This Week's Herman Trend Alert

Navigating the Next Year
 

  The Herman Trend Alert

August 6, 2008

The Pitiful State of Employee Engagement

Recently, global consultants BlessingWhite released a landmark study on the State of Employee Engagement with survey results gathered from North America, the United Kingdom (and Ireland), and the Asia Pacific Region. Engaged employees are excited and use their talents and discretionary effort to make a difference for their employers.

In North America, fewer than one in three (only 29 percent) of employees are fully engaged and 19 percent are actually disengaged. The company also found a strong correlation between employee engagement and retention. An impressive 85 percent of engaged employees expect to stay with their organizations throughout 2008. Moreover, the study found that engaged employees stay for what they can contribute (they like their work), while disengaged employees stay for what they can get (job security, favorable job conditions, and growth opportunities).

The picture in the UK and Ireland is slightly worse; there less than one in four (23 percent) employees is fully engaged and nearly as many are actually disengaged. Also, fewer of the engaged employees than the North America statistics (only 76 percent) expect to stay in 2008. In this region, the most common factor influencing job satisfaction is "more opportunities to do what I do best".

In the Asia Pacific region, results vary widely with Indian workers registering as the most engaged (34 percent) and Chinese workers the least engaged (only 10 percent). Workforces in Southeast Asia are about the same as their European and Australia/New Zealand counterparts with only about one-quarter of employees fully engaged. (Unfortunately, no data are available for South America; http://www.blessingwhite.com/EEE__report.asp)

On the converse of the data, most regions report over 70 percent of today's employees are not fully engaged. This condition puts them at risk for employee turnover and their employers at risk for not being as profitable. The new generations take much more license to change jobs.

Other data from the study has revealed that the most vulnerable sectors are Technology, Communications/media, Retail/hospitality/travel, and Healthcare. Unless employers take immediate steps to engage those workers (once the world economies improve) they will be the victims of significant turnover, particularly among the younger workers.


© Copyright 1998-2008 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc."


RESOLVE TO ADDRESS EMPLOYEE TURNOVER IN 2009
If you knew just how much money turnover is costing your company, you would have handled it ages ago! Turnover costs A LOT and it comes right off the bottom line. Let The Herman Group and its team of very experienced consultants help you address your turnover issues right away. We have an impressive track record and stand ready to help you. Call Carol at 800-227-3566; international, call 336-210-3547 for a no-obligation conference call.

EMPLOYEE RETENTION BEGINS WITH GOOD SELECTION
If you are not using pre-employment assessments, you are flying without radar---not very smart in today's highly competitive environment. Let us help you better understand your candidates and your employees. In less than 30 minutes, you will know if they can do the job (abilities); their work behaviors, even their personality and attitudes (like integrity & ethics), and those can't be trained. It's very cost effective, too! For more information, contact Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail assessments@hermangroup.com. Validated for many countries and cultures. We offer in-depth help with job descriptions, too!

GET INSIDE THE MINDS OF YOUR EMPLOYEES
Find out what's really going on inside the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-648-1918 or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html.

To read this Herman Trend Alert on the web: http://www.hermangroup.com/alert/archive_9-24-2008.html.


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