An investigation into the extent of engagement levels of middle management officers within the Maltese public service

Abstract

Employee engagement addresses the attitude that one has towards his work, specifically, feelings of vigour, absorption and dedication. This study was aimed at identifying the extent of employee engagement within the Middle Management of the Maltese Public Service. An electronic self-completion questionnaire was utilised, it consisted of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale 17 item version and four more open-ended questions. The latter were used to examine the respondents' understanding of employee engagement, factors influencing employee engagement and how these may facilitate employee engagement within the workplace and the average utilisation of sick leave. General demographic characteristics of the respondents were also collected and compared to employee engagement to determine if there is a statistically significant relationship. A total of 132 respondents participated in the study, resulting in a response rate of 25.8%. The mean employee engagement derived from the UWES 17 was analysed resulting in a mean of 4.08% (SD = 1.04). The data derived was analysed using a series of one-way and two-way ANOVA. The findings indicated a correlation between employee engagement and gender. However, no significant relationships were found between employee engagement and relationships, salary scale, age and sick leave. The open-ended questions were analysed using content analysis. With regards to the respondent’s understanding of employee engagement, 14.60% thought that alignment was the determining factor of employee engagement. Some limitations to the study and future research studies were highlighted, and finally, several implications and recommendations for management of the Maltese Public Service were put forward.