Interest in and disagreement about the causes and effects of employee engagement in the workplace, as well as about the absence thereof, seem certain to continue in months and years to come. Quite by accident, I came upon a remarkably clear, concise, and informative discussion of a subject that tends to generate more heat than light.

Here is an excerpt from an article by Sheila Margolis, President, Workplace Culture Institute.

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What Is Employee Engagement?

What is the definition of engagement? There are several definitions out there, but most are consistent with the following:

o Employee engagement is the holistic expression of a person’s preferred self in a work role.

o Employee engagement is dedicating one’s cognitive energy, affective energy, and physical energy to one’s work.

Engaged workers go to work, and they can be themselves. No role playing–just doing what they love to do with their head, their heart and their body totally directed at performing the tasks of their job. When engaged, work does not feel like work. Instead, work is a means of self expression. Imagine putting one’s whole self into one’s job.

o Engaged workers are cognitively focused: they are attentive and absorbed in their work.

o Engaged workers are affectively connected: their emotions and feelings are directed toward their work.

o Engaged workers are physically active: their behaviors and actions demonstrate extra effort and vigor.

When employees simultaneously invest their cognitive energies, their affective/​emotional energies, and their physical energies in their work, they are totally engaged.

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Margolis then shifts her attention to “Background on Employee Engagement Definitions” that includes William A. Kahn’s seminal definition of employee engagement, Christine Maslach’s definition of engagement: the “Positive Antithesis of Burnout,” to Wilmar Schaufeli who defined engagement as “a positive work-​​related state of fulfillment that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption,” and Alan N. Saks’s definition of job engagement and organizational engagement.

Here’s a direct link to the complete article and other resources provided at Sheila’s website.

Based in Atlanta, Sheila Margolis helps leaders define organizational culture and manage organizational change. She holds a doctoral degree in Human Resource Development, teaches part-time at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University and is President of the Workplace Culture Institute. She specializes in workplace culture, organizational change and the strategic use of human resources. As an organizational development expert, Sheila is quoted in newspapers and magazines including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is the author of Building a Culture of Distinction: Facilitator Guide for Defining Organizational Culture and Managing Change and There Is No Place Like Work: Seven Leadership Insights for Creating a Workplace to Call Home.