This document discusses employee engagement and the factors that influence it. It argues that attitudes like job satisfaction, organizational commitment, trust in leadership, and perceptions of fairness are better predictors of job performance than personality. Engagement occurs when employees feel their values are aligned with the organization's, they have psychological safety in their work, and have a positive self-evaluation. The Gallup Q12 questions are proposed to measure engagement, but may actually measure antecedents and consequences of engagement. The document recommends hiring for conscientious personality traits, developing positive job attitudes through fairness and partnership with employees, and clearly communicating workplace expectations and values to improve engagement.

1. Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D.
NVCPA
September 16, 2015
The Truth About
Employee Engagement

2. www.bretlsimmons.com
http://www.slideshare.net/BretLSimmons

4. Engagement

6. Employee
Effectiveness
•Task behaviors
• Extra-role
behaviors
•Withdrawal
behaviors

9. Personality?
Attitude?

10. Personality

11. Attitude
A predisposition or tendency to respond
positively or negatively toward a certain
situation, person, or idea. Influences an
individual’s choice of action, and responses to
the work environment (e.g. challenges,
incentives, supervision, etc.)

12. Hire For Personality
Or Attitude?

13. Personality or
Attitude.
Which is a better
predictor of job
performance?

14. Attitudes!

15. Job Attitudes
• Organizational
commitment
• Job satisfaction
• Trust in the
supervisor
• Justice (fairness)
• Engagement

16. Engagement:
Investing the head,
hands, and heart in
full work
performance

17. • Value Congruence: expect people to behave at
work consistent with the highest values they
espouse in themselves and others
• Psychological safety: trusting interpersonal
relationships in fair and supportive organizational
environments
• Core self-evaluation (personality trait): self-
esteem, self-efficacy, emotional stability, locus of
control

18. Cause
(e.g. value congruence)
Effect
(e.g. engagement)
Outcome
(e.g. performance)

19. Gallup Q-12 Engagement – cause or effect?
 I know what is expected of me at
work.
 I have the materials and
equipment I need to do my work
right.
 At work, I have the opportunity to
do what I do best everyday.
 In the last seven days, I have
received recognition or praise for
doing good work.
 My supervisor, or someone at
work, seems to care about me as
a person.
 There is someone at work who
encourages my development.
 At work, my opinions seem to
count.
 The mission or purpose of my
company makes me feel my job is
important
 My associates or fellow
employees are committed to doing
quality work.
 I have a best friend at work.
 In the last six months, someone at
work has talked to me about my
progress.
 This last year, I have had
opportunities at work to learn and
grow.

20. Organizational
Commitment
•Affected by
•Job Satisfaction
•Justice
I want to be
here doing this
work with you

21. •Pay
•Opportunity for
promotion
•Co-workers
•Work itself
•Supervisor

22. Willingness to be
vulnerable to another in
a situation involving
risk

23. Are You Trustworthy?
•Ability
•Integrity
•Intentions

24. •Master, then continuously improve your job
•Care about the people you work with, work
for, and serve
•DWWSWWD
Trustworthy

25. Procedural Justice
•Consistency
•Transparency
•Voice
•Appeal
•Ethics

27. Personality
•Conscientiousness
•Internal locus of control
•Healthy self-esteem

28. Summary
• Be clear and specific about the
behaviors you want to see at work
• Hire for personality
• Develop the job attitudes that lead to
performance by partnering with your
employees to continually improve the
work environment

29. Questions?

30. Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D.
www.bretlsimmons.com
Bret.simmons@gmail.com
(775) 336-9576