The Measurement of Work Engagement

Although the origin of the term is not entirely clear, most likely in its present usage employee engagement was coined by the Gallup Organization in the 1990s as a result of 25 years of interviewing and surveying employees (Buckingham & Coff man, 1999). Please note that the terms employee engagement and work engagement are typically used interchangeably, albeit that the former seems to be preferred in business and consultancy, and the latter in academia. In this chapter the term work engagement is used because it is more specifi c and refers to the relationship of the employee with his or her work. Employee engagement, in contrast, also includes the relationship with the organization, which might explain its popularity in business and consultancy.