The Bosch Firm’s Employee Engagement Practices

Problem Background

Employee engagement is foundational for large corporations and is the primary aspect of human recourses (HR) management practices. Maintaining workforce motivation and involvement determines the strategic goals achievement and the ability to address crises. The current challenging circumstance that forced companies worldwide to revise and adjust their engagement strategies was the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused massive disruption to operations due to health regulations and lockdowns (Meyer et al., 2021). Corporations switched to a hybrid work format, provided their employees with additional insurance and support, and reconsidered how their engagement is measured (Chanana, 2021). An example of a multinational company that faced the demand for adjusting their employee retention strategies during the pandemic is Bosch, an engineering conglomerate with German origins.

The research problem is considerable because the pandemic’s aftermath lacks sufficient scientific exploration. Furthermore, various corporations are still addressing the outcomes of the crisis and are incapable of analyzing if their decisions were correct from the long-term perspective; thus, the rationale to conduct relevant research occurs (Meyer et al., 2021). A study about employee engagement issues, the influence of the pandemic, and a specific company case exploration is a valuable contribution to the knowledge gap in economic and behavioral sciences. Bosch is a multinational corporation, the experience of which would be interesting to other businesses and HR managers worldwide. This proposal aims to describe qualitative research studying how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced employee engagement practices at Bosch.

Objectives and Hypothesis

Bosch is a German engineering corporation with subsidiaries worldwide, and as the pandemic resulted in lockdowns, the executives followed the local healthcare legislations and took measures regardless of the economic and manufacturing damage. The company can be reached online or by getting the visiting permission at the German offices to conduct the qualitative study, exploring the employee engagement practices. Bosch has a specific background because the engineering industry conglomerates enable people of diverse qualifications and roles to work collaboratively (Hodapp et al., 2022). Thus, the research goals related to employee motivation and retention explore their unique issues and circumstances. The first objective is to indicate what has changed in employee engagement at Bosch and if these modifications remained after the pandemic. The second is to survey staff members to gather information about their perception of working at Bosch. The third objective is to develop company recommendations based on theoretical evidence and the employees’ experience. The hypothesis for the research is that employee engagement practices improved at Bosch after the pandemic.

Literature Review

Employee engagement is thoroughly explored from economic, HR, and psychological perspectives because it involves interpersonal communication and influences individuals’ decisions, and companies depend on its efficiency. Business peer-reviewed materials introduce the term as a critical variable for estimating revenues and building a successful organization (Chanana, 2021). Human recourses management research includes common issues and strategies to enhance and maintain high motivation and low turnover rates among workers and to support a positive workplace environment. For instance, switching to a remote format during the pandemic forced HR to digitalize monitoring, practice virtual meetings, and develop different retention strategies (Hurtienne et al., 2022). From a psychological perspective, employee engagement is studied as a determinant of decision-making and reactions to certain circumstances at work. The primary literature research suggested that the theoretical framework should be based on the HR strategies and aspects of crisis management, including organizational workplace environment, leadership, training, and motivation.

Furthermore, the scope of theory regarding the changes in employee engagement practices during the pandemic and the outcomes of forced modifications at facilities is meager due to the issue’s novelty. Indeed, businesses are still addressing the consequences of lockdowns and health challenges and have not evaluated and analyzed the outcomes of their crisis management (Chanana, 2021). Multinational companies switched to the hybrid work format, allowing their employees to combine remote and in-office hours, and adjusted their engagement approaches to new circumstances (Meyer et al., 2021). A theoretical framework for exploring the workforce management issues and operations at Bosch requires studying the other companies’ experiences for comparison. The literature review identified three main themes, such as employee engagement issues, related post-pandemic HR strategies, and practices at multinational engineering corporations, for comprehensive research.

Employee Engagement Issues

Employee engagement strategies are necessary to maintain workers’ involvement, reduce their turnover rates, and include transformational leadership, training opportunities, and performance improvement events and bonuses. Sun and Bunchapattanasakda (2019, p. 75) claim that “with regard to variables related to employee engagement, antecedent variables include organizational, job and individual factors, and outcome variables are mainly focused on individual and organizational performance.” Consequently, the main issue is proper evaluation of the practices’ effectiveness and the inability of HR managers to timely modify their communication or activities.

Another problem is talent management: staff members with significant capabilities and scope of experience might be undervalued while working with colleagues with average skills, damaging their willingness to achieve goals. McKinsey’s research revealed that employee engagement lacks talent-related systems that could help HR departments match the skillsets to the jobs and form agile teams motivated to help the company succeed (Hancock and Schaninger, 2020). An empirical study by Nayak, Jena, and Patnaik demonstrated that the psychological perception of a job mediates the relationship between knowledge integration and employee retention (Nayak, Jena, and Patnaik, 2021). According to a quantitative review, in addition to the psychological attachment to work, overall satisfaction enhances engagement, and the problems, such as lack of feedback and rewards, must be addressed to prevent staff from burnout (Supriyanto, Ekowati, and Pujianto, 2021). Achieving sufficient job contentment enables HR managers to improve employee engagement on professional levels, from interns to executives, to avoid performance detriment.

Employee Engagement and HR Practices After The Pandemic

The pandemic enabled HR managers to revise their employee engagement practices and adjust them to the remote work and lockdown circumstances. Indeed, Meyer et al. surveyed and assessed German employees during the pandemic from April to June 2020, revealing that the majority experienced exhaustion and consequent performance decrease and burnout (Meyer et al., 2021). Therefore, employee engagement required adjustments to assist staff members in developing work-life balance and including pandemic-specific efficacy metrics. Indeed, Chanana (2021, p. e2508) identified practices such as “conduct weekly alignment session, team meet-ups, virtual challenges and competitions, shared content such as books, online courses, communication exercise, and emphasize results over timelines.” Furthermore, according to the surveys, assistance with health management and deliberate safety addressing strategies improvement were essential factors for employee engagement during COVID-19 (Zadros, 2021). New practices formed because of lockdowns and challenging situations with healthcare integrated into the HR strategies and remained efficient in the post-pandemic circumstances.

Indeed, current research advocates for a flexible work format where staff members choose between remote and in-office hours, depending on the tasks they should complete. Weideman and Hofmeyr (2020, p. 2) state that “a common motive for organizations to implement flexibility is to assist employees to better balance their time, where commuting times consumed a major portion of employees’ time.” According to another study, after the pandemic, considering workers’ individual needs and circumstances became essential for maintaining their willingness to work (Pass and Ridgway, 2022). HR practices modified to the novel conditions are more cost-efficient but lack a legislative foundation and should be aligned with the company’s goals and basic performance metrics (Shahi and Neloy, 2020). From employees’ perspective, an ability to adjust work schedules and integrate unique approaches to complete tasks became more valuable than KPI-based monetary bonuses.

Employee Engagement at Multinational Engineering Companies such as Bosch

Bosch is a multinational corporation primarily representing the engineering industry, meaning employees with diverse skill sets and backgrounds should work collaboratively and stay equally engaged. In addition, most jobs are based on assembling and manufacturing and, therefore, cannot be performed remotely, making it challenging for HR managers to address health threats during the pandemic. Employee engagement in engineering companies is developed based on the lean metrics of production and estimated rewards; thus, switching to hybrid or flexible practices must be cost-efficient (Yadav, Seth, and Desai, 2018). Complicated manufacturing processes also require supervision and accessibility of experts to assist workers in completing their tasks and maintaining adequate performance. In the related qualitative study, Busse and Weidner (2020, p. 544) emphasized that “supplementing a modern working environment by the appropriate amount of leadership presence, however, can raise employee engagement to higher levels.” In the post-pandemic circumstances, HR should extend flexibility and improve the proper work environment maintenance practices.

Engineering companies have specific demographics, and the workforce’s needs must be considered in motivation and retention strategies. HR Research revealed that most employees represent the millennial group, and their engagement must align with safety, community, education, collaborative environment, and appropriate leadership (Hurtienne, Hurtienne, and Kempen, 2022). Utoft identified and explained the problem of gender and cultural equality in manufacturing corporations, suggesting that this factor diminishes the effectiveness of administration and workers’ retention (Utoft, 2020). At Bosch, managers’ work is strict and structured, enabling them to overcome the barriers by direct interaction with staff members or by developing and presenting the initiatives to executives before taking action (Hodapp et al., 2022). Employee engagement at multinational engineering companies lacked approaches based on the staff member’s specific needs; thus, motivation maintenance during and after the pandemic was challenging.

Gaps in Current Research and Literature

The literature review demonstrated that although employee engagement is broadly explored, the pandemic aftermath lacks research due to the topic’s novelty. Businesses in different industries have diverse practices to motivate and support their staff members; thus, there is no comprehensive study on the best strategies for the post-pandemic world (Pass and Ridgway, 2022). The gap in current research occurred due to the lack of unique case studies of how employee engagement was modified, what issues were faced, and if the common approaches are still suitable.

Investigative Approach and Methods

Research Purpose and Design

The research aims to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced employee engagement at Bosch. It is crucial to gather data from primary sources about the motivation and retention programs, work format, schedule, and benefits. Research design should be based on the objectives and hypothesis; thus, appropriate data collection and analysis strategies apply to a qualitative survey (Pass and Ridgway, 2022). Exploring employee engagement at Bosch during and after the pandemic requires communication with the company’s staff members and an understanding of how they are being motivated by managers.

The study is epistemological because the obtained information will explain how certain changes in HR practices forced by external conditions impact employee engagement. The philosophy of pragmatism applies to the research because one of the objectives is to develop recommendations for improvement. The approach is deductive as the theoretical framework about changes in employee engagement at Bosch is pre-stated, and the practical part will expand on this foundation. The most appropriate research strategy is a mono-method, qualitative study performed by surveying the company’s staff members using questionnaires or interviews. Hypothesis and objectives are related to a specific period, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the survey will only be completed once, without follow-ups; therefore, a cross-sectional time horizon is suitable (Crossman and Bordia, 2021). Content data analysis will be performed to retrieve qualitative results using materials, such as comparing the responses and identifying matching themes.

Target Population and Sampling

The target population for the research is Bosch employees and managers from German and international branches with experience working in the company for at least five years. The corporation has different practices in countries, such as India and the United States; thus, selecting one subsidiary would contribute to identifying the HR strategies and determining what distinguishes them based on jurisdiction (Hodapp et al., 2022). The research hypothesis does not require probability testing; thus, a convenience sampling technique is appropriate for the study (Crossman and Bordia, 2021). Selecting the participants based on availability and proximity will not limit the results; however, a snowball methodology can enable the surveyed individuals to refer more colleagues to contribute.

The sample size depends on the quantity of Bosch employees who agreed to participate; however, an aim for communication with 30-50 individuals is reasonable. Indeed, as the study is qualitative, a small number of the surveyed may provide sufficient data for further analysis and approve or deny the initial hypothesis (Crossman and Bordia, 2021). Furthermore, the target participant, a Bosch employee with at least five years of experience in the company, is a relatively narrow characteristic. One of the research objectives is to indicate what has changed in employee engagement practices during and after the pandemic, and it also can be achieved without a large scope of primary sources.

Data Collection

Data collection includes evidence necessary to obtain hypothesis approval or denial and to achieve the initial research objectives. Surveys, questionnaires, and interviews are appropriate for the selected qualitative methodology; thus, addressing the hypothesis that Bosch modified their employee engagement will be performed via these tools (Hodapp et al., 2022). The objectives to indicate what practices have changed throughout the pandemic and to develop recommendations for further improvement should be achieved by analyzing staff members’ responses.

The survey, the main data collection method of the study, should cover the most common motivation strategies, such as monetary bonuses, communicational activities, gatherings, and rewards, and the assessment of how satisfied are the staff members. Questions about their work position or role are not included to make it possible to assess the overall employee engagement at Bosch (Crossman and Bordia, 2021). Other factors influencing employee motivation, such as the value of their talent by the senior colleague, the frequency of stressful situations, and the workplace environment, are presented as “Rate from one to five” types of queries (see Appendix A).

Data collection procedures can be completed online by finding the Bosch employees on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social platforms. Furthermore, it is applicable to reach out to the German offices and ask if there is an option to visit them and interview several employees or offer them a survey to fill out. The research aims to reach German and English-speaking countries’ subsidiaries to gather diverse sampling and explore how employee engagement practices are modified at Bosch internationally. Thus, developing surveys in English and German would be beneficial for reaching the sampling benchmark of 30-50 participants. If data collection is performed online and in person, the cloud database with the responses and copies of completed surveys will be opened to perform qualitative analysis and search for tendencies or matching opinions (Crossman and Bordia, 2021). Conducting the research and gathering the information will take about two weeks.

Data Analysis

Data collected qualitatively provides the researchers with a broad scope of evidence, and it is essential to specify the information necessary to achieve objectives and prove the hypothesis. After conducting the surveys and merging them into the same base, three methods to proceed can be applied: content, thematic, and discourse analyses (Crossman and Bordia, 2021). The content inspection is necessary to determine if the majority of employees are engaged and should be performed by assessing the rate-based questions and reading the survey responses to identify overall positive or negative feedback. The thematic analysis is useful for identifying the motivation strategies Bosch prioritizes, and the discourse approach will reveal how the engineering specialization of the company determines its internal operations.

The sampling is not large; thus, every survey can be read and analyzed manually, enabling the researchers to discover patterns and considerable details. The instruments for surveys’ data analysis are the digital tables and document creation services, cloud databases, and tools such as altas.ti that allow encountering patterns or semantic similarities (Crossman and Bordia, 2021). Performing additional tests and applying independent variables is a surplus for the hypothesis and objectives addressing requirements.

Ethical Issues

A qualitative study based on surveying Bosch staff members to explore the company’s employee engagement strategies has ethical limitations and considerations. Research ethics apply fundamental principles to the design, methodology, and other operations necessary for achieving objectives (Goncalves and Cornelius Smith, 2018). The term is based on scientifically, socially, and morally approved standards of respect and regulation throughout the study. The universal principles are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, fidelity, and justice, and all research decision-making should comply with them (Arnold, 2021). Addressing possible ethical issues before the active phase is crucial for avoiding serious barriers to reaching desired outcomes and objectives. Furthermore, the effects, such as recommendations for the company, must have a theoretical and evidence-based foundation to eliminate the risks of harming the company’s employee engagement practices. Ethical aspects should be mentioned in the study and informed consent for the participants to ensure their appliance throughout all procedures, from theoretical framework formation to the interpretation of the results.

Ethical concerns exist at most stages of research because surveying contains information exchange and is based on individuals’ experiences. Indeed, according to the principle of nonmaleficence, the obtained information must be kept anonymous, and all participants must sign the informed contest about their confidentiality protection. However, if the results demonstrate severe tendencies or employee engagement practices ineffectiveness, the dilemma of the managers should be notified occurs, because the disclosure might be addressed as beneficence for Bosch (Arnold, 2021). The issue can be addressed with the initial elimination of conflict of interest by identifying that the research team is not related to the company and will not directly contact them to share the results unless they are published.

Another ethical issue is online communication, which eliminates the opportunity to ensure data privacy that must be respected. Mitigating confidentiality and privacy are achievable by using software for surveys where the personal information appliance is disabled and the connection is encrypted. The risk of receiving untruthful responses that would lead to incorrect results is an ethical issue that should be addressed by presenting research as a completely anonymous, education-related activity (Goncalves and Cornelius Smith, 2018). Lastly, the research might be biased by the overall perception of Bosch as a large successful corporation, and employee engagement practices that are normal for less influential businesses might seem incorrect for the multinational company. This ethical issue requires the researcher to evaluate the responses objectively and mention the possible prejudices in the limitations section of the study.

Time Plan and Recourses

Time plan and frame are crucial for conducting the research efficiently and performing data gathering and analysis per initial objectives. The study will be initiated on September 26 from theoretical background formation and completed by preparing an article with the results by October 31. The research preparation will take one week, data collection will take two weeks, and the time left will be used for data analysis, conclusions, and recommendations development (see Appendix B). Recourses, such as access to a library, communication – social platforms, databases – Google forms, and tools for analysis – atlas.ti and computer office programs are available online and remotely. Individuals involved in the research are the professor, participants, Bosch administrators, and librarians are reachable online, by phone, and in person.

Reference List

Arnold, D.G., (2021) ‘Universal research ethics and international business studies’, Journal of International Business Studies, 52(7), pp. 1229-1237. Web.

Busse, R. and Weidner, G., (2020) ‘A qualitative investigation on combined effects of distant leadership, organisational agility and digital collaboration on perceived employee engagement’, Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 41(4), pp. 535-550. Web.

Chanana, N., (2021) ‘Employee engagement practices during COVID‐19 lockdown’, Journal of Public Affairs, 21(4), p. e2508. Web.

Crossman, J. and Bordia, S. (2021) Handbook of qualitative research methodologies in workplace contexts. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Goncalves, M. and Cornelius Smith, E., (2018) ‘Social media as a data gathering tool for international business qualitative research: opportunities and challenges’, Journal of Transnational Management, 23(2-3), pp. 66-97. Web.

Hancock, B. and Schaninger, B., (2020) ‘HR says talent is crucial for performance-and the pandemic proves it’, McKinsey & Company, 27. Web.

Hodapp, D., Hawlitschek, F., Wortmann, F., Lang, M. and Gassmann, O., (2022) ‘Key lessons from Bosch for incumbent firms entering the platform economy’, MIS Quarterly Executive, 21(2), p. 3. Web.

Hurtienne, M.W., Hurtienne, L.E. and Kempen, M., (2022) ‘Employee engagement: emerging insight of the millennial manufacturing workforce’, Human Resource Development Quarterly, 33(2), pp. 137-156. Web.

Meyer, B., Zill, A., Dilba, D., Gerlach, R. and Schumann, S., (2021) ‘Employee psychological well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Germany: a longitudinal study of demands, resources, and exhaustion’, International Journal of Psychology, 56(4), pp. 532-550. Web.

Nayak, S., Jena, D. and Patnaik, S., (2021) ‘Mediation framework connecting knowledge contract, psychological contract, employee retention, and employee satisfaction: An empirical study’, International Journal of Engineering Business Management, 13, p. 18479790211004007. Web.

Pass, S. and Ridgway, M., (2022) ‘An informed discussion on the impact of COVID-19 and ‘enforced’remote working on employee engagement’, Human Resource Development International, 25(2), pp. 254-270. Web.

Shahi, K. and Neloy, H., (2020) Global transition of HR practices in covid-19 pandemic situation: a systematic review through 5P’s model of HRM. Management and Human Resource Research Journal, 9(6), pp. 50-57.

Sun, L. and Bunchapattanasakda, C., (2019) ‘Employee engagement: a literature review’, International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 9(1), pp. 63-80. Web.

Supriyanto, A.S., Ekowati, V.M. and Pujianto, Z.T., (2021) ‘Employee engagement: a quantitative review and its relationship with job satisfaction and employee performance’, International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Social Science (ICONETOS 2020) (pp. 268-273). Atlantis Press. Web.

Utoft, E.H., (2020) ‘Exploring linkages between organisational culture and gender equality work—an ethnography of a multinational engineering company’, Evaluation and Program Planning, 79, p. 101791. Web.

Weideman, M. and Hofmeyr, K.B., (2020) ‘The influence of flexible work arrangements on employee engagement: an exploratory study’, SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1), pp. 1-18. Web.

Yadav, G., Seth, D. and Desai, T.N., (2018) ‘Application of hybrid framework to facilitate lean six sigma implementation: a manufacturing company case experience’, Production Planning & Control, 29(3), pp. 185-201. Web.

Zadros, K., (2021) ‘Employee satisfaction with the employer’s health safety activities during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic’, System Safety: Human-Technical Facility-Environment, 3(1). Web.

Appendix A: Survey Questions Example

1. Age.
2. Gender.
3. In what year were you employed at Bosch?
4. Rate from 1 (completely unsatisfied) to 5 (absolutely satisfied); rate your work experience in Bosch.
5. Rate your motivation to continue working at the company from 1 (very low) to 5 (high).
6. Rate from 1 to 5 your involvement in the extra activities offered by the company.
7. Rate your workload from 1 (severe overload) to 5 (balanced load) during planned and extra hours.
8. Why have you chosen to work at Bosch?
9. Are you in the same position as in the moment of employment, or have you got promoted/downgraded?
10. Did you receive additional bonuses or non-monetary assistance from Bosch during the COVID-19 pandemic?
11. Have you ever experienced burnout and/or willingness to leave your job? Please explain what caused you to feel this way.
12. How often do you communicate with your manager? Are they reachable when necessary?
13. Do you have friends in Bosch? Do you spend non-working hours together?

Appendix B: Gantt Chart Timeline