Change Communications

A recent study conducted by ISR has identified four key drivers of employee engagement that apply across the 10 countries surveyed (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UK and the USA). These drivers are summarized as:

Career development: Career development influences engagement for employees in each of the 10 countries studied, with two specific elements most commonly cited: retaining the most talented employees and providing opportunities for personal development. For a few countries other concerns come into play, but the key message is that organizations with high levels of engagement provide employees with opportunities to develop their abilities, learn new skills, acquire new knowledge and realize their potential. When companies invest in their people in this way, their people invest in them.

Leadership: The degree to which senior leaders communicate the organization’s core values and maintain high ethical standards are two elements of leadership which influence engagement in almost all of the countries studied (Hong Kong being the one exception). Employees need to feel that the core values for which their companies stand are unambiguous and clear. What matters most to them is that the values and ethical standards espoused by leaders match the actions that they take - the degree to which those values and standards affect rewards and guide decision-making and behaviors. This is a top-level issue
that would typically be addressed by senior management.

The respect leaders exhibit towards their staff members was another element of leadership common to the majority of countries ISR studied. Successful organizations show respect for each employee’s qualities and contribution - regardless of their job level. In Australia, Germany and the US, the respect issue was also affected by the degree to which managers trust their employees’ judgment.

Image: How much employees are prepared to endorse the products and services which their company provides its customers depends largely on their perceptions of the quality of those goods and services. High levels of employee engagement are inextricably linked with high levels of customer engagement.

Empowerment: Employees want to be involved in decisions that affect their work. The leaders of high-engagement workplaces do not create fear or blame cultures, where employees are reluctant to express their ideas or exercise their initiative. They create a trust and “challenge” environment, in which employees are encouraged to dissent from the prevailing orthodoxy and to input and innovate to move the organization forward.

Source: This information comes from a global study of employee engagement produced by international employee research and consulting firm, ISR. For more information visit: www.isrinsight.com

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