A Qualitative Study on the Meaning of Employee Engagement for Employees in Sustaining Commitment to the Organization

Yutiandry Rivai

doi:10.61230/luxury.v3i1.124

Authors

Yutiandry Rivai Institut Bisnis dan Teknologi Pelita Indonesia, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61230/luxury.v3i1.124

Keywords:

Qualitative Study, Employee Engagement, Employee Commitment, Sustaining Commitment, Organization

Abstract

This qualitative study seeks to explore the lived experiences of employees to uncover how they perceive the meaning of engagement and how this perception influences their commitment to remain within the organization. This study employed a qualitative research design using a phenomenological approach. Phenomenology is well-suited for exploring the lived experiences and personal interpretations of individuals. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step approach. The findings reveal that employee engagement is deeply rooted in emotional connection, recognition, meaningful work, and supportive leadership. Engagement is not just a state of doing, it is a state of being. It is shaped by how employees experience their roles, relationships, and the organizational environment. For HR and Management, engagement strategies should prioritize emotional connection, purpose, recognition, and leadership development. Top-down engagement initiatives must be supplemented with authentic two-way communication. Future research could consider involving employees from different industries, countries, or generational cohorts to compare engagement perceptions.

References

Alexander, Suhardjo, Renaldo, N., Juanedi, A. T., & Mery, S. (2024). Effects of Communication, Motivation, Work Discipline and Job Satisfaction on Employee Performance at PT Bintang Terang Mandiri. Lucrum: Jurnal Bisnis Terapan, 4(4), 483–497. http://www.ejournal.pelitaindonesia.ac.id/ojs32/index.php/lucrum/index

Ansorimal, Panjaitan, H. P., & Chandra, T. (2022). The Influence of the Work Creation Law Draft on Abnormal Return and Trading Volume Activity in LQ45 Share. Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 3(1), 17–25.

Aprila, B. N., Rahman, S., Setyawan, O., & Veriska, V. (2025). Analysis of The Influence of Direct Marketing and Brand Image on Purchasing Decisions and Consumer Loyalty of 500 ml Sweet Condensed Milk of The Bagus Brand at PT. Riau Food Lestari Pekanbaru. Business Management and Accounting (ICOBIMA), 3(2), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.35145/icobima.v3i2.5096

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE.

Hadi, S., Putri, N. Y., Andi, A., Renaldo, N., & Prayetno, M. P. (2024). The Impact of Audit Reputation on Stakeholder Trust: A Qualitative Analysis of Key Influencing Factors. Proceeding of International Conference on Business Management and Accounting (ICOBIMA), 2(2), 368–372. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.35145/icobima.v2i2.4390

Imarni, Chandra, T., & Ginting, Y. M. (2022). Leadership, Discipline, and Organizational Culture on Job Satisfaction and Teacher Performance at State Junior High Schools in Bandar Petalangan District, Pelalawan Regency. Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 3(3), 272–286.

Jahrizal, Dalil, M., Amri, R., Junaedi, A. T., Tendra, G., Arpyanti, N., Nurhaliza, M., Ningsih, D. F., Ramadhani, R. R., & Nopiani, Y. (2024). Buku Saku Penggunaan Aplikasi Manajemen Budidaya Kambing Etawa Terintegrasi Pertanian Organik (N. Renaldo & I. Yovita, Eds.). PT. Literasi Nusantara Abadi Grup.

Jollyta, D., Prihandoko, P., Johan, J., Ramdhan, W., & Santoso, E. (2025). Transfer Learning Model Evaluation on CNN Algorithm: Indonesian Sign Language System (SIBI). Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 6(2), 83–92. https://doi.org/10.35145/jabt.v6i2.213

Junaedi, A. T., Panjaitan, H. P., Yovita, I., Veronica, K., Renaldo, N., & Jahrizal, J. (2024). Advancing Digital and Technology Literacy through Qualitative Studies to Bridging the Skills Gap in the Digital Age. Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 5(2), 123–133. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.35145/jabt.v5i2.170

Junaedi, A. T., Renaldo, N., Suhardjo, S., Musa, S., & Veronica, K. (2024). Credit Risk Prediction Model Using Artificial Intelligence in Digital Financial Systems. Business Management and Accounting (ICOBIMA), 3(1), 127–134. https://doi.org/10.35145/icobima.v3i1.5092

Junaedi, A. T., Suhardjo, S., Renaldo, N., Purnama, I., Jessen, J., & Suranto, A. (2024). Analysis of Factors Affecting Customer Loyalty on CV Riau Building Pekanbaru. Proceeding of International Conference on Business Management and Accounting (ICOBIMA), 2(2), 348–361. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.35145/icobima.v2i2.4385

Mamonto, S., Wahidin, D., Laila, I. N., Pratama, I. P. D. M., Junaedi, A. T., Saimima, M. S., Khotim, N. W., Gojali, J. A., Sudarno, S., Renaldo, N., & Adityawati, I. A. (2023). Disiplin dalam Pendidikan. PT. Literasi Nusantara Abadi Grup.

Mukhsin, M., Junaedi, A. T., Suhardjo, S., Renaldo, N., & Prayetno, M. P. (2024). The Role and Effectiveness of Accounting Information Systems in Modern Organizations: A Comprehensive Analysis. Proceeding of International Conference on Business Management and Accounting (ICOBIMA), 2(2), 362–367. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.35145/icobima.v2i2.4389

Mukhsin, M., Renaldo, N., Junaedi, A. T., Veronica, K., & Cecilia, C. (2023). Innovative Approaches to Cloud-Based Accounting Information Systems: Integrating AI, Blockchain, and IoT. Proceeding of International Conference on Business Management and Accounting (ICOBIMA), 2(1), 288–294. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.35145/icobima.v2i1.4375

Nyoto, Sudarno, Priyono, Surikin, & Renaldo, N. (2023). Emotional Intelligence, Workload, and Cyberloafing on Organizational Commitment and Performance of Teachers at the Pelalawan High School Level. Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 4(2), 134–143. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.35145/jabt.v4i2.129

Purnama, I., Renaldo, N., Panjaitan, H. P., Junaedi, T., Suhardjo, S., & Veronica, K. (2025). Exploring the Meaning of Employee Loyalty through the Lens of Organizational Behavior: A Phenomenological Study in Digital Start-up Firms. Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 6(1), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.35145/jabt.v6i1.226

Renaldo, N., Anton, Komardi, D., Sabnah, S., Junaedi, A. T., Suhardjo, & Jahrizal. (2024). Promotion, Motivation, Digital Work Experience and Job Satisfaction on Employee Performance At Pt. Indo Riau Perkasa. Procuratio: Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen, 12(4), 433–444. http://ejournal.pelitaindonesia.ac.id/ojs32/index.php/PROCURATIO/index

Renaldo, N., Rozalia, D. K., Musa, S., Wahid, N., & Cecilia. (2023). Current Ratio, Firm Size, and Return on Equity on Price Earnings Ratio with Dividend Payout Ratio as a Moderation and Firm Characteristic as Control Variable on the MNC 36 Index Period 2017-2021. Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 4(3), 214–226. https://doi.org/10.35145/jabt.v4i3.136

Renaldo, N., Suhardjo, Suharti, Suyono, & Cecilia. (2022). Benefits and Challenges of Technology and Information Systems on Performance. Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 3(3), 302–305. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.35145/jabt.v3i3.114

Renaldo, N., & Veronica, K. (2024). The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Early Detection of Financial Statement Fraud in Digital Financial Institutions, AI-Fraud Behavior Integration Model. Business Management and Accounting (ICOBIMA), 3(1), 135–144. https://doi.org/10.35145/icobima.v3i1.5093

Rustan, F. R., Kalsum, T. U., Susanti, W., Junaedi, A. T., & Renaldo, N. (2025). Teknik Penulisan Karya Ilmiah (A. I. Sastra, Ed.). Yayasan Tri Edukasi Ilmiah.

Safari, S., Hardilah, F., Hafni, L., & Siswoyo, S. (2025). Enhancing Job Satsifaction through Workload, Knowledge Sharing Behavior, Psychological Contract and Innovative Work Behavior. Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 6(2), 146–154. https://doi.org/10.35145/jabt.v6i2.203

Sari, Chandra, T., & Panjaitan, H. P. (2021). The Effect of Company Size and DER on ROA and Company Value in the Food and Beverage Sub Sector on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). Journal of Applied Business and Technology, 2(2), 134–141.

Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research Method for Business A Skill-Building Approach Seventh Edition (Seventh Ed). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_102084

Sudarno, Renaldo, N., Hutahuruk, M. B., Suhardjo, Suyono, Putri, I. Y., & Andi. (2022). Development of Green Trident Measurements to Improve Environmental Performance: Literature Study. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies, 2(1), 53–57.

Wati, Y., Yusrizal, Irman, M., Fadrul, & Renaldo, N. (2024). Gaining Effective Profitability with Training in Factory Overhead Cost Calculation for Printing Businesses. Plakat: Jurnal Pelayanan Kepada Masyarakat, 6(2), 211. http://e-journals.unmul.ac.id/index.php/palat

Wijaya, E., Ali, Z., Hocky, A., Anton, A., & Oliver, W. (2023). Impact of Company Size, Income on Share, Debt to Equity, Total Assets Revenue and Net Profit on The Kompas 100 Company Value Index. Proceeding of International Conference on Business Management and Accounting (ICOBIMA), 2(1), 218–226. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.35145/icobima.v2i1.4066

Yusrizal, Renaldo, N., & Hasri, M. O. (2021). Pengaruh Good Governance dan Whistleblowing System terhadap Kepatuhan Wajib Pajak Orang Pribadi dengan Risiko Sanksi Pajak sebagai Moderasi di KPP Pratama Pekanbaru Tampan. Bilancia: Jurnal Ilmiah Akuntansi, 5(2), 119–134.