Promoting Sustained Employee Engagement

Facilities Management Journal Extended, May/June 2014 – By Rebecca Booth

Productivity
It is the goal of every organization to maximize employee performance and organizational productivity. Today’s organizational effectiveness is defined by sustainable employee engagement that leads to peak performance, resulting in maximum productivity. Consequently, understanding how the workplace environment can promote and support sustainable engagement is increasing in importance. The greatest value of the built environment is reached by aligning the effectiveness of the people and the efficiency of the space. Although the research has established that workplace features can have an indirect impact on employee performance, the cost benefit effect has not been adequate to justify workplace improvements as a means of improving productivity.

Job Satisfaction and Performance
In the past, organizations relied heavily on job satisfaction feedback to understand employee needs and improve performance; some organizations continue to do so. Through the use of employee satisfaction and opinion surveys, organizations can gain insight on perceived problems, program success, culture and leadership. They can use that information to understand needs and target areas that may improve performance. However, the direction, cause and effect of job satisfaction on performance is not clearly understood (Harter 2000). Therefore using them, as the sole means to improve business results, is unreliable. A highly satisfied employee does not necessarily lead to financial results for the organization. Further support is offered by “Hertzberg’s effect” stating dissatisfaction with the workplace contributes little to job satisfaction as does the absence of gratifying job characteristics.

Job Satisfaction is linked to Sustainable Engagement
Job satisfaction is a component of employee engagement and can be used to identify and fulfill employee needs, improving well-being. Additionally, there is research evidence linking emotional well-being with work performance (Harter 2002).

Employee Engagement
Employee Engagement is defined as the enthusiasm and involvement in work that functions in a way that furthers the organization’s interests. Sustainable Engagement describes the intensity of employees’ connection to their organization (Towers Watson 2012).

Organizational Psychologist Wilmar Schaufel states that: Engagement is a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by dedication, absorption, and vigor (Schaufeli 2014).

Dedication: The level of employee commitment to achieving work goals (being engaged)

Absorption: The access to internal support, tools and resources (being enabled)

Vigor: a work experience that provides a heightened sense of well-being (feeling energized)

Measuring Employee Engagement
Performance management consulting companies offer engagement surveys as a means of measuring employee engagement. Although there are a wide variety of surveys (ie: Gallup, Towers Watson, IES, SHRM) the common measurement themes include:

Ability to contribute and receive feedback from manager
Opportunity /ability to execute inspiring work
Recognition for accomplishments
Valued feedback
Manager encouragement & support for development
Job/employer satisfaction
Organizational pride and connection
Manager /colleague cooperation
Advancement potential
Commitment/effort

The feedback from these surveys can be a reliable means of identifying areas of employee engagement weaknesses and providing insight of where to implement strategies for improvement.

Value of Engagement
Employee Engagement has been shown to have a significant impact on business results. Some examples include:

Gallup (2012) worldwide research of 49,928 business units, within 192 organizations, revealed 21% higher productivity and 22% higher profitability of high engagement organizations in comparison to that of low engagement.
Forbes magazine (2012) published financial results based on 28 studies, indicating the beneficial effect that engagement has on business, including increased revenue, higher earnings per share and shareholder return, improved employee retention reduced employee turnover and absenteeism.
Towers Watson (2012), study on 50 global companies revealed a 27% difference in operating margin between organizations with high and low employee engagement levels.

The Physical Environment and Performance
Some workplace research that has been influential in establishing employee control of workspace through environmental control and physical adjustability is related to:

Communication improvements and environmental satisfaction impacts (Huang et al, 2004)
Space variety/flexibility on job satisfaction and group cohesiveness. (Lee & Brand 2005)
Effects of privacy on performance and job satisfaction (Sundstrom, 1980).

These studies were successful in identifying workplace features that contribute to performance by developing individual value together with community support. Although these findings provide a valuable link between the physical environment and performance, the impact is only 3-5%. It is difficult to convince an organization to invest significantly in the built environment as a means of improving performance, for such a slight impact. A more persuasive approach would include a combination of, individual value and community support, workplace features with the potential to increase the impact on performance.

Utilizing sustainable engagement as a guideline in which to correlate these workplace features further strengthens the probable effect on performance.

Engagement Drivers
There as many as 300 drivers of employee engagement identified by various performance management consulting companies. Communication, innovation, flexibility, problem solving and development are some of the most impactful drivers. Some of these drivers are incentive based such as salary and benefits. Others such as optimism and autonomy exist as personal resources. Incentive based drivers and personal resources cannot be significantly influenced by the physical environment. The remaining drivers can be strengthened by the physical environment through the support of communication, innovation, social interaction and well-being. The organizational culture and leadership practices drive and influence these resources, but the conditions and workplace features encourage the opportunity of connection and contribution of employees.

Community support is offered through a focus on culture along with the influential drivers of sustainable engagement, “relational aspects of the work experience” (Towers Watson 2012). Leadership is consistently identified a leading driver of employee engagement. The manager-employee relationship is the strongest influence of employee commitment. Employees need to share their opinions with their managers, have the opportunity to be involved in the decision making and contribute valuable feedback to the organization. Providing this connection and encouraging contribution provides support for the strongest driver of engagement, as identified by the IES, “the sense of feeling valued and involved” (Robinson, 2004), which provides individual value to the employee. When organizations provide favorable treatment, employees feel that the organization cares about their contributions and values their well-being, which motivates them to reciprocate with strengthened affective commitment, enhanced performance, increased citizenship, and decreased withdrawal (Rhoades and Eisenberber, 2002).

The Physical Environment and Engagement
People share a common need to be valued and rely on relationships to nurture, develop and satisfy that need. Sustainable engagement is attained by fulfilling that need. A workplace that supports visibility, interaction and collaboration nurtures the “relational aspects of the work experience” by instilling a sense of community that leads to a “sense of feeling valued and involved.” A work environment should inspire and support daily interactions and experiences for employees.

Innovation
These core elements should exist in an energized environment that supports emotional and physical wellbeing. Pride in the workplace can enhance employee dedication and cultivate a “sense of feeling valued and involved.” Workplace design can allow for better absorption by supporting visibility, opportunities for interaction and work feedback through collaboration. An energized workplace offers features that support choice and free flow of information which can drive innovation.

Communication
Good internal communication and a culture of innovation are critical for improving engagement (CLC 2004). Communication also facilitates co-operation within an organization that supports a “sense of feeling valued and involved.” The theory that better communication can be supported by office design was popularized by the concept of ” office landscaping,” (German Quickborner team). This concept promoted open plan design to enhance lines of communication between groups by determining the office layout based on the paper and visual communication flow between individuals and groups. Technology enablement supports mobile communication and external collaboration. Brand reflection throughout the workplace reinforces the communication of organizational mission and purpose.
Workplace support: open office, visibility, telework, hoteling, adjacency, collaborative areas, meeting areas, support spaces, open stairways, branding, video conferencing and web-ex capability

Collaboration
The research of Levinson (2007) indicates that the collaborative leadership styles within an organization drives engagement. Collaboration encourages teamwork, feedback, brainstorming and idea creation which in turn drives innovation. Visibility is required to support comprehensive communication by offering the ability to enhance the communication experience with verbal and nonverbal cues.

In a Cornell University research study (Hua 2011) the following workplace features were studied as a means of collaboration: workstation type, partition height, density, proximity, floor plan openness, and meeting/collaboration space ratio. The study revealed a correlation between these characteristics and variables on the employee perception of: how “well-informed about the current activities in the department” and reinforced a “clear idea of future development steps of the department.”

A workplace design that increases the possibility of serendipitous encounters increases the probability for informal interaction, feedback and exchange of information. This condition that can be accomplished by strategically interspersing collaborative spaces, support and service spaces amongst workstations. This research offers strong evidence that workplace support for collaboration drives a “sense of feeling valued and involved” thereby promoting the “relational aspects of the work experience.”

Workplace support: shared spaces, collaboration space, mobility, workspace variety, proximity, visibility, partition height, openness, density, video conferencing external connective capability, convenience of support/service spaces

Well-being
Provision for employee well-being is likely to lead to higher levels of engagement (Robertson & Cooper 2010). Well-being can be supported emotionally and physically. A recent Gallup study (Gallup, 2013), suggested that optimizing remote work at 20% yielded the highest engagement levels contributing to an ideal work-life balance. An emergent standard of environmental conditions that enhance human health and well-being is Well building certification. The certification defines healthy environmental features for light, nourishment, water, air, fitness, mind and comfort. Additionally, there is recent research supporting the performance and financial impacts of these features. (WE, 2014)

Emotional Well-Being
Emotional well-being is strengthened through “relational aspects of the work experience.” A supportive social environment promotes well-being (Morgeson, 2005). Optimal emotional well-being is best supported with workplace conditions that promote interaction and the ability to socialize along with support for individual autonomy. Balanced workplace design offers a variety of work settings to accommodate the need for isolated work or interaction with the convenience of transition. Exposure to daylight views along with accommodations for privacy and concentration contribute to emotional well-being. Well-being heightens the ability to maintain energy, enthusiasm and work accomplishments that promote a “sense of feeling valued and involved.”

Physical Well-being
Physical well-being is supported by work conditions. A “sense of value” is ultimately supported with work design support for safety and healthy physical ability. Ergonomics are significantly related to physical ability of work design (Humphrey & Morgeson 2007). Workplace features including ergonomic chairs and adjustable keyboards improve the physical ability of work design. Proper ventilation systems have an impact on indoor air quality and affect physical well-being. Workplaces with offerings that encourage physical health such as open stairwells and fitness centers can enhance physical well-being.
Workplace support: sense of community, social spaces, exposure to daylight and views, flex-time, mobility, open staircase, support for privacy/concentration, ergonomic furniture, comfort, air quality, and fitness.

Social Interaction
Work design researchers agree that employee’s experiences and abilities to carry out their work are heavily influenced by their access to social support (Van der Doef 1999). The social context of work can play a critical role in shaping employee experiences and behaviors. The research of Morgeson and Humphrey (2006), have given renewed attention to the relational perspectives in work design theory and research. The research gives a strong value to social support, external interaction, initiated interdependence, and feedback from others.

The “Club” concept (Duffy, 1997) supports an energized work environment

The future workplace will need to accommodate for instantaneous and free flowing information that has the potential to greatly improve creativity and productivity. Responding with support of these needs is a catalyst to establishing sustainable engagement within an organization (Towers Watson 2012). The “Club” concept offers a variety of work settings that can accommodate a versatility of activity and need. The “Club work environment offers support for a combination of interactive and autonomous work settings. It also encourages interaction and movement which generates energy in a work environment. A “Club” workplace environment supports the “relational aspects of the work experience” with a combined support for social interaction, communication and collaboration. The value of this environment is not limited to facilitating the connection and contribution that fulfills the “sense of feeling valued and involved.” This environment supports sustainable engagement, in an energized environment, with the potential to achieve peak performance resulting in improved business results. With the research supporting such evidence and resulting in a 21% impact on productivity, (Gallup 2012) this warrants the directive of future workplace design to provide a physical environment that promotes sustainable engagement.

Substantiating the role of the Physical Environment in promoting sustainable engagement
A financial investment in the physical environment that supports sustainable engagement holds the potential to improve human capital performance and result in improved productivity, substantiating a required rate of return on investment. Applying an employee engagement methodology to workplace design involves:

Exploring employee engagement data prior to workplace design provides insight on barriers, employee satisfaction and areas of weaknesses. Utilizing this data as a point of reference in measuring the effect of workplace improvements on employee engagement and performance
Using the research of Organizational Psychology as a guideline to originate effective workplace design and provide a “best practice approach” to improve human capital.
Researching and substantiating the effect that the physical environment asserts in influencing the theories of Organizational Psychology.

Sustainable employee engagement offers extensive value to individuals, organizations and industries. The human capital significance of a heightened sense of value, well-being, connection, and satisfaction benefit the individual as well as the organization. The effect that sustainable engagement has on the key performance indicators to drive productivity, and ultimately profitability is critical to the success of any organization.