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Study shows measurement invariance of employee engagement instrument across racial groups


Purpose
The authors set out to assess the invariance of the employee engagement instrument (EEI) used to assess engagement in the financial sector in South Africa. The sector faces a recruitment crisis and is also multi-racial.


Design/methodology/approach
The authors used the database of a research company that contained 285,000 business people from various backgrounds. They attracted a sample of 1,175 respondents from financial institutions. The majority were white (62.2 per cent), but 16.8 per cent were African, 8.5 per cent were colored, and 9.9 per cent were Indian. A five-point Likert EEI was used to measure employee engagement at individual, team, and organizational levels.


Findings
The authors concluded that the EEI demonstrated multi-group invariance across different race groups, as any deviation was statistically insignificant. The implication was that the instrument could be used with confidence across all four racial groups in the financial sector in South Africa to measure employee engagement.


Originality/value
The authors place their research in the context of the modern world’s “war for talent.” The increasing mobility of workforces and the retirement of baby boomers have put employers under pressure to develop strategies that prevent the best workers from quitting. Employee engagement becomes an important tool in reducing departures. But research suggests it has been decreasing for some years.
