Positive Psychology at Work:

Active Engagement at Work

There is no universally agreed definition of employee engagement. However, Britt and colleagues have defined it as ‘feeling responsible for, and committed to, superior job performance, so that job performance matters to the individual’ (2007, p. 144). This seems adequate, conveying as it does a sense of focus, emotional investment, effort and a concern for outcomes. When engaged in our work we are more likely to feel good and competent, and to have a sense of belonging. We are also more likely to have a sense of control and of being able to make things happen (Bateman and Porath, 2003). In other words, active engagement is associated with positive feelings that have physiological and long-term benefits. By its association with positive emotions we can say that it is a beneficial state for individuals, and therefore there is no moral dilemma in promoting it.

The various definitions of employee engagement all agree on two key things: that engagement resides with the person not the job; and that it is a state rather than a trait. This means that the level of engagement will vary among individuals in the same job, and that for any one individual their level of engagement will vary from task to task and from day to day. Within a particular job or role any individual is likely to find some aspects of the job more engaging than others and will be more engaged on some days than on others. It also means that greater engagement at work can be developed, the question ...