# Assessing Employee Engagement in a Post-COVID-19 Workplace Ecosystem
## 2 Theoretical Background
### The New Workplace Ecosystem: Implications for Monitoring Employee Engagement Post-COVID-19  
Academic definitions of employee engagement differ from those elaborated by industry organisations across the 'grey' literature [77], resulting in numerous approaches to measuring engagement effectively. Nevertheless, one of the most cited academic definitions of employee engagement was proposed by [PERSON] [78] as 'the harnessing of organisation members' selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances' [78] (p. 694). Employee engagement also has been defined as 'a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterised by vigour, dedication, and absorption' [48] (p. 74), one step up from commitment [79], a passion for work [80; 81], or a 'positive work-related psychological state characterised by a genuine willingness to contribute to organisational success' [82] (p. 5);a relationship with employee work, role and organisation, or 'a state of mental energy' that is 'associated with involvement, commitment, passion, focused effort and energy' [2] (pp. 295-299). In the field of organisational psychology, there are numerous metrics focused on employee engagement that have some relevance for employee health and well-being. For example, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) uses 'vigour' as one out of three proposed subscales to measure engagement. As 'vigour' can be defined as either strength, energy or enthusiasm [83], it can be logically linked with employee mental and physical health conditions, which constitutes the efforts around healthy workplace design (both sociologically and physically). Moreover, the UWES methodology is commonly used in various studies on the association between employee engagement and health outcomes [67]. Additionally, linking employee engagement with human health at the workplace can 'empower the workforce and sustain their well-being', as highlighted in Deloitte's model [10] in the context of 'adaptive workplaces' in a post-COVID-19 scenario. However, this approach demands further investigation of the relationship between the physical workplace environment and employee engagement and a closer look at the metrics subsequently developed by both academics and industry, particularly for workplaces that aim to promote health and well-being. The more distributed workspaces and the acceleration of remote work patterns in a post-COVID-19 world are expected to have a greater impact on employee flexibility associated with employee engagement [10], which may differ across a variety of workplaces. Additionally, employees will have the privilege of choosing their preferred workplace within such an ecosystem based on, for example, individual-level engagement. Hence, there will be a greater role of employee decision-making in the shaping of 'adaptive workplaces'. As little is known about how different workplace settings in the 'total workplace ecosystem' impact employee engagement, further research is needed to address the whole spectrum of workplaces to thoroughly examine this issue. Although there is no scientific evidence that a 'healthy' workplace design (e.g., WELL-certified office space) directly contributes to employee engagement, some studies report that both physical and mental health factors have a positive relationship with engagement [67; 68] (it has to be noted that WELL includes policy, design and maintenance features, but this paper focuses on the design side). However, there are many overlapping factors influencing engagement; so, it is hard to pinpoint which factors influence engagement, as well as how to measure it [44]. Is it the access to natural light or the ability to rest that influences the outcome? Or is it management? Or is it both? The evidence is still emerging and needs clarity on which factors influence what and the extent of their interaction.