From Buzz to Burnout and beyond: The journey from Engagement to Workholism and the quest for Balanced Employee Engagement (BEE)

Farheen Fathima Shaik, Upam Pushpak Makhecha, Biju Varkkey, Sirish Kumar Gouda, Xavier Labor Relations Institute, Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Human Resource Development Review

Published online on November 11, 2025

Abstract

Human Resource Development Review, Ahead of Print.
In this paper, we trace the evolution of engagement from personal ‘engagement’ to the modern concept of employee engagement. Through our archeological and genealogical evaluation of different conceptualizations of engagement, we illustrate the discursive ...