Employee Engagement in the Public Sector – A
Study of Engagement Levels within the Health
Service Executive in the Republic of Ireland
Theme:
By:
Leadership, Management &
Communication
Madge Toye Temple
What is Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement is a combination of
commitment to the organisation and its values and a
willingness to help out colleagues (CIPD, 2011).

Employee Engagement is much more than job
satisfaction and motivation.

Employee Engagement is a measurable degree of an
employee’s positive or negative emotional attachment
to their job, their colleagues and their organisation all
of which profoundly influences their willingness to
learn and perform at work.
What does Employee Engagement
mean to an Organisation
 Employee
Engagement positively impacts on
business outcomes such as:
 Employee
satisfaction
 Safety
 Productivity
 Profitability
 Improves
organisational performance (even in
challenging economic times)
Why Study Employee Engagement
in the Health Service Executive
Globally, the recession has dramatically altered the way
employees view their work (Towers Watson, 2010).
The public service is not exempt from the recession and
economic downturn forcing organisation to change
The Health Service Executive has experienced major change
There are few studies of Employee Engagement in Ireland
Objectives of the Study

1: To ascertain if there are any differences in
the levels of Employee Engagement across
the following variables: gender, age, contract
agreement, working hours and duration of
employment.
 2: To ascertain if there are variances in
Employee Engagement in the various job roles
within the Health Service Executive.
 3: To investigate the relationship between
performance reviews and Employee
Engagement.
Method
Study was based on ONE local health
office within the HSE
 4% of all employees completed the
Utrecht Work Engagement Scale
(UWES) achieving a response rate of
59%.
 UWES measures employee engagement
by 3 constructs – vigour, dedication and
absorption.

Results of the Study
Levels o f Emplo yee Engagement - H SE
Percentage No. of
Employees
60.00%
50.00%
Very Low Engagement
40.00%
Low Engagement
Average Engagement
30.00%
High Engagement
Very High Engagement
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
E n g a g e me n t
Results of the Study - Gender
Gender and Low to High Employee Engagement
40
35
% of Employees
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Male
Females
Low to Very Low Engagement
High to Very High Engagement
Results of the Study - Age
Low to Very Low Employee Engagement
High to Very High Employee Engagement
40.0
35.0
30.0
% of Employees
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
18-25
26-35
46-55
36-45
Age of Employees
56-65
Over 65
Results of the Study – Contracted
Agreement
Permanent / Temporary Status Employee Engagement
60
49
50
50
%
40
38
Permanent
30
Temporary
25
20
17
10
6
4
4
3
4
0
Very Low Engagement
Low Engagement
Average Engagement
High Engagement
Very High Engagement
Results of the Study – Working
Hours
Work Agreement & Low to High Engagement
Low to Very Low Engagement
High to Very High Engagement
50.0
45.0
40.0
% of Employees
35.0
30.0
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
Reduced Hours
Flexible Working
Shift Work
Job-Sharing
Fixed Work Pattern
Parental Leave
Other
Results of the Study – Duration of
Employment
% No. of Employees
No. of Years Employed and Low to High Employee Engagement
50
40
30
Low / Very Low
20
High / Very High
10
0
Less than 1
year
1-5 years
6-10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years 21-25 years
Years Employed
Over 25
years
Results of the Study – Job Roles
Job Category and Low to High Employee Engagement
Low to Very Low Engagement
High to Very High Engagement
50
45
40
% of Employees
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Allied Health & Social
Care
Management / Admin / ICT
Medical & Dental
Interns / SHO's /
Registrars
Nursing
Patient & Client Care
Support
Result of the Study – Performance
Review
Have had a Performance Review and Employee Engagement
Yes
No
60
51
50
41
38
40
% 30
24
17
20
15
7
10
3
3
0
0
Very Low Engagement
Low Engagement
Average Engagement
High Engagement
Very High Engagement
Key Findings of the Research

50% of employees are within the range of “average engagement” and experience
engagement “a couple of times per month” with a mean engagement score of
3.91.

A higher level of Employee Engagement exists in the organisation in comparison
to similar international studies.

There is no significant difference in the levels of Employee Engagement among
the different groups within each of the variables of: “age”, “employment status”,
“gender”, ”job category”, “work agreement”, “job category”, “duration of
employment” and having a “performance review”.

There exists a significant relationship between dedication and employment status
with temporary employees indicating higher dedication than permanent
employees

There exists a significant relationship between dedication and having participated
in a performance review, with participants who have had a performance review
indicating a higher level of dedication than those employees who have not had a
performance review.
Recommendations
Share the vision
of the organisation
with all
employees
Ensure all
employees know
their role in
the organisation
Recognise and
appreciate
commitment
Leadership
Listen to and
respond to
feedback
Involve all
employees