In Aon Hewitt’s 2013 Trends in Global Employee Engagement report, a grim portrait of the post-recession business world emerges. Right in the introduction, better employee engagement is cited as the solution to our current ills.
“Pay freezes, benefit cuts and layoffs are still at the forefront of many employees’ thinking. Additionally, the continued high rates of unemployment, lack of hiring, and extended hiring cycles for open positions create further stress and uncertainty for employees, making it more difficult to achieve or maintain healthy levels of engagement.
Striving to maintain a higher level of employee engagement not only contributes toward short-term survival during economic volatility, but also is a key factor for longer-term business performance and better positioning when market conditions become favorable. The companies that get engagement right can enjoy a surplus of competitive advantage in talent strategy and business results that is hard for others to replicate.”
Improvements in Overall Work Experience
The annual study of more than 2,500 organizations representing 3.8 million employees found that employee engagement levels rose to 60 percent in 2012, up from 58 percent in 2011 and 56 percent in 2010. The way employees perceive their overall work experience also improved in 2012. Areas with the highest increases in employee perception scores were:
- Effective communication (+7 percentage points)
- Business unit/division leadership (+6 percentage points)
- Managing performance (+5 percentage points) Innovation (+5 percentage points)
- Recognition (+5 percentage points)
Engagement scores dropped in the areas of:
- Sense of accomplishment (-3 percentage points)
- Customers (-3 percentage points)
- Organization reputation (-2 percentage points)
For more results from the Aon report, check out Intuit's Fast Track blog.
Comments