A Study on the Relationship Between Internet-Based Community Use in the Workplace and Employee Engagement

Abstract

Online communities can be a platform for employees to communicate with each other in relation to their work-related matters and even personal matters. This study explores the relationship between use of online community in the workplace, which is regarded as an internal communication tool, and employee engagement. It used descriptive, quantitative approach to evaluate whether or not a relationship existed between the employees’ use of online community and employee engagement. This study uses a framework, which is supported by Homans’ Social Exchange Theory and Lave & Wenger’s Community of Practice Theory. This research aims to answer the main question, “Is there a relationship between online community use in the workplace and employee engagement?” Cronbach’s Alpha was computed to evaluate whether the survey has high reliability and consistency. Based on the pre-test survey that was administered to 6 employees of the similar industry as the chosen organization, the Cronbach’s Alpha score is 0.869, which is considered consistent. Using convenience sampling, 40 randomly selected respondents from the chosen organization answered the post survey questionnaire, which is the instrument for data gathering. The results of the survey were analyzed through the use of statistical methods such as cross tabulation, frequency distribution, and ranking, and Spearman’s Rho. The survey provided data on the use of online communication platforms in the workplace, levels of engagement in the organization, online community interactions, and relationship of the said variables. Findings from the overall analysis suggest that a weak to moderate relationship exists between online community use in the workplace and employee engagement.