The Impact of Training & Development on Work Engagement: A Study in the Banking Sector

Abstract

Employees play a crucial role in delivery of service quality and retention of satisfied and loyal customers. Of the various factors that contribute towards this end, work engagement among employees has gained a great deal of interest from both practitioners and academics in the fields of business, human resource development, and organizational psychology, based on the perspective that engaged employees are likely to display high quality performance in the workplace. Meanwhile, Training and Development (T&D) practices are considered to contribute to the employees’ engagement in their work environment. This paper examines the potential impact of Perceived Training Opportunities (PTO) and Perceived Investment in Employee Development (PIED) on work engagement. A research model has been developed and empirically tested, using primary data from a survey of 185 bank employees working in Greece. Empirical results reveal a strong relationship between PTO and PIED with work engagement. Banks should invest in training and development opportunities as a means to enhance work engagement and gain a competitive edge in delivering high quality services to the customers.