Staying Focused

Training & Development, Jun 2008 by Nancherla, Aparna

High retention rates are often an employer's dream come true, but retention can shadow the importance of employee engagement.

"The State of Employee Engagement 2008," a recently released global survey from BlessingWhite, a consulting agency based in New Jersey, found that 85 percent of engaged employees plan to stay with their companies during the year ahead.

"One of the conclusions is that engaged employees stay for what they give, while disengaged employees stay for what they get," says BlessingWhite CEO Christopher Rice.

Examples of potential benefits include job security, growth opportunities, a salary increase, and favorable job conditions. Engagement is defined as "alignment of maximum job satisfaction with maximum job contribution," according to Rice.

The data divides employees into five levels of engagement within North America. Twenty-nine percent of employees are engaged with their jobs, meaning they are contributing fully and enjoying the work. Another 27 percent of employees fall into the "almost engaged" group in that they are high performers and reasonably satisfied with their jobs.

New employees called "honeymooners" and highly productive workers who focus on the wrong issues, called "hamsters," collectively make up 12 percent.

The two major problem groups are crash-and-burners (13 percent) and disengaged employees (19 percent). Crashand-burners are high performers with low job satisfaction, while disengaged employees are the most disconnected, making minimal contributions.

The data included 7,508 respondents worldwide, 3,342 of whom are in the United States. Among U.S. respondents, 55 percent hold management or supervisory positions, 16 percent hold HR positions, and 8 percent are vice presidents or higher. The study found no significant difference in engagement between male and female employees.

The top reasons employees cited for job satisfaction included more opportunities to use talent, as well as career development and training. Employees cited lack of career growth, unsatisfying work, and bad management as reasons why they wanted to leave their jobs.

The almost-engaged employees are a primary target for improved engagement. By offering them more growth opportunities, they could move into the engaged group. To keep honeymooners focused, companies need strong onboarding processes that set clear priorities and teach the organization's culture, according to Rice.

The study found that only 53 percent of employees trust their senior leaders. For engagement rates to improve, managers need to be held accountable for how active their employees are in the workplace.

"It's no longer acceptable to have a manager that just focuses on results because that's a short-term outcome," Rice says.

Aparna Nancherla is an associate editor with T D; anancherla@astd.org.