Measures for employee engagement: Public service in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Employee engagement is crucial in the delivery of public service efficiently and effectively. Employee engagement is essential as a foundation for service climate (Salanova et al., 2005). Measuring employee engagement is vital to identify the areas to be improved to increase the service quality. The most accepted Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) is heavily applied to measure the employee engagement of Business to Customer (B2C) profit oriented organizations. Therefore, a customized measure for employee engagement is essential for public service. This paper describes the development of a customized scale based on UWES scale for assessing employee engagement in public service with reference to Divisional Secretariats in Sri Lanka. In developing and validating measures, qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized as recommended by Hinkin's (1998). Finally, a customized scale with 16-items was developed under vigor, dedication and absorption dimensions to measure the employee engagement of public service in Sri Lanka.