Employee Benefits
The 3 main types of employee engagement: Cognitive, Emotional & PhysicalThe 3 main types of employee engagement: Cognitive, Emotional & Physical
The 3 main types of employee engagement: Cognitive, Emotional & Physical
Employee Benefits
Sep 3, 2023
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The origins of employee engagement
Thanks to technology’s boost in the workplace during the 1980s, people began re-evaluated their work situations and career goals. We began talking about work-life balance and making conscious decisions about what we wanted from a job. We were no longer focusing solely on salary when choosing a job. Workplace conditions became increasingly important, prompting companies to introduce employee incentives over the years - from attractive and varied workspaces to, more recently, flexible working and travel solutions for business like those provided by FREENOW.
An organisational psychologist, William Kahn, at the University of Boston published a paper that would change the way companies viewed their workforce: Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement (Academy of Management Journal, December 1990, Vol. 3, no. 4, pp692-724). He introduced the concept of employee engagement at work, where he identified three different areas of engagement.
Kahn’s theory immediately resonated amongst company management and HR. He stated that companies with engaged employees outperform their counterparts and are more likely to be successful over the long-term. How to ensure that your employees are engaged is, however, still hotly debated.
Kahn’s workplace studies approached engagement in terms of an employee’s ability to harness their ‘full self’ at work. It identifies three psychological conditions:
- Meaningfulness, i.e. does the employee find the work meaningful enough to invest themselves (cognitive engagement).
- Safety, i.e. how safe the employee feels in engaging their whole self at work (emotional engagement).
- Availability, i.e. the employee’s mental and physical ability to harness their full self (physical engagement).
Thanks to technology’s boost in the workplace during the 1980s, people began re-evaluated their work situations and career goals. We began talking about work-life balance and making conscious decisions about what we wanted from a job. We were no longer focusing solely on salary when choosing a job. Workplace conditions became increasingly important, prompting companies to introduce employee incentives over the years - from attractive and varied workspaces to, more recently, flexible working and travel solutions for business like those provided by FREENOW.
An organisational psychologist, William Kahn, at the University of Boston published a paper that would change the way companies viewed their workforce: Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement (Academy of Management Journal, December 1990, Vol. 3, no. 4, pp692-724). He introduced the concept of employee engagement at work, where he identified three different areas of engagement.
Kahn’s theory immediately resonated amongst company management and HR. He stated that companies with engaged employees outperform their counterparts and are more likely to be successful over the long-term. How to ensure that your employees are engaged is, however, still hotly debated.
Kahn’s workplace studies approached engagement in terms of an employee’s ability to harness their ‘full self’ at work. It identifies three psychological conditions:
- Meaningfulness, i.e. does the employee find the work meaningful enough to invest themselves (cognitive engagement).
- Safety, i.e. how safe the employee feels in engaging their whole self at work (emotional engagement).
- Availability, i.e. the employee’s mental and physical ability to harness their full self (physical engagement).
Emotional engagement
Emotional engagement aligns with a sense of belonging and with trusting the values and mission of the company we work for.
Employees who feel safe enough to channel our emotions into our work means trusting that our efforts will be appreciated and that we won’t be taken advantage of. This is directly related to the group dynamic within the workplace.
Our line manager plays a key role in this - both in terms of our direct relationship with them, which needs to contain the right levels of support, challenge and appreciation, as well as their overall management of the team that should foster a friendly, supportive and dynamic team atmosphere.
When an employee feels safe enough to engage emotionally in their work, they will most likely have a positive attitude and a high level of job satisfaction.
Cognitive engagement
Cognitive is an adjective that relates to our mind and thought processes. It seems obvious that we need to use our brains at work to one degree or another, even in more manual work, there are processes, safety issues and best practices. Of course, here we’re talking about something a little deeper, so what exactly do we mean by cognitive engagement at work? Cognitive engagement can be understood as finding meaningfulness in our work, so let’s take a look at what that might entail.
In order to find our work meaningful, we need to engage with the company’s overall mission, vision and strategies,. It’s important that we understand the company’s vision, strategies, and impact that our role plays within them. This kind of cognitive engagement is intrinsically linked to creativity and confident decision-making within the workplace. Cognitively engaged employees are focused on their tasks and highly committed to the outcomes.
Emotional engagement aligns with a sense of belonging and with trusting the values and mission of the company we work for.
Employees who feel safe enough to channel our emotions into our work means trusting that our efforts will be appreciated and that we won’t be taken advantage of. This is directly related to the group dynamic within the workplace.
Our line manager plays a key role in this - both in terms of our direct relationship with them, which needs to contain the right levels of support, challenge and appreciation, as well as their overall management of the team that should foster a friendly, supportive and dynamic team atmosphere.
When an employee feels safe enough to engage emotionally in their work, they will most likely have a positive attitude and a high level of job satisfaction.
Cognitive engagement
Cognitive is an adjective that relates to our mind and thought processes. It seems obvious that we need to use our brains at work to one degree or another, even in more manual work, there are processes, safety issues and best practices. Of course, here we’re talking about something a little deeper, so what exactly do we mean by cognitive engagement at work? Cognitive engagement can be understood as finding meaningfulness in our work, so let’s take a look at what that might entail.
In order to find our work meaningful, we need to engage with the company’s overall mission, vision and strategies,. It’s important that we understand the company’s vision, strategies, and impact that our role plays within them. This kind of cognitive engagement is intrinsically linked to creativity and confident decision-making within the workplace. Cognitively engaged employees are focused on their tasks and highly committed to the outcomes.
Physical engagement
Physical engagement is important in all types of work, even the more cerebral and sedentary ones.
We can understand physical engagement as our availability at work, i.e. the physical and mental resources we have available to perform our tasks. Essentially, do we have the physical and mental energy required for our work, and are we prepared to invest in it? An employee’s ability to physically engage in their work is directly linked to how healthy and active they are. Being overly stressed, disillusioned or disinterested can, affect an employee’s level of physical engagement, and this will reflect in how invested their attitudes and activities are.
Are engaged employees more productive?
Yes, indeed! Different studies have extensively researched employee engagement in recent years and have consistently found that companies with high levels of employee engagement perform significantly better in areas such as:
- Absenteeism
- Safety incidents
- Staff turnover
- Product quality
- Customer loyalty
- Productivity
- Profitability
Engaged employees understand their position in the company, how they fit into the overall mission and the way they contribute to its success. herefore, they make better decisions and take ownership of their actions.
Employees that are engaged on all levels are motivated to play their part in the company’s success and, as a result, are generally more positive, healthier and happier in their work. It’s a win-win situation on all sides.
Of course, how a company ensures that their workforce is emotionally, cognitively and physically engaged is another matter altogether. Indeed, there is no shortage of theories on the subject and companies have introduced a wide range of initiatives with this very aim over the years -such as redesigned workplaces, mobility budget, team working events and non-remunerative benefits and perks.
Physical engagement is important in all types of work, even the more cerebral and sedentary ones.
We can understand physical engagement as our availability at work, i.e. the physical and mental resources we have available to perform our tasks. Essentially, do we have the physical and mental energy required for our work, and are we prepared to invest in it? An employee’s ability to physically engage in their work is directly linked to how healthy and active they are. Being overly stressed, disillusioned or disinterested can, affect an employee’s level of physical engagement, and this will reflect in how invested their attitudes and activities are.
Are engaged employees more productive?
Yes, indeed! Different studies have extensively researched employee engagement in recent years and have consistently found that companies with high levels of employee engagement perform significantly better in areas such as:
- Absenteeism
- Safety incidents
- Staff turnover
- Product quality
- Customer loyalty
- Productivity
- Profitability
Engaged employees understand their position in the company, how they fit into the overall mission and the way they contribute to its success. herefore, they make better decisions and take ownership of their actions.
Employees that are engaged on all levels are motivated to play their part in the company’s success and, as a result, are generally more positive, healthier and happier in their work. It’s a win-win situation on all sides.
Of course, how a company ensures that their workforce is emotionally, cognitively and physically engaged is another matter altogether. Indeed, there is no shortage of theories on the subject and companies have introduced a wide range of initiatives with this very aim over the years -such as redesigned workplaces, mobility budget, team working events and non-remunerative benefits and perks.
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