۱ Introduction

۱٫۱ Employee Happiness

Happiness is the state of being happy. Happy people are those who experience frequent positive emotions such as joy, interest and pride and infrequent negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety and anger [1]. Happiness is always linked with positive life and work outcomes such as life satisfaction, good health conditions, high work performance and commitment. In a study, using an experimental design, happiness employees are proven to be more productive than their less happy counterparts [2]. Studies have been conducted to measure happiness of population towards the nation [3]. But, limited studies have been undertaken to measure happiness among the employees of higher learning institutions [4]. Measuring happiness in these two contexts might be different in terms of the predictors of happiness and their measurement. Therefore, the issue in research is to identify what factors contribute to happiness and how these factors and happiness can be measured. Studies have established that several factors might contribute to influencing happiness among those working or studying in higher learning institutions [e.g. 5]. The factors are positive emotions, engagement, relationship, meaning of job, and achievement. The focus of this paper is on engagement as it is the most prevalent factor that is found to be significantly linked with employee happiness.

۱٫۲ Employee Engagement

Employees who feel involved in the organization are willing to exert more effort in performing their job. An engaged employee is considered to be emotionally attached to the organization, passionate about his or her work, and cares about the success of the organization [6]. When employees are deeply engaged with an organization, there will be heightened sense of positive and intense feelings among them to exert their best effort for the success of the organization. It is more than just feeling satisfied with the work-related factors in the organization. Macey and Schneider [7] defined employee engagement as a desirable condition among employees that encompasses the following attributes (1) has an organizational purpose, (2) connotes involvement, commitment, passion, enthusiasm, focused effort and energy, and (3) involves both attitude and behavioral components. While work engagement involves employees’ optimistic vibes towards their work, employee engagement deals with employees’ positive feelings towards the organization.