Workplace Relationships and Employee Engagement: Domestic Workers vs. Expatriates

Abstract

Increasing employee engagement is a critical issue for a firm’s human resource management, and thus, for firm performance. Given the importance of the topic, existing research has found several determinants of employee engagement. However, there are few insights on the engagement of expatriates residing in a developing market such as an Asia market. In this study, we identify workplace relationships (i.e., relationship with co-workers, supervisor, and organization) are the key determinants of employee engagement based on our literature review. Using survey responses from 318 employees working in service companies in Hong Kong, we empirically confirm that the three relationship variables positively affect employee engagement. Furthermore, we divide the sample into domestic workers and expatriates, and examine whether the effect is stronger for expatriates by doing sub-sample tests. We find that those social workplace relationships are more effective in increasing engagement of expatriates than that of domestic workers. With the findings, we provide important and interesting implications to researchers and business practitioners especially taking in charge of human resource management.