Employee engagement flat-lines - Hay Group

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Employee engagement flat-lines - Hay Group

Employee engagement levels have stagnated, with less than two-thirds of the UK workforce feeling engaged, according to new research from global management consultancy, Hay Group.

The research warns that UK firms are “failing to unlock the full productivity of their workforce, with the majority of employees facing significant barriers to performing their job well”. Long-term commitment is a casualty of stagnating engagement and enablement, as many UK employees plan to move on.

Hay Group examined annual engagement and enablement levels in 1,610 organisations across 46 countries, representing almost five million employees.

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Ben Hubbard, Hay Group’s Head of Insight for Europe, said: “There is a clear disparity between the discretionary effort UK employees are willing to invest in their firm and their ability to do so.”

He added: “If firms want to tap into this potential and drive productivity, business leaders need to understand the role they have to play in enabling high levels of performance.”

Key research findings

• 57% of UK employees believe the conditions in their job allow them to be as productive as possible, with 48% stating that there are significant barriers obstructing their performance.
• As a result, company loyalty has fallen amongst UK employees since last year, with 24% of employees planning to leave their current employer within the next two years.
• While 70% of staff feel motivated to go the extra mile for their organisation, 43% of employees feel that the conditions at work are conducive to optimum productivity, while 48% face significant barriers to performing their job well.
• 45% of the UK workforce intends to leave their employer within the next five years, with 24% intending to jump ship within two years.

Hubbard said: “While employees have been reluctant or unable to move jobs since the recession took hold, a small improvement in the labour market is likely to provoke significant movement.”

He added: “Unfortunately, it is often the best performing, highest potential workers who are prepared to vote with their feet if the organisation doesn’t give them what they need to deliver.”

Hay Group definitions

Engagement is the result organisations achieve when they stimulate employees' enthusiasm for their work and direct it toward organisational success. It includes:

• Commitment - employees are proud to work for the organisation, would recommend it as a place to work and express an intention to stay.
• Discretionary effort - employees are willing to “go the extra mile” to help the organisation succeed.

Employees are enabled when jobs and work environments support them to channel their enthusiasm into productive action. Enablement includes:

• Optimised roles -  jobs make good use of skills and abilities and work is challenging and interesting.
• Supportive environments - the workplace is free from significant barriers to getting the job done and employees feel as productive as they can be.

A final word

“With the gap between employee motivation and employee enablement continuing to widen, UK firms are wasting a valuable opportunity to unlock the full productivity of their workforce.

“UK firms trying to bounce back from the recession simply cannot afford to rely on the intrinsic motivation of staff. At such a crucial time for the economy, companies need to provide the vision, leadership and support to maximise staff engagement and minimise barriers to productivity.” - Ben Hubbard, Head of Insight for Europe, Hay Group.

Want to know more?

The study is based on information from Hay Group’s Insight database, which includes information from 1,610 organisations across 46 countries, representing 4,559,762 employees.

Its web site says: “Hay Group is a global management consulting firm that works with leaders to transform strategy into reality. We develop talent, organise people to be more effective and motivate them to perform at their best. Our focus is on making change happen and helping people and organisations realise their potential.”

Hay Group has over 2,600 employees working in 85 offices in 49 countries. For more information visit www.haygroup.com.