended that future research could consider this limitation as a gap as employee always remains the cornerstone of any organization. We have examined four major key drivers, as these are the core practices in the organization; future research might include a broader range of exploring key drivers of employee engagement.