Employee communication for engaging workplaces
ISSN: 0275-6668
Article publication date: 20 August 2019
Issue publication date: 30 October 2019
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the role of employee engagement for competitiveness. In particular, the role of employee communication to create engaging workplaces.
Design/methodology/approach
Two field surveys were conducted to assess, which are the most relevant leverages that contribute to create engaging (or disengaging) workplaces in Italy: the first one on a statistical sample of large companies, the second one on a snowball sample of employees.
Findings
Italian companies often miss the opportunity to create engaging workplaces and to exploit the potential of employee communication to foster employee engagement.
Research limitations/implications
Further research could focus on a survey on a sample of managers and employees belonging to the same company.
Practical implications
Companies should pursue an inclusive relational approach, using employee communication appropriately.
Originality/value
The study develops and tests a model showing the linkages among managerial approaches and engaging workplace contexts and examines the role of employee communication to foster employee engagement.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The study presented in this paper is supported by the Working Group Employee Communication 2016-2018 @Centre for Employee Relations and Communication (CERC), founded at the Department of Business & BLEC at IULM University of Milan, in partnership with Coopselios, Eni, Ferrero, Gruppo Sella, Henkel, LFoundry-SMIC, MM, Natuzzi Group, NH Hotels, Sanofi, Unicoop Firenze, Vodafone and Whirlpool. Company partners funded the research activity.The survey “Employee practices and trends: The state of the art of internal communication in Italian company” (Mazzei et al., 2018b; Mazzei, 2019 forthcoming) has been conducted in 2018 by the Centre for Employee Relations and Communication @IULM University in partnership with the CCI @Baruch College/CUNY and has been supported by the Department of Business LECB “Carlo A. Ricciardi” @IULM University. The study has been conducted on a convenience sample of companies operating in Italy.
Citation
Mazzei, A., Butera, A. and Quaratino, L. (2019), "Employee communication for engaging workplaces", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 40 No. 6, pp. 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-03-2019-0053
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited