Employee Engagement Report 2011

Beyond the numbers: A practical approach for individuals, managers and executives

Published Dec 2010 / Jan 2011

Download Now The Employee Engagement Report 2011 research reflects interviews with HR and line leaders as well as online survey responses of nearly 11,000 individuals from North America, India, Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia/New Zealand, and China. To find out the details on our methodology and the global respondent profile download a free copy of our global report.

In organizations every individual is accountable for his or her own engagement; anyone with direct reports must coach team members to higher levels of engagement and manage his or her own engagement; and executives set the tone for high morale and motivation plus shoulder the responsibilities of individuals and managers.

In the 2011 Employee Engagement Report, we share a brief overview of engagement levels worldwide, the engagement-retention connection, key drivers, and the ways that behaviors of managers and senior leaders influence engagement.

We also explore the specific roles and responsibilities of the workforce in building a more engaged organization. Our focus: individual employees, managers, and executives. These three roles are incremental, depending on someone's level in the organization.

Key Findings

31% 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 favorable 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.

Key Implications and Recommendations

To reap the rewards that a more engaged organization promises, your entire workforce needs to be accountable for their piece of the 'engagement equation' every day. The 2011 Employee Engagement Report clarifies those roles and responsibilities.

	Individuals: Ownership, clarity and action. Individuals need to know what they want — and what the organization needs — and then take action to achieve both.
	Managers: Coaching, relationships and dialogue. Managers must understand each individual’s talents, interests and needs and then match those with the organization’s objectives — while at the same time creating personal, trusting relationships. Furthermore, they need to discuss engagement often.
	Executives: Trust, communication and culture. Executives have to demonstrate consistency in words and actions, communicate a lot (and with a lot of depth), and align all business practices and behaviors throughout the organization to drive results and engagement.

Whether you play one, two or three of the roles described above, the 2011 Employee Engagement Report is designed to shed light on your quest for creating a more meaningful, productive work experience for you and your colleagues.

Download a free copy of BlessingWhite's global Employee Engagement Report 2011

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For previous engagement reports and other research, visit BlessingWhite's Research and Articles section.