Dimensions of Employee Engagement in a Global Organisation

Employee engagement and its contribution to improved business performance is a well- researched phenomenon. Many surveys of organisations and workforces have been used, however few studies examine the nature of employee engagement using qualitative research. This paper presents findings of a qualitative study that explores the characteristics of work environments that influence employee engagement within three engineering consulting teams within a project-based organisation. Common aspects of tasks and relationships in the work environment were found to operate together to influence engagement in all environments, with job specific characteristics such as having interesting challenges to solve, positive team processes and collegial team environment as significant influences. Employees were more likely to be engaged when they were fully occupied and achieved desired outcomes, received feedback and recognition for their work, when they experienced challenge and learning and had control over how they underta...