A Holistic Investigation into Employee Engagement: A Case Study and Some Empirical Evidence from the Irish Securities Services Industry

Brunetti, Andrea (2016) A Holistic Investigation into Employee Engagement: A Case Study and Some Empirical Evidence from the Irish Securities Services Industry. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Employee engagement has been extensively studied for over 30 years. Whilst historically scholars have focused on the correlation between engagement and performance, recent research is shifting towards more pertinent questions and new methods to explore how employees experience engagement and how it is elicited.

The purpose of this dissertation is to carry out a holistic investigation to identify the drivers of employee engagement in a specific department of an organisation within the Securities Services Industry in Dublin; this study also explores how employees get value from the implementation of Human Capital Practices and how internal and external factors impact on their engagement.

The research uses a sequential multi-phase design and employs a deductive approach to measure employees’ attitudes and behaviours, whilst qualitative strategies are adopted to explore the lived experience of the employees.

In line with the literature reviewed for this study, the research findings highlight that open communication and trust are the foundations of employee engagement; rewards are important at all levels; and opportunities for growth and progression are the key drivers for employee engagement in the department investigated. These findings are broadly in line with the “engagement drivers” identified in the extant research.

This study also demonstrates that an effective and successful implementation of Human Capital Practices is positively correlated to the level of employee engagement within the department selected for this research.

Offshoring and repetitive work emerge as the main factors that have a negative impact on employee engagement in the department chosen for this study.

This dissertation recommends that employers consider taking a participatory approach in the design and implementation of engagement activities to improve their effectiveness.

In particular, as suggested by Jenkins and Delbridge (2013), organisations should ensure that their HR practices are aligned with their business model and tap into the aspirations and ambitions of their employees.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management > Performance Management > Employee Engagement H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management > Performance Management > Reward Management
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Business Administration
Depositing User:	Caoimhe Ní Mhaicín
Date Deposited:	02 Nov 2016 10:18
Last Modified:	02 Nov 2016 10:18
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/2282

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