An Analysis of Employee Engagement within the Heart and Lung Transplant and Pulmonary Research Department of the Baylor Scott and White Research Institute at Dallas, TX.

Introduction: Employee engagement is an important construct to measure, with positive employee engagement linked to favorable business outcomes such as increased customer satisfaction, increased productivity, and decreased employee turnover. Employees and interns of the Heart and Lung Transplant and Pulmonary Research Department at Baylor Scott and White Research Institute in Dallas, Texas participated in a survey study to gauge engagement levels and identify any process-improvement initiatives that could be implemented to create a better work environment. Methods: An electronic survey was created to assess various engagement drivers. The survey was then administered to employees and interns to assess how well the department was engaging them; it also provided an opportunity for respondents to bring attention to any issues or concerns they had regarding the department. Results: Due to the brevity of the survey, not all engagement drivers could be measured. However, the short length of the survey resulted in a high response rate. Results also showed the department scored high on all engagement drivers that were measured. The small sample size meant statistical analysis was limited to descriptive measures. Action items were also suggested to address the concerns brought to light by the respondents. Conclusion: The engagement drivers measured in the Heart and Lung Transplant and Pulmonary Research Department of the Baylor Scott and White Research Institute in Dallas, Texas show the staff is positively engaged. However, a survey is only a "snap shot" of one moment in time. It is therefore recommended that another survey be conducted after the action items discussed below have been implemented to measure the effects. Short surveys are ideal to get quick responses and a high participation rate. However, a longer, more thorough survey should also be created to gain further insight into all aspects of engagement of the research department. Further research into employee engagement could also be conducted by looking at such demographic factors as age, gender, and years employed at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center. Further research should also attempt to obtain a higher number of participants for greater generalizability and validity.