Page 69 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

40 Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work

What Is Employee Engagement?

I’ve given a lot of presentations over the years on the topic of
employee engagement. The one that I remember best occurred
a few days after I proposed to my wife, Karen. While defining
the concept of engagement for my audience it suddenly hit me:
“I’m engaged!” I remembered what a life-changing commitment
I was making and how dramatically different it felt from dating
or even living together. Indeed, engagement is all about commit-
ment; the word comes from the Old French (en + gage) meaning
“to pledge oneself.” Although not quite so life-altering, the con-
cept of employee engagement is also about the extent to which
one is committed, dedicated, and loyal to one’s organization,
supervisor, work, and colleagues. When you’re truly committed,
motivation becomes a lot less relevant—you’re in it for the long
haul.

How Is Employee Engagement
Different from Employee Motivation?

Engagement is similar to, but not synonymous with, motivation.
Engagement refers to an intrinsic, deep-rooted, and sweep-
ing sense of commitment, pride, and loyalty that is not easily
altered. In contrast, motivation level is strongly influenced by
external factors, especially expectations that certain efforts or
accomplishments will yield valued rewards, such as a financial
bonus for meeting a quarterly sales objective.
Critically, a high level of engagement buffers the impact
of negative environmental factors on motivation. In other
words, highly engaged employees will remain motivated despite
adverse circumstances, such as limited resources, equipment