Engaging new ways of work: the relevance of flexibility and digital tools in a post-COVID-19 era

PurposeNew ways of working have rapidly increased in organizations, promising employees a better control over their work time, space, and more autonomy. The present study analyzes the relationship between new ways of working and employee engagement and productivity.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to evaluate organizational practices developed based on flexible schemes and the relevance of employee engagement for better productivity based on digital tools. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsNew ways of work requires an integration of workspaces' design, social interaction, and individual wellness. Organizations need to recognize how employees' trust, commitment, and passion are fundamental to face current and future changes. Flexibility in time and space and digital tools for work are critical.Practical implicationsA personalization of organizational practices to support individual well-being and flexible and hybrid schemes of work are needed. Developing policies collaboratively to work together respectfully in a hybrid environment is necessary.Social implicationsHybrid work format is allowing women to balance career and childcare, reducing the wage gap with men. The green imperative has also played a role reducing the amount of carbon monoxide produced via commuter.Originality/valueThe present study exposes how organizational practices must ensure employee well-being and autonomy to perform their tasks. In this regard, employees need to be recognized as individuals, physically and mentally. Attempting to force a one-size-fit-all solution can have detrimental effects on the workforce, particularly on women, people of lower socioeconomic status, and people in less advanced economies. Personalization requests empowerment and democratization at work.

The Effect of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance in Ghana's MSMEs Sector During Covid-19

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the globe have been the major victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has plunged the business world into a serious crisis. However, Employee Engagement (EE) has been labeled as an essential nutrient that organizations need in order to survive in these turbulent times. This study was to examine the effect of EE on Employee Performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and how this relationship is moderated by job demands. The study used a sample size of 395 respondents who were chosen from a variety of MSMEs via a convenience sampling method. The study used a survey questionnaire approach as the main method for collecting primary data. The result of the correlation analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between EE and employee performance. It was revealed that job resources moderated the relationship between EE and employee performance. Finally, the result showed that job resources had a significant effect on EE. Thus, it can be concluded that, in the face of COVID-19, EE is a significant predictor of the performance of employees in the MSMEs sector. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Social Science (2720-9938) is the property of Ridwan Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The impact job satisfaction and employee engagement are having on remote work teams during a global pandemic: A qualitative descriptive study in a telecommunications organization

Information and communication are sectors of technology made up of telecommunications companies, telephone companies, and internet service providers. The present study examined the impacts of working remotely from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting a case study perspective, this study employed twenty participants in the telecommunication industry. Participants took part in online questionnaires, interviews, and a focus group that captured employee engagement and job satisfaction as significant factors in an organization's remote work team experiences. This qualitative descriptive study attempts to describe the unknown impact of job satisfaction and employee engagement strategies while working in remote teams during COVID-19. This study also provided evidence to improve, understand, and enable the development of leadership strategies from the perspective of management and non-management employees in the telecommunication industry. Using Braun & Clarke's framework of the six-phase thematic analysis was crucial to the study by examining how engagement and satisfaction were affected by five job characteristics when working from home: Challenges from working from home are problems and situations affecting an organization's flow of communication by compromising with outside interruptions that is transparent in work assignments or tasks. The advantages and Motivations of Working from home include balancing work-life, improving work efficiency, and providing greater control. Strategies of Employee Engagement to Enhance Satisfaction inspire employees to feel a tremendous societal purpose for the company that employs them. Measuring Employee Engagement and Satisfaction is when employee satisfaction measures how content/happy employees are with their role and what comes with it. Strategies Used by Management to Influence Motivation at Work, when achieved, result in productivity and success of an organization. The findings revealed that employee engagement and job satisfaction are necessary conditions for remote work teams. Most managers preferred easy access to information, regular meetings, and monitoring productivity. Most employees prefer better pay, compensation, and an excellent work relationship. Other factors that can improve job satisfaction in telecommunication companies include time to work split shifts that would benefit the employer, employee, and the organization. These findings have clear implications for theory and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Increasing the effectiveness of online learning platforms: Some factors that influence employee work engagement

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsEffectiveness of online learning requires employees to engage with the digital platforms used. Companies can increase work engagement (WE) among learners by developing a platform that is regarded as easy to use and offers online content that employees believe will enhance their future job performance. Task-based learning that includes game elements and other challenging activities also help create an online environment conducive to interaction, knowledge sharing and quality feedback. Personality traits can also influence learner WE, while careful use of financial incentives has scope to do likewise.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Positive leadership and employee engagement: The roles of state positive affect and individualism-collectivism.

Drawing upon broaden-and-build theory, this study examined the influence of positive leadership on employee engagement through the mediating role of employees' state positive affect and the moderating effect of individualism-collectivism orientation in a Chinese cultural context. A sample of 215 valid questionnaires was obtained through a two-wave survey of 48 teams working in central China. Hypotheses were tested by a method of hierarchical linear modelling. The results indicate that positive leadership promotes employees' state positive affect and engagement. State positive affect partially mediates the association between positive leadership and employee engagement. Moreover, a multilevel moderation analysis reveals that collectivism weakens the effect of positive leadership on employees' state positive affect. Theoretical and managerial implications and future directions are discussed.

The crisis cloud's silver linings: The effects of hope and gratitude on employee burnout and engagement

A crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic has a tremendous impact on organisations and their employees. Building on the job demands–resources model, conservation of resources theory and the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, we examined the influence of job stressors on employee burnout, as well as how positive emotions can help employees thrive in tough times. We collected data from 503 Australian employees during the transition period of the COVID-19 crisis, when the country had reached a high vaccination rate and was starting to prepare to return to pre-crisis normal. Our findings show that financial insecurity has a direct impact on employee burnout, whereas a health threat has only an indirect effect. Further, our findings highlight the importance of positive emotions. Hope for the post-crisis future was found to buffer the negative impact of financial insecurity and reduce employee burnout, and feeling gratitude at work was found to mitigate the effects of burnout and enhance employee engagement even when employees are emotionally exhausted.

Employee engagement and their job satisfaction in remote working conditions

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a very large increase in the proportion of time spent working remotely to total working time. To date, this form has been used primarily by enterprises with branches dispersed across one or multiple countries. This form of performing duties by employees brought a number of benefits in the form of acceleration of decision-making processes, and reduction of time and costs. In the past, teleworking time was regulated according to needs and supported by a significantly reduced number of face-to-face employee meetings. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become the main or only form of contact with colleagues and superiors in many situations related to the ban on movement, re-gardless of the place of business. At that time, employers were concerned that it would not result in a decrease in employee engagement and job satisfaction.The article was intended to identify and assess the relationship and cause-and-effect relationship between commitment and job satisfaction in the context of remote work. The results of the study helped to expand knowledge about relationships. It has been confirmed that there is a positive relationship between employee engagement and job satisfaction;In addition, employees distinguish between commitment to work and organization, and the impact of types of commitment on job satisfaction varies. It has also been shown that both remote work and employee involvement affect their job satisfaction.

A temperature reading of South African seafarer well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic

This article provides an overview of the state of South African seafarers' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Empirical work on African and South African seafarers' well-being during the pandemic is limited, with most work focusing on seafarers from major seafaring labour supply countries such as the Philippines and seafarers from the global North. This intervention, by focusing on South African seafarers, helps reduce the knowledge gap of seafarer well-being among less studied seafaring nationalities such as South Africans. A temperature reading research design was used. A form of action research, temperature readings are designed to tap into social phenomena during times of crisis, so as to provide a quick empirical snapshot of a specific research problem. Such an approach is less concerned with theory building and more concerned with profiling a particular sample and population. Purposeful and snowballing sampling was utilized to target seafarers and included 164 respondents. Data were analysed using SPSS. Key findings of the study indicated that 13.25% of the sample had contracted COVID19, 39.76% of the sample had crew members who had COVID-19 and 28.92% of the sample had family members who had COVID19. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on 42.17% of the sample, while 34.94% of the sample reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had no impact on their salary. Participants were satisfied with COVID-19 protocols implemented by their employers. Their well-being scores across social, psychological, subjective and workplace dimensions were moderate.

The Impact of Work Stress on Doctor's Performance through Employee Engagement and Moderation of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Study on Primary Health Care)

BACKGROUND: Doctors at primary health care are prone to have work stress and it can affect their performance. Employee engagement may have close relationship with the doctor's performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. AIM: This study aims to determine the relationship between work stress and the doctor's performance at primary health care using employee engagement mediation and COVID-19 pandemic moderation. METHOD(S): This research is a descriptive study using a quantitative approach which was conducted on 354 doctors at Malang primary health care. The questionnaire was analyzed using partial least square. RESULT(S): The work stress had a significant positive effect on the doctor's performances (beta = 0.257, t-stat = 3.324). Work stress has a significant positive effect on employee engagement (beta = 0.726, t-stat = 22,967). Employee engagement does not significantly affect the doctor's performance (beta = 0.044, t-stat 0.105). Employee engagement does not mediate the work stress effect on doctor's performance (beta = 0.032, t-stat = 0.105). The COVID-19 pandemic did not moderate the work stress effect on doctors' performance (beta = -0.222, t-stat = 0.981). CONCLUSION(S): Primary health care leaders still need to pay attention to factors that can reduce the doctor's performance and employee engagement, include factors that can increase the work stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Copyright © 2023 Fida Rahmayanti, Noermijati Noermijati, Armanu Armanu, Fatchur Rohman.

Does workplace digitalization matter in linking transformational leadership and innovative culture to employee engagement?

PurposeEngaged employees are an organization's competitive advantage because the employees are willing to strive for organizational excellence. This paper examines employee engagement (EE), taking workplace digitalization as the mediator. The authors developed an integrated framework introducing transformational leadership and innovative culture as EE antecedents in workplace digitalization settings. Specifically, the authors argue that transformational leadership and innovative culture influence EE directly and indirectly through workplace digitalization.Design/methodology/approachA total of 256 valid online-survey samples were used in the structural equation modeling (SEM) tests. The respondents were the management-level executives of Selangor/Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysian companies.FindingsThe authors' findings support that workplace digitalization positively influences EE. Unlike transformational leadership, innovative culture positively influences workplace digitalization. Further, innovative culture directly affects EE and indirectly through workplace digitalization, albeit partially. Transformational leadership directly influences EE but is insignificant through workplace digitalization.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that organizations that wish to fast-track EE can cultivate an innovative culture to facilitate employees' acceptance of workplace digitalization and enhance EE.Originality/valueThe authors' research expands the interdisciplinary theoretical foundation on how employees' perception and acceptance of workplace digitalization add to EE by highlighting the roles of transformational leaders and innovative culture. The authors' research is among the first few investigating how transformational leadership and innovative culture affect EE in the presence of workplace digitalization. The authors also discussed workplace digitalization as a mediator to innovative culture–EE relationships.

Employee engagement: systematization of approaches to the definition and measurement

The popularity of the concept of employee engagement in the scientific community has grown significantly over the past few decades, many large companies have implemented it in practice, conducting regular engagement surveys. However, there is still no common understanding of the essence of this phenomenon, what it consists of, what factors influence its formation and how to measure it. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to systematize the approaches to defining and measuring employee engagement, proposed in scientific and professional publications, as well as to discuss methodological challenges and prospects in connection with the transformation of the context of work. Method. The first part of the article examines the most famous scientific approaches to the definition of engagement at work and related constructs, factors, and models of involvement, including applied ones, used by consulting companies. The second part focuses on the measurement of engagement. The third part discusses the new challenges facing employee engagement researchers and practitioners in the face of changing working conditions, most notably the widespread use of digital technology and remote working accelerated by COVID-19 pandemic. The article is based on a review of scientific and professional literature and contains several elements of novelty. Findings. For the first time, a detailed analysis of the main theoretical approaches to interpreting and measuring the "employee engagement" construct presented in foreign and domestic literature was carried out;the characteristics of the employee engagement models of consulting companies, which are used by practitioners in the field of organizational psychology, and human resource management, are given;the challenges in the field of conceptualization and methodology for measuring the employee engagement in the new conditions of doing business and organizing work were described. Value of results. The scientific significance of the article lies in the systematization of various areas of theoretical and empirical studies in foreign and domestic literature on employee engagement. HR managers can get from the article valuable information about the specific approaches of consulting companies involved in conducting employee engagement surveys, which can be used to interpret their results, and to design their own engagement surveys taking into account the company's characteristics.

The COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives on work engagement and work-from-home in a higher education institution

Orientation: Globally, the repercussions of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic infiltrated many areas within societies. Like all other institutions, higher education institutions (HEIs) had to migrate to online and blended activities, and work-from-home (WFH) became characteristic of the ‘new normal'. Research purpose: The main purpose of the study was to determine the perspectives on work engagement and WFH among employees of an HEI in South Africa during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Motivation for the study: There is limited published research reporting on WFH and work engagement in HEIs. Research approach/design and method: The study employed a quantitative-based cross-sectional design. The target population of this study included all employees an HEI in South Africa who worked from home during the COVID-19 lockdown. A web-based survey was used to collect the data. In total, 399 respondents participated in the research. Main results: The results of the study revealed that the employees were to a great extent engaged in their work because of the organisational support received from the institution. It was also evident that some employees experienced difficulties with establishing a work routine, a lack of sufficient equipment and resources to function at home, work–home interference, increased workload and working hours, isolation and work–life balance issues. Practical/managerial implications: The results of the study are important to inform business decisions regarding the WFH model as an alternative working arrangement to be considered in HEIs. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding work engagement and WFH in HEIs in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Management preconditions to mitigate virtual employee burnout: An innovation study

Mandatory office closures during the COVID-19 pandemic catapulted virtual work to an unprecedented scale in the United States. Another growing trend in the U.S. workforce exacerbated by the pandemic is work-related burnout syndrome. This study considered the relationship between virtual work and burnout and addressed the nascent problem of virtual employee burnout. Leveraging an organization to investigate the problem, this innovation study entailed a needs analysis in the areas of knowledge and skill, motivation, and organizational resources necessary for managers to achieve a new stakeholder goal related to meeting management preconditions to mitigate virtual employee burnout. The conceptual framework adapted gap analysis into an innovation model to investigate managers' assumed needs based on the literature review. The study utilized a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design entailing a survey, interviews, and document analysis. The study's findings informed solution recommendations and an integrated implementation and evaluation plan. The study's limitations and delimitations reside in the study's pragmatic design to solve an intractable problem of practice within a specific organization. The study's primary contribution is a conceptual construct of virtual employee burnout. Future researchers can leverage this construct to further investigate virtual employee burnout in various contexts and with different demographics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

CULTURE TRANSFORMATION - ENCULTURATION TO ACCULTURATION

Enculturation is learning the culture you grow up in and Acculturation is learning a culture different from that in which you grew up. The situation becomes more challenging when you are doing business in a developing country having low literacy rate and high cultural & language barriers. This paper describes the cultural transformation, behavioral systems and improvement initiatives Fatima Fertilizers Limited (FFL) has successfully implemented in past 9 years to improve the safety culture dimensions and to ensure compliance with standards. This resulted in improvement of FFL safety records to world class level. It will also describe the details of implementation process and maturing steps of systems on Behavioral/Cultural aspects and elements such as Process Safety Leadership & Engagement Program, Management Safety Audit Program, Perception Surveys, Operational Discipline & Excellence, Field vigilance & Area audits Program, Line Management Responsibility, Observation Reporting, Analysis & Action Plans and Contractor Safety Management Program etc which resulted in achievement of such remarkable results. The paper also includes the Organizations' vision & future plans on sustaining and further improving process safety culture as per changing & challenging scenarios across the globe especially post COVID-19. © 2022 AIChE Spring Meeting and 18th Global Congress on Process Safety, GCPS 2022. All rights reserved.

Market orientation of entrepreneurial university distance education and sustainable competitive advantage relationships: The mediating role of employee engagement

To be competitive in the distance education service delivery market, the need for a strategic approach by managers of these institutions to manage the increased competition cannot be compromised. Despite the available past and current studies on market orientation, the impact of market orientation on firms in the context of distance education is yet to be explored. Additionally, given the COVID crisis, the increasing reliance on distance education has resulted in a dynamic and turbulent environment in which market orientation assumes even greater importance. This study seeks to examine the mediating role of employee engagement in the link between market orientation and sustainable competitive advantage. Using the multistage sampling technique, 375 respondents were selected, consisting of key management and staff of a certain university's distance education programme. Analytically, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to address the various hypotheses of the study. Both customer and competitor orientations were found to have a significant positive effect on the university's sustainable competitive advantage. The study's outcomes will help shape policy and practise in distance education. © 2023 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

People management in fluid workspaces: Transplanting corporate values and ethical culture

The impact of the COVID-19 (corona virus disease) pandemic across the global workforce has been nothing short of dramatic. Many organisations globally have had to adjust to massive shifts associated with the pandemic. Typically, most employees would work in proximity with themselves and their business leaders in an open plan office, most business issues will be quickly solved in a board room with big rotational chairs, a screen and huge table, feedback will be presented to employees over coffee, lunch or in the bosses office, employee engagement activities will be held in the open office or in a fun site or location, lunch hour will be filled with men and women in suits and ties looking for the best spot or spaces to take a breather. Very quickly, all these realities have been replaced with most teams working remotely or leveraging some sort of hybrid working system. Words like zoom and teams (a video conferencing app) meetings, has fast become workplace lingo, terms like social distancing, mental health, virtual teams, virtual meetings, new normal have been introduced to the work environment. This 'new normal' requires a huge dose of adaptation, flexibility and intentionality for organisations to survive, hence this chapter intends to make sense as well as attempt to address the implication of this work changes on the employer, employee, company culture, values and so on. As well as provide insights for possible solutions. © 2023 Kemi Ogunyemi and Adaora I. Onaga. All rights reserved.

Exploring the impact of employee engagement and patient safety.

BACKGROUND: Health service administrators are continually investigating new ways to improve the safety and quality of health services. A positive and powerful relationship between employee engagement and patient safety has been suggested in the research literature, and steps can be taken by employers to enhance engagement to improve the safety of health services, particularly considering the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to explore the current literature on the impact of employee engagement on patient safety. METHODS: A review of peer-reviewed literature relating to the impact of employee engagement on patient safety within health services between January 2015 and May 2021 was conducted using Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline Complete, Scopus, Health Business Elite and Business Source Ultimate databases. A search of grey literature using the Bielefeld Academic Search Engine database was also completed. RESULTS: Of relevant articles, 3693 were identified, of which 15 studies were included in this review. Ten articles measured employee engagement using existing, validated tools, whereas patient safety was most frequently assessed through surveys seeking staff member's perceptions of safety or the quality of care they provide. Overall, there appeared to be a positive correlation between employee engagement and patient safety, but the strength of the relationship varied. CONCLUSION: Anecdotal accounts of improving employee engagement and improving patient safety abound, and the evidence reviewed appears in agreement. However, research into the impact of employee engagement on patient safety is in its early stages. As health service managers consider the best use of funding to support safe and high-quality care, evidence to support the positive impact employee engagement has on patient safety may be useful in managing the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

A phenomenological examination of work engagement and work-family enrichment in healthcare professionals who are mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Approximately two years after Coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared in 2020, virtually all aspects of how individuals live and work has changed. In particular, the COVID-19 Pandemic has intensified the responsibilities of healthcare professionals at home and work. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study aims to understand the role of work engagement and work-family enrichment in helping healthcare professionals who are mothers handle the COVID- 19 Pandemic. The main research question was: What are the lived experiences of work engagement and work-family enrichment in healthcare professionals who are mothers during the COVID-19 Pandemic? This study examines how healthcare professionals who are mothers reflect on their in-hospital experiences regarding their work engagement and work-family enrichment. This study examines the relationship between work engagement, work-family enrichment, and work-family conflict. The study was conducted using social constructivism as the theoretical framework. The current study was conducted in light of the COVID-19Pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Factors Affecting Employee Engagement in the Malaysian Private Sector during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Employee engagement is pivotal to the success of an organization. The literature has indicated that employee engagement is enhanced via strong leadership, improved work-life balance, increased training and development as well as employee recognition. As such, this study aimed to examine the effects of these factors on employee engagement, especially among the Malaysian private sector, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study would provide an impetus to the Malaysian private sector to enhance employee engagement with policies that focus on making employees at the workplace passionate and highly involved. The results of this study will also add value to the existing literature on employee engagement. A quantitative survey was conducted, with questionnaires distributed online. This study targeted both male and female employees aged between 20 years old and 60 years old working in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia. A total of 154 respondents answered the online questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS Software to identify the reliability and linearity of these variables as well as the testing of the correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study indicated that both leadership and training and development had significant positive relationships with employee engagement. The scientific novelty of the study can be found from the findings of this research whereby employees desire a leader during the difficult times who can help them be more engaged in their work, and employees require more training and development, which are job-related, especially as the private sector embraces the endemic stage of COVID-19. Implications of the research findings are presented in this study. © 2022, City University of Hong Kong Press. All rights reserved.

Employee well-being, perceived stress, and hours worked in a virtual environment

A strategic business goal of human resources is to ensure optimal use of human capital and many factors impact overall employee productivity, such as stress and well-being. The prevalence of virtual work environments grew exponentially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Working virtually may lead to increased hours worked and increased stress, which could adversely impact employee well-being. The theoretical framework for this research was based on the personal resource allocation theory (PRA) and the job demands-resources theory (JD-R). This quantitative study used the data collected from 135 participants in the United States who responded online to an instrument that combined the shortened version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9), the shortened version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and background questions including questions on the number of hours worked in a virtual environment. The results support the significant inverse relationship that exists between perceived stress and employee well-being. Additionally, a significant positive relationship was found between perceived stress and total hours worked that included a virtual component. These results may guide human resource professionals in deciding how to structure work environments. The research suggests, as a best business practice, employee well-being for employees who work virtually at least part of the time may be improved by decreasing perceived stress that may result from working a high number of total hours. For scholars, this research indicates the need for further research to see if virtual work environments are related to increases in the total number of hours worked. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)