Legal | Privacy | Cookie Notice
Employee Engagement Rebounds
To Match All-Time High
Download the 2018 Employee Engagement Report
Seeing opportunity during times of change:
Unlocking the drivers of employee engagement
Download the Report | Register for Webinar | Share the Insights:
65% (+3%)
66% (+5%)
60% (+2%)
75% (0%)
64% (0%)
While global employee engagement levels are increasing throughout the world, some regions are experiencing flat or decreased levels.
Download the Full Report
Globally, 27% of the workforce is Highly Engaged, 38% are Moderately Engaged, 21% Passive, 14% Actively Disengaged.
Global employee engagement levels rebounded back to 65 percent in 2017, up from 63 percent in 2016
“In the last year, there has been political
and economic stability in more mature regions and continued expansion in regions like Asia and Africa. Although most companies are continuing to face disruption and uncertainty, a robust, expanding economy means companies typically are investing more in people and that makes the work experience much better for most employees.”
Ken Oehler, Aon’s Global Culture & Engagement Practice Leader
is linked to a
Improving engagement
can pay dividends:
3% increase
in revenue
5 point
increase
Download the Full Report
Although most companies continue to face disruption and uncertainty, a robust and expanding economy offers more opportunity to invest in people. The most successful organizations help employees better understand the opportunities that arise during times of change.
Importance of clearly articulating a vision to help employees navigate through ambiguity
65%
2017
2016
59%
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Critical role senior leaders play during times of change
Key drivers of employee engagement around the globe
After last year's drop, employee engagement levels are back to their all-time high.
Aon's latest report examines how forces such as improving economics and greater stability are likely causing an all-time high with employee engagement.
We explore employee engagement trends and offer insights on the:
Download the Full Report
ASIA PACIFIC
After experiencing a three-point drop in engagement last year, the APAC region bounced back to its highest engagement level at 65 percent of all employees
Most notable,
Indonesia improved
15 points over the last year
“
- Stephen Hickey, Partner – Head of Employee Engagement & Culture,
Asia Pacific and the Middle East
Many organizations are undertaking transformational change programs as they manage their way through digital disruption, macroeconomic challenges and needing to meet the ever-changing needs of their customers. A highly engaged workforce delivers the innovation, agility and performance that organizations across APAC require.”
Download the Full Report
AFRICA
The largest increase for a region belongs to Africa: engagement shot up from
61 percent of employees
to 66 percent.
Each of Africa’s five largest economies – Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Algeria and Morocco - experienced increases in engagement.
“
- Khalid Youssef, Senior Consultant, Middle East
Africa's improved employee engagement across many engagement drivers puts the region's organizations in a great position for business growth. Africa's recent economic struggle resulted in leaders placing an increased emphasis on creating growth-driven business environments through more engaged employees by actively listening to them. Driving engagement has become a much larger focus for the regions' companies over the past few years which is clear in the improved results. Now, leadership will need to provide clear direction and strategy for the future in order to position their organizations for long-term success."
Download the Full Report
EUROPE
While Europe is the lowest scoring region in the world, improvements have been made in a handful of countries: Austria (+9), Sweden (+9), Netherlands (+7), France (+6).
The United Kingdom’s
3 point decrease is the latest decline among the largest global economies suggesting that uncertainty around Brexit is contributing to the decline.
“
- Dan Riley, Aon’s European Talent Practice Market Leader
Europe experienced economic growth and political stability last year. Employee engagement in the UK dropped significantly as they still are trying to find their way after the 2016 Brexit vote. Meanwhile, Europe returned to its highest engagement level powered by huge improvements in Austria, the Netherlands, France, and Italy.”
Download the Full Report
LATIN AMERICA
Mexico, the region’s second largest economy, saw engagement fall from 75 percent to 74 percent - the second consecutive year of engagement decline in the country.
Brazil, which had a remarkable eight-point gain last year, effectively sustained that gain with a one-point decline this year.
Latin America remained flat year over year. Some countries, however, remain above the global engagement rate.
“
- Maria del Pilar Manzanera Diaz, Aon’s Latin America Compensation,
Talent & Retirement Practice Leader
While engagement has stayed flat across the region, what leaders need to pay attention to is that engagement in the larger markets is declining. Both Brazil and Colombia have regressed to near their 2015 levels. Additionally, the top drivers of engagement have stagnated or declined with the exception of Talent & Staffing.”
Download the Full Report
NORTH AMERICA
In Canada, engagement dropped by one point to 69 percent of all employees.
In the United States, engagement remained at 64 percent.
Employee engagement in North America remained flat at 64 percent.
“
- Teryluz Andreu, Aon’s North America Culture and
Engagement Practice Leader
2017 was an intense year for many people in the U.S. Dialogues on political and social issues have spilled into the workplace and many organizations are paying closer attention to defining their stance and taking action on these issues. The country is also facing low unemployment rates, which makes attracting and engaging talent to fuel their growth agenda a top priority."
- Ken Oehler, Global Culture & Engagement Practice leader at Aon Hewitt.
"Leaders should understand that this actually reflects employees’ perceptions of fairness. While organizations may not be able to make sweeping changes to compensation, it is important that they take steps to address these sentiments. The ability for leaders to have the personal sensitivity required to lead people and their organizations to growth is paramount in this intensely changing environment."
Download the Full Report
GLOBAL
Employee engagement dropped from
65 percent in 2015
to 63 percent in 2016.
In 2017, the number went back up to 65.
Like last year, Rewards & Recognition ranked as the strongest engagement opportunity this year.
Senior leadership strength and the degree of forward thinking decision-making was another top priority
“
- Ken Oehler, Aon’s Global Culture & Engagement Practice Leader
The concept of employee engagement is often confused with satisfaction or happiness, but it’s really about an employee’s psychological investment in their organization and motivation to produce extraordinary results. Companies with employees who are above average engagement levels will see better employee productivity, lower turnover rates and higher customer satisfaction scores—all factors that can significantly contribute to improved financial performance.”
Click a region below to learn more
Trends in employee engagement: invest in the future
A robust and expanding economy offers more opportunity to invest in people. While 2017 was an intense year for many people due to a changing political and social landscape, businesses in general did well and many organizations have a positive outlook for growth in 2018. These changes, however, taught us that the most successful organizations will need the agility to navigate an increasingly complex environment, while at the same time creating an inclusive culture where employees can feel safe to bring their whole self to work.
Register for the Webinar
Lessons in lifting employee engagement
There’s a vital link between employee engagement and the bottom line — which becomes all the more important when an organization faces uncertainty and a shifting business landscape. While global employee engagement matched its highest level, there are big variations when you drill down to a regional level.
Our experts share perspectives on global trends impacting employee engagement and the critical role leadership plays during times of change.
Visit The One Brief
Managing during change is not an easy task.
Seeing opportunity during times of change
Explore www.aon.com
Managing a company through times of uncertainty requires a different approach, as external factors and sentiment can impact the workplace. To quickly address challenges and also capitalize on market shifts, organizations – and their leaders – must be agile.
Our experts explore how organizations can best manage their teams during times of change.
The concept of employee engagement is sometimes confused with happiness. It's really about an employee's psychological investment in their organization and motivation to produce extraordinary results. And during times of change, it's even more important to ensure that employees understand what is occurring and can see opportunities for themselves in the future.
How can you ensure that your people are poised to succeed during unprecedented change?
Visit The One Brief
Download the full report
©2018 Aon plc. All rights reserved.