Are You Engaged in Your Work?
Two takes on a popular concept
In Today’s Newsletter
Some thoughts on work engagement
An opportunity to reflect on what keeps you engaged at work
Book updates
Are You Engaged in Your Work?
In January, Gallup reported that work engagement in the U.S. is at a ten-year low. Less than a third of us are engaged in our work, and about 1 in 6 are actively disengaged. That’s not good.
What Is Work Engagement?
The concept of work engagement is rooted in positive organizational behavior, which stems from positive psychology. Instead of fixating on and fixing what is broken or diseased, positive psychology and positive organizational behavior seek to draw out and enhance individual strengths and capabilities—what’s working well. Researchers seeking to define and measure work engagement saw it as the “antidote to burnout.”
The Academic Version
Wilmar Schaufeli and Arnold Bakker defined work engagement as having three components:
vigor,
dedication, and
absorption.
Here’s their definition:
Engagement is a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Rather than a momentary and specific state, engagement refers to a more persistent and pervasive affective-cognitive state that is not focused on any particular object, event, individual, or behavior. Vigor is characterized by high levels of energy and mental resilience while working, the willingness to invest effort in one’s work, and persistence even in the face of difficulties. Dedication refers to being strongly involved in one's work and experiencing a sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge. Absorption is characterized by being fully concentrated and happily engrossed in one’s work, whereby time passes quickly and one has difficulties with detaching oneself from work.
I might summarize it this way: When you’re engaged in your work, you’re
energized by what you do, even if you're tired at the end of the day;
committed to do your best, even when it’s tough;
motivated by the sense of purpose you see in your work; and
easily lost in your work because you’re so caught up in what you’re doing.
The Popular Version
Gallup measures “employee engagement,” which they define as
…the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in both their work and workplace. Highly engaged teams outperform the rest in business outcomes critical to the success of your organization.
Critical to their definition is the focus on work and the workplace. It’s a more systemic view: Those of us who are employees do our work in the context of relationships that are nested within the larger organization. So, for Gallup, you’re engaged in your work when you’re
clear on what’s expected of you;
cared for by someone in your organization;
feeling like your contributions matter; and
receiving encouragement to grow, for example.
To me, Gallup’s indicators of employee engagement seem to get at the factors that contribute to the work engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption) that Schaufeli and Bakker described. But, both views on work engagement have one idea in common—our work needs to be meaningful for us to be engaged in it.
Reflecting on Your Work Engagement
You could take Gallup’s assessment to measure your level of engagement. Or you could use the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. But I think it’s also important to reflect on what helps you feel most engaged at work.
Over the next week, pay attention to the times you’re absolutely captivated by or lost in your work. Those moments where you feel totally free and completely focused at the same time. (This is what psychologists call “flow.”) What were you working on? Who were you working with? What was the work environment like?
Keep a list of the types of work that energize you most.
Consider the types of work relationships that inspire and motivate you to do your best. (I’m guessing “micromanaging boss” doesn’t make your list. But maybe “peers who challenge me” does.)
Think about the purpose of your work. Does it seem meaningful to you?
If, after reflecting on your work, you think, “I need to make a change,” consider reading chapter 6 of When Work Hurts. Pay careful attention to the sections on job crafting and immersing yourself in a bigger story. Maybe those practices can help you begin to feel more engaged at work.
Book Updates
When Work Hurts has been out in the world for almost a month. Shortly before the launch date, I learned that it will be translated into Spanish. That’s exciting, especially for this Spanish major. I can’t wait for the book to reach and encourage more people.
I’ve also been talking about the book on several podcasts and radio shows. Here are two episodes that dropped recently:
