Employee engagement and trust relationships during COVID-19 pandemic: the expanded role of internal communication
Article Sidebar
438)
Main Article Content
Authors
Abstract
528
Internal communication turns into the most valuable aspect of strengthening the relationship between the organization and employees since it causes employees to become involved in maintaining the organization's sustainability during the crisis, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. By interviewing 10 Human Resource Officers, this study examines how to engage with the employees and enhance trust relationships through expanding the role of internal communication when COVID-19 was in the air. This study reveals that, as a department with a huge responsibility to build a relationship with employees during the pandemic, Human Resource Officers use various methods to communicate with the employees, including face-to-face and mediated communication. Internal communication built in this pandemic encourages trust and engagement with the employees. Human Resource Officers expand their internal communication role to strengthen employee engagement and build trust relationships, particularly in mediated communication. This study advances knowledge of the significance of human resource officers' roles in selecting internal communication strategies to foster employee engagement and trust during times of crisis.
Keywords
References
Achim, M. I., Dragolea, L. & Balan, G. (2013). The Importance of Employee Motivation to Increase Organizational Performance. Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Oeconomica, 2(15), 685-691. https://www.doi.org/10.29302/oeconomica.2013.15.2.32
Akhmetshin, E. M., Ilyina, I. A., Kulibanova, V. V. & Teor, T. R. (2019). “Employee Engagement”: Management Facilitates the Recovery from Crisis Situations. 2019 Communication Strategies in Digital Society Workshop (ComSDS), 50-55. IEEE. https://www.doi.org/10.1109/comsds.2019.8709645
Allen, M. R., Ericksen, J. & Collins, C. J. (2013). Human Resource Management, Employee Exchange Relationships, and Performance in Small Businesses. Human Resource Management, 52(2), 153-173. https://www.doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21523
Anitha, J. (2014). Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 63(3), 308-323. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/ijppm-01-2013-0008
Asif, S. & Sargeant, A. (2000). Modelling internal communications in the financial services sector. European Journal of Marketing, 34(3/4), 299-318. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/03090560010311867
Baxter, P. & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13(4), 544-559. https://www.doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1573
Brown, S., Gray, D., McHardy, J. & Taylor, K. (2015). Employee Trust and Workplace Performance. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 116, 361-378. https://www.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2462716
Ćorić, D. S., Vokić, N. P. & Verčič, A. T. (2020). Does Good Internal Communication Enhance Life Satisfaction? Journal of Communication Management, 24(4), 363-376. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/jcom-11-2019-0146
Crowe, S., Cresswell, K., Robertson, A., Huby, G., Avery, A. & Sheikh, A. (2011). The case study approach. BMC medical research methodology, 11(1), 1-9.
https://www.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-11-100
David, G. (2011). Internal communication-essential component of crisis communication. Journal of Media Research-Revista de Studii Media, 4(10), 72-81. Retrieved from https://www.mrjournal.ro/docs/R2/10MR7.pdf
Farahbod, F., Azadehdel, M. R. & Jirdehi, M. N. (2013). Organizational Justice, Employees Trust and Organizational Support. Kuwait Chapter of the Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 3(2), 74-85. https://www.doi.org/10.12816/0017457
Frandsen, F. & Johansen, W. (2011). The study of internal crisis communication: Towards an integrative framework. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 16(4), 347-361. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/13563281111186977
Gerring, J. (2004). What is a case study and what is it good for? American Political Science Review, 341-354. https://www.doi.org/10.1017/S0003055404001182
Gill, R. (2015). Why the PR strategy of storytelling improves employee engagement and adds value to CSR: An integrated literature review. Public Relations Review, 41(5), 662-674. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.02.012
Goler, L., Gale, J. & Grant, A. (2016). Let’s Not Kill Performance Evaluations Yet. Harvard Business Review, 94(11), 90-94.
Gruman, J. A. & Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and employee engagement. Human Resource Management Review, 21(2), 123-136. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2010.09.004
Hanaysha, J. R. & Majid, M. (2018). Employee motivation and its role in improving the productivity and organizational commitment at higher education institutions. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business, 6(1), 17-28. https://www.doi.org/10.17687/jeb.0601.02
Hayase, L. K. T. (2009). Internal communication in organizations and employee engagement (Phd. dissertation, University of Nevada). Retrieved from https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2177&context=thesesdissertat ions
Hungerford, C. & Cleary, M. (2020). ‘High trust’ and ‘low trust’ workplace settings: Implications for our mental health and wellbeing. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 42(5), 506-514. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2020.1822480
Ingelmo Palomares, M., Navarro, C. & Sanz Lara, J. Á. (2018). Determining Factors of Success in Internal Communication Management in Spanish Companies. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 23(3), 405-422. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/ccij-03-2017-0021
Jaupi, F. & Llaci, S. (2014). Employee engagement and its relation with key economic indicators. Journal of Information Technology and Economic Development, 5(2), 112-117. Retrieved from
https://www.proquest.com/docview/1681254700/fulltext/7D8E0E6053794E34PQ/1?account id=44396
Joo, B. K. & Lee, I. (2017). Workplace happiness: Work engagement, career satisfaction, and subjective well-being. In Evidence-Based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, 5(2), 206-221. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/ebhrm-04-2015-0011
Kang, M. & Sung, M. (2017). How symmetrical employee communication leads to employee engagement and positive employee communication behaviors: The mediation of employee-organization relationships. Journal of Communication Management, 21(1), 82-102. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/jcom-04-2016-0026
Karanges, E., Johnston, K., Beatson, A. & Lings, I. (2015). The Influence of Internal Communication on Employee Engagement: A pilot Study. Public relations review, 41(1), 129-131. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.12.003
Karanges, E., Johnston, K., Beatson, A. & Lings, I. (2015). The influence of internal communication on employee engagement: A pilot study. Public relations review, 41(1), 129-131. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.12.003
Kular, S., Gatenby, M., Rees, C., Soane, E. & Truss, K. (2008). Employee Engagement: A Literature Review. Kingston University. Retrieved from https://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/id/eprint/4192/1/19wempen.pdf
Linke, A. & Zerfass, A. (2011). Internal communication and innovation culture: Developing a change framework. Journal of Communication Management, 15(4), 332-348. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/13632541111183361
Lu, L., Lu, A. C. C., Gursoy, D. & Neale, N. R. (2016). Work Engagement, Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(4), 737-761. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2014-0360
Markos, S. & Sridevi, M. S. (2010). Employee engagement: The key to improving performance. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(12), 89-96. https://www.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v5n12p89
Marshall, C., Brereton, P. & Kitchenham, B. (2015). Tools to Support Systematic Reviews in Software Engineering: A Cross-domain Survey Using Semi-structured Interviews. In Proceedings of the 19th international conference on evaluation and assessment in software engineering (pp. 1-6). https://www.doi.org/10.1145/2745802.2745827
Mazzei, A. (2010). Promoting active communication behaviours through internal communication. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 15(3), 221-234. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/13563281011068096
Mazzei, A. (2014). Internal communication for employee enablement. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 19(1), 82-95.
https://www.doi.org/10.1108/ccij-08-2012-0060
Mazzei, A., Kim, J. N. & Dell’Oro, C. (2012). Strategic Value of Employee Relationships and Communicative Actions: Overcoming Corporate Crisis with Quality Internal Communication. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 6(1), 31-44. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2011.634869
Men, L. R. (2014). Strategic internal communication: Transformational leadership, communication channels, and employee satisfaction. Management Communication Quarterly, 28(2), 264-284. https://www.doi.org/10.1177/0893318914524536
Men, L. R. & Stacks, D. (2014). The effects of authentic leadership on strategic internal communication and employee-organization relationships. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26(4), 301-324. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/1062726x.2014.908720
Meng, J. & Berger, B. K. (2012). Measuring return on investment (ROI) of organizations’ internal communication efforts. Journal of Communication Management, 16(4), 332-354. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/13632541211278987
Mishra, K., Boynton, L. & Mishra, A. (2014). Driving Employee Engagement: The Expanded Role of Internal Communications. International Journal of Business Communication, 51(2), 183-202. https://www.doi.org/10.1177/2329488414525399
Mohan, K. & Gomathi, S. (2014). A study on empowering employee capabilities towards organizational excellence. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(20), 557. https://www.doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p557
Nazir, O. & Islam, J. U. (2017). Enhancing organizational commitment and employee performance through employee engagement. South Asian Journal of Business Studies, 6(1), 98-114. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/sajbs-04-2016-0036
Osborne, S. & Hammoud, M. S. (2017). Effective employee engagement in the workplace. International Journal of Applied Management and Technology, 16(1), 50-67. https://www.doi.org/10.5590/ijamt.2017.16.1.04
Parent, J. D. & Lovelace, K. J. (2018). Employee engagement, positive organizational culture and individual adaptability. On the Horizon, 26(3), 206-214. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/oth-01-2018-0003
Pološki Vokić, N., Rimac Bilušić, M. & Najjar, D. (2020). Building Organizational Trust through Internal Communication. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 26(1), 70-83. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/ccij-01-2020-0023
Popli, S. & Rizvi, I. A. (2015). Exploring the relationship between service orientation, employee engagement and perceived leadership style: A study of managers in the private service sector organizations in India. Journal of Services Marketing, 29(1), 59-70. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/jsm-06-2013-0151
Ravazzani, S. (2016). Exploring internal crisis communication in multicultural environments. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 21(1), 73-88. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/ccij-02-2015-0011
Reina, D., Reina, M. & Hudnut, D. (2017). Why Trust is Critical to Team Success. Center for Creative Leadership. Retrieved from https://www.collectiveiq.net/files/why-trust-is-critical- team-success-research-report.pdf
Ruck, K. & Welch, M. (2012). Valuing internal communication; management and employee perspectives. Public Relations Review ,38(2), 294-302. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2011.12.016
Santoso, N. R. (2022). Understanding employee responses to the covid-19 pandemic: A sensemaking humanitarian solidarity perspective. Jurnal Studi Komunikasi, 6(1), 1-15. https://www.doi.org/10.25139/jsk.v6i1.4137
Santoso, N. R., Sulistyaningtyas, I. D. & Pratama, B. P. (2022). Transformational Leadership during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Strengthening Employee Engagement through Internal Communication. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 019685992210951, 1-24. https://www.doi.org/10.1177/01968599221095182
Saratun, M. (2016). Performance management to enhance employee engagement for corporate sustainability. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 8(1), 84-102. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/apjba-07-2015-0064
Sedej, T. & Justinek, G. (2013). Social Media in Internal Communications: A View from Senior Management. Advanced Series in Management, 12, 83-95. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/s1877-6361(2013)0000012008
Serrat, O. (2017). Knowledge solutions: Tools, methods, and approaches to drive organizational performance. Singapore: Springer. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0983-9
Suan Choo, L., Mat, N. & Al‐Omari, M. (2013). Organizational Practices and Employee Engagement: A Case of Malaysia Electronics Manufacturing Firms. Business Strategy Series, 14(1), 3-10. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/17515631311295659
The Jakarta Post (2020, March 20). COVID-19 impacts across Indonesia’s business sectors: A recap. Retrieved from https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/30/covid-19-impacts- across-indonesias-business-sectors-a-recap
Thornton, G. S. (2018). Internal communications flourishes at the grassroots: The growing importance of managers in employee engagement. Strategic Employee Communication, 107-120. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97894-9_9
Tomlinson, G. (2010). Building a culture of high employee engagement. Strategic HR Review, 9(3), 25-31. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/14754391011040046
Van Rooy, D. L., Whitman, D. S., Hart, D. & Caleo, S. (2011). Measuring Employee Engagement during a Financial Downturn: Business Imperative or Nuisance? Journal of Business and Psychology, 26(2), 147-152. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s10869-011-9225-6
Verčič, A. T. & Špoljarić, A. (2020). Managing internal communication: How the choice of channels affects internal communication satisfaction. Public Relations Review, 46(3), 101926. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101926
Vora, N. & Patra, R. K. (2017). Importance of internal communication: Impact on employee engagement in organizations. Media Watch, 8(2), 28-37. https://www.doi.org/10.15655/mw/2017/v8i1A/48933
Welch, M. & Jackson, P. R. (2007). Rethinking internal communication: A stakeholder approach. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 12(2), 177-198. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/13563280710744847
Welch, M. (2011). The evolution of the employee engagement concept: communication implications. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 16(4), 328-346. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/13563281111186968
Metrics
|
|
Details
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
RIGHTS TRANSFER
By submitting the article for evaluation and subsequent publication in Communication & Society, the AUTHOR exclusively assigns the rights of public communication, reproduction, distribution and sale for commercial exploitation to the University of Navarra through its Publications Service, for the maximum legal term in force -the entire life of the author and seventy years after his death or declaration of death-, in any country, and in any of the current and future edition modalities, both in print and electronic versions.
In the event that the article is not accepted for publication , this transfer of rights lapses with the communication of the refusal to the AUTHOR.
The AUTHOR affirms that the article is unpublished, that it has not been sent simultaneously to another publication medium and that the rights have not been transferred exclusively previously. He is responsible to the University of Navarra through its Publications Service for the authorship and originality of his work, as well as for all pecuniary charges that may arise for the University of Navarra through its Publications Service, in favor of third parties due to actions, claims or conflicts arising from the breach of obligations by the AUTHOR.
