Engaging Apparel Employees to Identify and Decide Actions to Address Selected Determinants using Health Promotion Approach

Abstract

Low level of employee engagement is one of the most alarming global economic problems. It declines work performance and productivity of employees. The objective of this qualitative study is to identify and decide actions to address selected probable determinants which affect employee engagement. The health promotion principals with participatory approach were implemented with sewing machine operators in an apparel factory in Sri Lanka of age 18–55 (n = 64). The duration of determinant identification took around 3 months while intervention period took around 6 months. Initiation, maintenance and continual monitoring, and re-direction toward greater effectiveness were done as the components of a health promotion process. Group discussions with employees and key informant interviews with managerial personals were recorded, transcribed, translated to English, and thematically analyzed. Without the involvement of the principal investigator, employees were able to identify eight determinants while managerial personals identified three determinants. Among those identified probable determinants, four of which corresponded with those already mentioned in published studies. After facilitation, employees could identify six determinants and they could identify determinants by conducting some interactive activities and while measuring employees’ changes using “health promotional tools” as well. From the identified determinants, employees prioritized four determinants that were addressed and nine actions were developed with the employees to address them in this process. Employees could identify the probable determinants that affect employee engagement in their own work place by themselves and they could decide actions to address selected determinants successfully with minimum guidance through a health promotion approach.