| Employee engagement is a concept that caught the attention of human resource personnel decades ago. As the healthcare industry is becoming more challenging and complex, engaging its employees is also becoming more challenging, which impacts employee satisfaction and commitment. With the increasing unionization in California, particularly in the healthcare industry, placing more emphasis on employee engagement is vital. This action research determined the factors that will increase employee engagement in unionized clinical laboratory settings, specifically among Clinical Laboratory Scientist. The self-determination theory provided the theoretical framework of the study, and qualitative research was applied in this study. Aside from the four predetermined major themes (needs and expectations; sense of belongingness; competency and recognition; and growth and development), which were considered to increase the level of employee engagement in this action, (a) organizational alignment, (b) confidence in senior management, and (c) positive organizational relationship were identified as emergent themes in increasing employee engagement. The newly emerged themes were considered to influence attachment of employees to their organization, enhance high involvement with their job, and create outstanding enthusiasm. |
