If you’ve been focusing on getting more work done with fewer employees over the past few months, you may only now find yourself thinking about the impact our economic recession may be having on those employees who have been shouldering the load. You’re not alone.
In his recent ‘Losing Lifeblood’ article in Workforce Management[1], Garry Kranz outlines several recent surveys with engagement results we found troubling. Note that survey results indicate that middle managers and executives are also feeling less and less engaged:
BlessingWhite, Inc., NJ – January, 2011
- In North America, only 33% of employees identified themselves as engaged.
- 1% of engaged employees say there is ‘no way’ they will stay with their organizations during the next 12 months.
- 18% say they ‘probably’ will stay.
LeadershipIQ, Washington DC – June, 2011 (Results based on 102,311 responses from employees and managers in 130 organizations, primarily in the U.S.)
- 69% of North American workers said they are either disengaged or ‘underengaged’
- More than half of frontline supervisors report being either disengaged (8%) or ‘underengaged’ (44%)
- Fully one-third of middle managers and 30% of executives voiced similar sentiments
Kenexa Research Institute, Minn – Preliminary 2011 Report (Global Survey of nearly 30,000 employees)
- Employee engagement index score for U.S. workers – 58%
- Employee engagement index score for global workers – 53%
(See “The Last Word Cultural Awareness.”)
Jack Wiley, the Institute’s executive director, says that employees began to despair as a worsening economy triggered more and more layoffs. However, he also says there may be light at the end of this tunnel—at least for some organizations.
According to Wiley, some employers say they have managed to sustain engagement levels during the prolonged recession. How? They made it a priority to systematically gather feedback from employees, analyze responses and implement changes as needed—“They measure engagement with the same rigor they apply to customer service or financial data.”
We think that’s the appropriate start. Ultimately, we also know that employee engagement also involves career advancement and compensation—not necessarily in that order. However, if you’ve asked your employees about their aspirations and priorities in the past—and followed through on some of their suggestions, all you need to do is make it a priority to ask again. They will let you know what’s really on their minds.
On the other hand, if this will be your first employee engagement survey, welcome! You’re embarking on an interesting and, what could possibly be, a very productive time…
[1] Workforce Management, July 2011, pgs. 24-26, 28
