Bridging the distance: what drives public servant engagement in remote and hybrid settings

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the global shift to remote and hybrid work, profoundly altering organizational structures and employee experiences, particularly in the public sector. This transformation has given rise to new questions on what engages public servants in virtual environments. Using the Gallup Q12 framework, this research investigates the key factors that influence this engagement, exploring key individual and organizational dimensions such as basic needs, individual contribution, teamwork, and growth. Thus, public servants are segmented into engagement profiles, to investigate how the interplay of tenure, gender, age, household size, and pet ownership shape their engagement experiences. Finally, by applying factor and cluster analysis, patterns that underscore the complexity of sustaining engagement in virtual environments are revealed. These findings are expected to enrich the theoretical understanding of employee engagement and offer practical knowledge for organizational leaders who seek to foster connection, motivation, and well-being of public servants in remote settings.