A Thematic Analysis on “Employee Engagement in IT Companies from the Perspective of Holistic Well-being Initiatives”

Abstract

Attaining sustainable competitive advantage in changing paradigms of the business world is possible through highly engaged employees, and holistic well-being is considered one of employee engagement's most important drivers (Ryder, G., & Director-General, I. (2020). World employment and social outlook—trends 2020. World Employment and Social Outlook, 108.). As per the (ILO) International Labour organization's World Employment and Social Outlook report of 2020, there are more than 630 million workforces worldwide. Employers can contribute to reaching the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which is "Good Health & well-being," by implementing effective health and well-being initiatives (Martin, & United Nations- SDG. (2016). Health. United Nations Sustainable Development. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/health/). The aim of this qualitative research is investigating employee engagement practices from the perspective of holistic well-being initiatives impacting employee engagement. To assess the same, employees from various IT businesses in Bangalore City were contacted to participate in semi-structured, in-depth personal interviews for data collection. The research design employed is Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, Qualitative Research in Psychology 3:77–101, 2006), in which interviews conducted over calls were transcribed and coded, leading to the development of themes. Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS)—NVIVO has been used for data analysis. A five-dimensional framework of holistic well-being is established through the literature review, forming the analysis parameters. The five dimensions are; Physical, Psychological (Mental & Emotional), Social, Financial, and Spiritual. Then the gathered data were allocated deductively to these five overarching themes. The findings of this study accentuate substantial focus on physical, psychological, and social aspects of well-being with inadequate attention towards the spiritual dimension. A lack of proper balance among the initiatives has come to notice. It is suggested that organizations evaluate the present status of the well-being of employees through specific tools, identify gaps, and formulate strategies that encompass a holistic well-being approach to enhance employee engagement positively.