Employee engagement, as a metric of business success is rightfully getting more attention than ever before – simply because it matters. BlessingWhite, a global consulting organisation conducted a survey across 11 000 people across the world. Simply click here to access a copy of the 2011 Report . In summary the following key findings include:
31% of people are Engaged, and 17% are Disengaged.
There is a strong correlation between engagement levels and age, role/level, and tenure in the organization.
More employees are looking for new opportunities outside their organization than in 2008.
Engaged employees plan to stay for what they give; the Disengaged stay for what they get.
Employees worldwide view opportunities to apply their talents, career development and training as top drivers of job satisfaction.
Trust in executives appears to have more than twice the impact on engagement levels than trust in immediate managers does.
Managers are not necessarily doing the things that matter most. The actions most correlated with high engagement are not always the ones that receive the most favourable ratings.
Executives appear to struggle with key leadership behaviors, especially what’s required to create a high-performance culture.
Engagement surveys without visible follow-up action may actually decrease engagement levels, suggesting that organizations think twice before flipping the switch on measurement without 100% commitment for action planning based on the results.
Engagement levels are real indicators of success. Having team members who think positively about their organisation, commit to strive and decide to stay – is not a function of luck. It’s because as leaders we consciously create the conditions in which others can flourish – it’s in our circle of influence.
