Managers' ability to engage virtual employees (those in different geographic locations) is a determining factor of employee productivity and commitment to an organization. Since 2005, the number of U.S.-based virtual employees increased; however, research regarding virtual communication and employee engagement is limited. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine if a significant correlation exists between employee engagement (the dependent variable) and the quantity and perceived quality of virtual management communication (the independent variables). The research question assessed the correlation among the quantity of time managers spend communicating with virtual employees, quality of virtual communication, and employee engagement. Homans's social exchange theory served as the theoretical framework. Data collection involved an online survey from 71 U.S.-based virtual employees, working primarily from home. The results of the regression analysis were statistically significant, F(2, 67) = 7.14, p = .002, R2 = .18, indicating that quantity of time a manager a spent communicating with virtual employees and the virtual employees' perceived quality of communication positively affected employee engagement. Findings indicated that managers who communicate more frequently and have a higher perceived quality of communication are more likely to have engaged employees. Business leaders can use this study to inform managers of the need for frequent, high-quality communication with their virtual employees. The findings will contribute to social change by providing organizational leaders with useful strategic information to increase the employee engagement of home-based virtual employees.

The influence of leadership engagement strategies on employee engagement affects the retail distribution industry in the form of lower productivity, decreased profitability, and reduced sustainability. In 2017, the retail distribution industry lost more than $50 billion annually due to leader's inability to develop and implement robust leadership strategies to engage employees. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the influence of leadership strategies on employee engagement used by leaders in the retail distribution industry in Florida. Transformational leadership was the conceptual framework for this study. Participants were purposefully selected because of their experience implementing leadership engagement strategies that engaged employees. Data were collected from face-to-face semistructured interviews with 8 leaders in the retail distribution industry with 2 of years leadership experience and the review of organizational documents on employee engagement and productivity. Data analysis comprised coding archival documents, reassembling journal notes, and interpreting semistructured interviews. Three themes emerged from the analysis of data: adopting a supportive leadership style, encouraging employee ownership of task, and continuous knowledge sharing. The findings of this study might contribute to social change by providing retail distribution leaders with fact-based insights that can lead to increased productivity, enhanced sustainability, and improved organizational growth, which might promote prosperity for local families and the community.

Disengaged employees are a threat to a company's survival in a highly competitive world. Despite employee engagement benefits, the mediation of interactions between leaders and followers and the specific drivers of engagement remain poorly understood. This correlational study was grounded on leader member exchange (LMX) theory and examined the relationship between 2 dimensions of LMX (perceived contribution and professional respect) and employee engagement. In this study, 68 manufacturing employees from the southern region of the United States responded to 2 surveys to measure the LMX dimensions and the level of employee engagement. Using multiple regression analysis, the existence of a positive correlation, p < .001 and R2= .277, was demonstrated, which explained 28% of the variation in engagement. This research may serve as a roadmap for studying additional variables and providing workable tools for developing strategies to improve engagement in the workplace. The results of this study might contribute to positive social change by helping managers develop strategies to engage employees and reduce turnover, by improving the sense of stability for employees and their families, and by helping companies become more competitive and generate new jobs.

Investing in employee engagement is beneficial to ensuring an organization's ability to sustain and improve productivity and performance. The purpose of this single case study was to explore effective leadership strategies leaders used to increase employee productivity. The population for this study were 6 bank leaders from Mississippi with a minimum of 5 years of experience implementing effective strategies to increase employee productivity. The conceptual framework for this study was Bass's transformational leadership theory. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, observations, and a review of company documents. The data analysis process involved Yin's 5-step approach, methodological triangulation, and member checking to identify common patterns, develop themes, and verify data for accuracy. The 4 emergent themes in the study were lead by example, encourage, promote teamwork, and implement rewards. The findings indicated that bank leaders improved employee productivity using transformational leadership by maintaining active employee engagement, communicating clear goals, and building positive leader-employee relationships. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential for leaders in the banking industry to improve employee engagement, which may lead to a higher level of employee performance and commitment, reduced turnover, and enhanced organizational profitability. Organizations that are profitable can help stimulate the local economy by contributing earned profits to the community in areas such as schools, housing development, and community centers.

High levels of emotional work, staffing shortages, high turnover rates, low workforce engagement levels, and complex healthcare reforms are common problems in healthcare settings. Healthcare leaders are increasingly aware of the vital impact an engaged workforce can have on patient outcomes and an organization's ability to survive despite current challenges in the healthcare setting. It is important for leaders to understand what factors may influence the ability to engage with their organization, such as emotional labor. The purpose of this correlational quantitative study was to test whether emotional labor is related to employee engagement within a large Midwestern pediatric hospital. The theoretical frameworks that helped guide the development of this study were Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, Kahn's engagement theory, intergroup emotions theory, and Diefendorff and Richard's model of emotional display rules. Three measures (a demographic questionnaire, the revised Emotional Labour Survey, and the Job Engagement Scale) were used to address the relationship between the variables (the subscales of emotional labor and employee engagement). Data analysis involved simple bivariate correlations and curvilinear regressions. Results indicated that the subscales of faking emotions and hiding feelings negatively correlated with employee engagement. Five of the 6 subscales also had a significant curvilinear relationship with employee engagement. Gender did not play a moderating role in this study. Social change implications and recommendations include the potential for improvements in the need to identify and develop training and self-care strategies necessary for staff to endure the emotional fallout associated with the high emotional demands of their job.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how supervisor-employee communication affects the employee engagement on the shop floor of manufacturing organisations. To achieve this purpose, the two below research objectives were developed: To identify how supervisor-employee communication impacts employee engagement To identify any barriers to supervisor-employee communication Method The study had a deductive, qualitative research approach as a conceptual framework was developed from literature and then verified with empirical data collected through semi-structured interviews. The research strategy was holistic and single case as all eight interviews were conducted with respondents from a single organisation. The interviewees were selected using a maximum variation, purposive sampling technique. Lastly, the collected data was analysed using a form of thematic analysis. Findings The main finding was that supervisor-employee communication was proven to have a significant impact on the employee engagement among the shop floor workers in the manufacturing organisation. In addition, supervisor-employee communication was proven to affect the employee engagement in a similar way that literature suggested. Furthermore, the findings supported the definition of employee engagement as a shared responsibility between the employee and the supervisor. Theoretical implications This study provided additional data to the existing literature on supervisor-employee communication and employee engagement while investigating the relationship between these two concepts in a new setting. Not only did this study contribute with rather unique data from the manufacturing industry, but it also adopted the employee perspective of the phenomenon. Previous research has predominantly consisted of studies with the perspective of management rather than the employees. Therefore, this study offers a foundation upon which further, both qualitative and quantitative research within this area can be conducted. Practical implications The main practical implication that this study has offered is highlighting the importance of supervisor-employee communication when it comes to generating and maintaining employee engagement on the shop floor of manufacturing organisations. The supervisor’s role and way of communicating has been identified as crucial for the employees’ level of engagement and this study has provided some guidance for supervisors in this matter.

The current study assessed the moderating effects of Age and the mediating effects of Job Satisfaction on the relationship between antecedents Employee Engagement and Compensation Fairness and the outcome variable Turnover Intent. The theory of reasoned action and a theoretical framework for examining age-effects on employee attitudes were used as the theoretical underpinnings for the study. The study utilized a secondary data set with surveyed population including faculty (n = 1,229) from a land-grant institution holding the doctoral/research-extensive classification from the Carnegie Classification and serving about 42,000 students each year with graduates totaling more than 9,000 per year. Findings confirmed that 11 of the 12 items of the Gallup Workplace Audit loaded on the Employee Engagement factor. Findings also confirmed a 3-item solution for the Compensation Fairness factor. Both Employee Engagement and Compensation Fairness demonstrated an inverse relationship with Turnover Intent as expected. Job Satisfaction was found not to mediate the relationship between both Employee Engagement and Compensation Fairness with the outcome variable Turnover Intent. Finally, Age was not found to moderate the relationship between antecedent variables and Turnover Intent. Recommendations for research and practice were made.

Every year, the Chief Executive Group compiles a list of "Best Companies for Leadership Development" that measures corporations against a variety of leadership criteria. Though some organizations move on or off the list from year to year, a handful has consistently ranked in the top 10 for several consecutive years. Coincidentally, these companies also happen to be among the most respected and most profitable. Research has shown that workforce commitment, innovation, and engagement are driving factors in productivity and profitability. More recent research has shown that effective management and strong leaders are the driving factors in an engaged and productive workforce. In light of this, the purpose of this literature review is to draw connections between leadership, an effective workforce, and profitability. General Electric and Procter & Gamble are two organizations that have consistently ranked in the top of a wide variety of lists. As giants of leadership development, these two corporations are analyzed in order to better understand the specific, innovative practices employed to foster a strong leadership pool. Furthermore, this review investigates how the effective leaders build a culture of worker engagement and commitment.

Stakeholder engagement, and specifically employee engagement has proven to have an influence on how companies perform and how value is created in organisations. Within the competitive world where Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are functioning, employee engagement can be the master key that unlocks better organisational performance. The objective of this study is to research the influence of stakeholder engagement on business performance and value creation, and to identify factors that impact on stakeholder engagement. The processes that are in place to engage with employees and how value are created through employee engagement, are also investigated. Studies have proven that successful employee engagement can have a positive influence on how businesses perform. The various factors that have an influence on employee engagement, are identified, including: • People. • Communication. • Work. • Rewards. • Opportunities. • Quality of life; and • Company practices. The study found that engagement levels in selected SMEs in Gauteng are high and the results, as discussed in Chapter 3, are positive. It proves that a significant percentage of employees are engaged on the following levels: 1. Rational - this indicates how well employees understand their roles and responsibilities in their various companies. 2. Emotional - this level indicates with how much passion employees work and how passionate they are about their organisation. 3. Motivational - this indicates how willing employees are to give more than is expected of them, and how hard they work to perform well on their roles and responsibilities. The results of the study can be used by companies to improve employee engagement and create value in their organisations - it can assist them in building a sustainable, competitive organisation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

Stakeholder engagement, and specifically employee engagement has proven to have an influence on how companies perform and how value is created in organisations. Within the competitive world where Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are functioning, employee engagement can be the master key that unlocks better organisational performance. The objective of this study is to research the influence of stakeholder engagement on business performance and value creation, and to identify factors that impact on stakeholder engagement. The processes that are in place to engage with employees and how value are created through employee engagement, are also investigated. Studies have proven that successful employee engagement can have a positive influence on how businesses perform. The various factors that have an influence on employee engagement, are identified, including: • People. • Communication. • Work. • Rewards. • Opportunities. • Quality of life; and • Company practices. The study found that engagement levels in selected SMEs in Gauteng are high and the results, as discussed in Chapter 3, are positive. It proves that a significant percentage of employees are engaged on the following levels: 1. Rational - this indicates how well employees understand their roles and responsibilities in their various companies. 2. Emotional - this level indicates with how much passion employees work and how passionate they are about their organisation. 3. Motivational - this indicates how willing employees are to give more than is expected of them, and how hard they work to perform well on their roles and responsibilities. The results of the study can be used by companies to improve employee engagement and create value in their organisations - it can assist them in building a sustainable, competitive organisation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011