2018 Global Employee Engagement Trends Report

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65% (+3%)

66% (+5%)

60% (+2%)

75% (0%)

64% (0%)

Employee Engagement Rebounds To Match All-Time High

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Seeing opportunity during times of change:

Unlocking the drivers of employee engagement

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While global employee engagement levels are increasing throughout the world, some regions are experiencing flat or decreased levels.

is linked to a

Improving engagement can pay dividends:

3% increase in revenue

5 point increase

“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

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

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Importance of clearly articulating a vision to help employees navigate through ambiguity

2017

2011

65%

59%

Critical role senior leaders play during times of change

Key drivers of employee engagement around the globe

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.

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:

Most notable, Indonesia improved 15 points over the last year

After experiencing a three-point drop in engagement last year, the APAC region bounced back to its highest engagement level at 65% of all employees

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.”

ASIA PACIFIC

Each of Africa’s five largest economies – Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Algeria and Morocco - experienced increases in engagement

The largest increase for a region belongs to Africa: engagement shot up from 61% of employees to 66%.

Khalid Youssef, Aon Employee Engagement Solution Leader

“

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."

AFRICA

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.

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).

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.”

EUROPE

Brazil, which had a remarkable eight-point gain last year, effectively sustained that gain with a one-point decline this year.

Mexico, the region’s second largest economy, saw engagement fall from 75% to 74% - the second consecutive year of engagement decline in the country.

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."

LATIN AMERICA

In the United States, engagement remained at 64%.

In Canada, engagement dropped by one point to 69% of all employees.

Employee engagement in North America remained flat at 64%.

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."

NORTH AMERICA

Senior leadership strength and the degree of forward thinking decision-making was another top priority

Like last year, Rewards & Recognition ranked as the strongest engagement opportunity this year.

Employee engagement dropped from 65 percent in 2015 to 63% in 2016. In 2017, the number went back up to 65.

GLOBAL

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.”

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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.

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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.

Managing during change is not an easy task

Seeing opportunity during times of change

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.

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