Understanding the Relationship between Employee Engagement and Discretionary Work Effort: An Empirical Study

Abstract

All through the years, organisations have been interested in comprehending what best the management can do to understand the way employees think and feel about their jobs and their payback to the organisation. In the present workplace scenario, where at least three generations work together, the necessity to understand the work style of employees becomes more evident. This study tested the relationship between employee engagement, discretionary work effort and its effect on work generations. The respondents (N=240) were administered to employee engagement scale and discretionary work effort scale of SME sector of Machine Tool Industry in Bangalore and Chennai, India. Validity and Reliability tests were used to evaluate the questionnaire contents. The result indicated an above average level of employee engagement and a significant positive relation between employee engagement and discretionary work effort. It was also indicated that there existed a relationship between work generations and discretionary work effort but not with employee engagement. Similarly, an unpleasant situation in the company affected the level of discretionary work effort but it had no affect on employee engagement.