Relation between human resource development climate and employee engagement: Results from India

In a recent analysis (July 29, 2010) Hewitt Associates have reported a steady decline in the global employee engagement levels. According to the report this is the largest drop in the engagement levels that has been observed in the past 15 years. This clearly highlights the need for some concrete mechanism to improve the engagement levels of the employees in organizations. In response to the dire need for organizations to increase engagement levels of employees, the importance of the human resource development (HRD) climate cannot be overlooked. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of HRD Climate on employee engagement in select business organizations in Indian. An attempt is made to closely examine the interrelationship between factors of HRD Climate and employee engagement. The study was conducted on 85 business executives from both private and public sector manufacturing and service firms in India. Data was analyzed using correlation and regression analysis. The results of the study revealed that the general climate dimension of HRD Climate was the most significant predictor of employee engagement followed by the HRD mechanism dimension. Thus, by studying HRD Climate and employee engagement together, this paper makes a significant contribution to the existing dearth of academic literature on employee engagement and HRD Climate in an Indian context.