Employee Engagement Statistics

Hello, welcome back to our Friday blog series on employee engagement. Last week we discussed the meaning of employee engagement and today we will continue on in our series to review some employee engagement statistics, and what they indicate about employee engagement in the workplace.

After reviewing the latest research studies on employee engagement from some of the world’s foremost consultants, we have compiled the statistics to show you the latest figures on the topic. So go get yourself a cup of coffee and get ready to study the numbers!

Blessing White

Blessing White is a global consulting firm specializing in employee engagement and leadership development. Here are some statistics from their latest Employee Engagement Report (2011), which is based on surveys of over eleven thousand employees across various industries and in different geographical areas (North America, India, Australia, Europe, Southeast Asia, and China):

• Only 31 percent of respondents, worldwide, reported that they were engaged. In North America, the percentage is 33 percent (18 percent of North Americans reported being disengaged).
• Age difference:in North America, 36 percent of Baby Boomers reported being engaged, while only 23 percent of Millennials/Generation Y employees reported being engaged.
• Function differences: employees in certain functional areas are more likely to be engaged. For example, 38 percent of employees in sales roles reported feeling engaged, as opposed to only 26 percent in Research and Development or Information Technology.

Towers Watson’s Latest Employee Engagement Report

Towers Watson is another large professional services company and is considered an expert on employee engagement. Their recently published report based on thirty-two thousand respondents in a range of industries across the world has some interesting findings:

35 percent of respondents are “highly engaged.” Of these respondents:

• 63 percent report that they understand the business goals.
• 79 percent report that the amount of work they have to do is reasonable.
• 74 percent report that their stress levels are manageable.
• 85 percent report that managers assign them tasks that are suitable to their skills.
• 84 percent report that their organization demonstrates honesty and integrity when conducting business.
• 81 percent report that their organization is highly regarded by the public.

26 percent of respondents are “disengaged.” Of these respondents:

• 45 percent of these respondents reported experiencing excessive pressures on the job.
• 39 percent of these respondents reported that during the last three years, they worked more hours than normal.

The Common Denominator

Both these reports show that engagement levels hover around the 30–40 percent mark worldwide. While disengagement levels are marginally lower: around 26 percent worldwide and 18 percent in North America.

The statistics also back up the theory behind employee engagement. In the Towers Watson report, engaged employees report high levels of job satisfaction — they are satisfied with their work levels, they do not report feeling stressed or overloaded, they understand the organization’s goals and are proud of the organization they work for and believe that it shows honesty and integrity.

Here are some more illuminating findings from Towers Watson:

• 41 percent of respondents reported that in order to advance in their careers they would need to leave their current employer.
• 38 percent of respondents reported that they experience excessive work-related pressures.
• Less than 50 percent of respondents reported that their senior leaders had a sincere interest in their employees.
• 64 percent agree that they understand how their job contributes to the organization’s success.
• 88 percent of those who reported that they are highly engaged also reported that they understand how their job contributes to the organization’s success.

These findings really highlight that employees who lack that emotional, cognitive, and physical connection with their organization report negative feelings toward their position and organization. It is almost a shocking figure that 41 percent of respondents indicated that to further their career they would need to leave their current employer, and that less than 50 percent feel their leaders display sincere interest. These issues are at the root cause of employee disengagement and, for organizations, it is essential to ensure employees do not feel this way. Engaged employees must have a genuine emotional connection with the organization and a real commitment to an organization’s goals.

Looking at Job Satisfaction with Engagement

The 2012 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Survey, conducted by the Society for Human Resources Management, suggest that employees are “only moderately engaged.” This is based on their data from six hundred employees (a sample of randomly drawn participants from various organizations and geographical areas), and the results are similar to what they found last year when they conducted the survey.

On average, employees scored 3.6 on the engagement scale (3.0 meaning “moderately engaged,” while 5 meaning “highly engaged”).

Respondents named the following five factors as those that most contribute to their employee engagement — that is, when they feel that these are favourable, they are more likely to feel engaged:

1. They are determined to accomplish their work goals and are confident that they can meet them.
2. Relationship with co-workers.
3. Opportunities to use skills/abilities.
4. Contribution of work to organization’s business goals.
5. Relationship with immediate supervisor.
6. They frequently feel that they are putting all their effort into their work (tied with the other point 5 above).

That’s all for now. Join us next time as we look at some employee engagement surveys, tools to help your organization measure its level of employee engagement and then take steps to improve it.