Examining the Influence of Employee Activation on Gender Differences in Employee Engagement

Abstract

This study analyzes survey data from over 500 U.S. employees to investigate how key workplace determinants uniquely relate to engagement for men and women, to address gaps in research examining potential gender variations in the drivers of discretionary effort at work. Traditional predictors like fulfillment of basic needs, individual contributions, teamwork, and growth were examined alongside the emerging construct of “worker activation,” reflecting empowering organizational cultures that motivate extra effort, which is hypothesized to significantly predict engagement across genders when incorporated into engagement models. Analyses include descriptive tests, regression models evaluated separately by gender, and assessments of activation variable impacts between genders, with findings revealing modest yet significant male-female disparities in average engagement levels, the multi-dimensional nature of engagement determinants across genders, and activation’ s cross-cutting importance in predicting engagement, validating refined conceptualization and offering implications for optimally designing inclusive strategies to inspire discretionary commitment and employee engagement.