Employee Engagement at an Information Technology (IT) Company in Chennai - An Empirical Study

Employee engagement is a persistent, positive, affective-motivational state of fulfillment in employees that is characterized by high levels of activation and pleasure. In engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about his or her work, and thus will act in a way that furthers their organization's interests. Engaged employees have much smoother relationship with their superiors compared to the disengaged ones. They are more focused on company's profitability rather than their own personal goals. These employees show a great degree of organizational citizenship. It is only an engaged employee who is intellectually and emotionally bound with the organization, feels passionately about its goals and is committed towards its values. In times of diminishing loyalty, employee engagement is a powerful retention strategy. This research article focuses on the physical, emotional and cognitive engagement levels of employees. The various contributing factors of higher engagement are also analyzed in this research paper. It also discusses the employee engagement in India and the relationship between employee engagement and productivity. Further, appropriate strategies are suggested for engaging employees the most.