Engagement at work: Why it matters for workplace wellbeing

Engagement in the workplace is a positive and dynamic state in which employees are characterized by high levels of energy, dedication, and focus. 

This article was written as part of an ongoing series to highlight the 13 factors of a Psychologically Healthy and Safe workplace. 

Research shows that when employees can draw on both personal strengths, capabilities and workplace support, they handle job demands more effectively and are more engaged.¹

Importantly, engagement is not a personality trait or an individual attitude. Nor is it the same as job satisfaction or characterized by voluntary participation in workplace events and activities. Engagement changes over time and is strongly influenced by workplace conditions. Employees can sustain motivation and engagement when workplace conditions support them, for example, effective workload management, supervisory support, the ability to exercise autonomy and opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their work. ²   

And when we talk about motivated workers, this should not be confused with working harder or longer. Sustainable engagement requires adequate resources, reasonable workloads, and opportunities for recovery.  

Engagement and psychological health and safety 

Engagement is shaped by workplace conditions, relationships, leadership practices, and organizational systems. The Canadian standard³ specifically lists engagement as one of the 13 factors. While the international standard for psychological healthy and safe workplaces, ISO 45003⁴ doesn’t list engagement, the ISO standard does highlight engagement practices as essential for managing psychosocial risks and promoting psychological health and safety.  

How we can stay engaged in a psychologically healthy and safe workplace 

As with many of the other factors of a psychologically healthy and safe workplace, engagement is a shared responsibility that is shaped through day-to-day interactions between employees, managers, leaders, and the broader work environment. 

• Employees can support engagement by fostering positive relationships with colleagues, and communicating openly about workload boundaries, capabilities, and resource needs. Contributing ideas, participating in discussions, and seeking support when needed can also help strengthen engagement. 

• Managers and supervisors play a role by providing clear expectations and constructive feedback, supporting employee autonomy, involving team members in decision-making, and helping employees understand how their work contributes to broader organizational goals.

  Monitoring signs of worker exhaustion, modelling healthy work-life boundaries, and connecting employees with available mental health and wellbeing resources are also important practices. 

• Leaders can strengthen engagement by clearly communicating organizational values, priorities, and goals, and by helping employees see how their daily work contributes to UBC's broader mission and purpose.  

Building trust, ensuring reasonable workloads, investing in supportive workplace practices, and creating opportunities for meaningful employee participation all contribute to the conditions in which engagement can thrive in the workplace. 

Supporting engagement at UBC 

Creating these conditions is about fostering psychologically healthy and safe workplaces where people can contribute, apply their strengths, participate in decisions that affect them, build supportive relationships, and find meaning in their work.  

When these conditions are present, engagement becomes more likely, benefiting both individual wellbeing and organizational effectiveness.  

1. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands-Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115 

2. Demerouti E., A.B. Bakker, F. Nachreiner and W.B. Schaufeli: 2001, ‘The job demands– resources model of burnout’, Journal of Applied Psychology 86, pp. 499–512. 

3. CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ 9700-800/2013: National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. CSA Group and BNQ.

4. International Organization for Standardization. (2021). ISO 45003:2021 Occupational health and safety management — Psychological health and safety at work — Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks. https://www.iso.org/standard/64283.html