An Investigation into employee engagement and its impact on organisational performance: an employee’s perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of employee engagement at the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA). The study will be guided by the following research questions: What is the impact of employee engagement on the organization’s performance? Which factors are affecting employee engagement levels? What recommendations can be offered to improve employee engagement at public sector organisations? A questionnaire comprising closed-ended questions and responses rated on a 5-point Likert scale, was administered to respondents through the ‘drop and pick’ method; with a descriptive approach used to analyse data collected with the measurement instrument, to allow conclusions to be drawn. Data coding was followed by data presentation via tables and figures. Quantitative data collected were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software and presented through percentages, means, standard deviations and frequencies. The public entity referred to as CETA has been burdened by operational and people issues. Overall, the organisation is essentially locked in underperformance. It is suggested the situation could improve should employee engagement levels be enhanced. The survey was administered to 50 CETA employees. The central argument in the research is that employee engagement is critical in determining employee, and organisational performance. Findings reveal low employee engagement levels that, consequently, result in belowstandard performance by the majority employees. The fundamental point of the research is that employee engagement is crucial in determining employee and organisational performance. The findings indicate low employee engagement levels at the CETA, which results in low performance levels among the majority employees. Although attempts have been made to improve the work environment and employee motivation, recent interventions have been insufficient.