The influence of time on employee engagement in the SA business environment

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the influence of time on the results of the dimensions of employee engagement; and second, to determine whether there are any significant differences between the levels of engagement of the different demographic groups, so as to determine specific future interventions to improve employee engagement. Design/methodology/approach - This study adopted a quantitative approach employing a survey which used a questionnaire to collect data from the same convenience sample, over a three-year period. The differences were tested by measuring change through an analysis of variance. Findings - Three dimensions, namely, team commitment, team orientation and organisational strategy and implementation were significantly higher in the third than first period. Africans and respondents on lower job grades reported significantly lower levels of engagement than white respondents and top management. Research limitations/implications - The limitation of the study is the low participation rate of some groups. Practical implications - Top management can foster engagement in addition to introducing effective interventions, based on sound measurement, to improve employees’ engagement levels. Social implications - Engaged employees are happy/healthy, which can be expected to spill over to their lives outside of the workplace and thus favourably influence society. Originality/value - Limited longitudinal research in connection with employee engagement is published. This study provides evidence of a valid barometer for a multicultural, developing economy, against which employee engagement can be measured.