The Work from Home (WFH) Employee Engagement Experience

The purpose of this study is to build on existing internal public relations scholarship and offer a glimpse into the lived experiences of employees who work from home at least two days a week. Guided by the cocreational orientation, this research study used qualitative interviews to better understand the experiences of employees who work from home and how they make meaning of their remote engagement experiences. The findings advocate for a reframing of employee engagement as cocreational employee engagement to advance scholarship in this area. Dialogue is positioned as a form of organizational productivity to increase its value - this unique positioning is a new conceptualization of dialogue. Last, a key antecedent of psychological safety is revealed in the context of working remotely, where employees must exercise greater distortionary effort to earn their ability to work from home. The insights from this paper can help internal communication practitioners develop strategic communication that meets the needs of employees who are not physically in the office to ensure they are connected to their work roles, colleagues, and the mission of the organization.