Detached employees

Citation

(2005), "Detached employees", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 54 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm.2005.07954caf.002

Detached employees

A recent survey on employee engagement by ISR, the global research organisation, suggests that compared to their counterparts in other countries, UK employees are less likely to feel an emotional bond to their companies. Further, along with employees in France and Singapore, UK staff expressed a greater desire to move jobs.

Employee engagement measures the extent to which employees identify with, are motivated by and are willing to expend extra effort for their employer.

Overall, the UK was ranked joint seventh for employee engagement when measured against ten of the world’s largest economies. The UK scored below the global average with significantly lower levels when compared to the US and Brazil, the countries with the highest engagement levels.

In the UK, the top three factors influencing engagement are:

1. 1.

   long-term career opportunities;

2. 2.

   endorsement of company products and services; and

3. 3.

   respectful treatment of employees.

Nick Tatchell, Project Director, ISR comments: “Some of the findings from the UK were surprising. Contrary to a widespread belief in the demise of the career path, this research suggests that employees are highly motivated and energised by the genuine prospect of long-term career opportunities with their current employer”.

These are just some of the findings of ISR’s international research on the nature of employee engagement and how best to improve it to enhance business performance. ISR surveyed nearly 160,000 employees in hundreds of different companies across a broad spectrum of industries in ten of the world’s largest economies: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, Singapore, the UK and the USA.

The new research builds on ISR’s 3D model of employee engagement which describes three essential components:

1. 1.

   cognitive (how employees think about their company);

2. 2.

   affective (how employees feel about their company); and

3. 3.

   behavioural (how employees act in relation to their company).

All three elements need to be present to achieve strong employee engagement. Earlier research by ISR showed conclusively that companies with high levels of employee engagement achieved higher levels of financial performance.

Culture matters

Three-quarters of the employees surveyed in the US said they were engaged with their companies against just 59 per cent of French employees and two thirds of those in the UK.

The report graphically illustrates that one size does not fit all when it comes to motivating employees to contribute to their company’s success. The report suggests that organisations must adapt to different cultural values when it comes to attracting, motivating and retaining staff.

The study goes on to:

• •

  provide a framework for assessing and improving levels of employee engagement;

• •

  demonstrate significant variations in the relative importance of each of the dimensions in the ten countries; and

• •

  focus on the key drivers of engagement for each of the ten countries and suggest policies and actions managers might adopt to improve employee engagement within their organisations.

See www.isrinsight.com for more information.