How engaged are workers

What do executives want?

Raves & Rants

NEW DELHI: Companies, their track record, leadership and HR policies have a significant bearing on how engaged their employees are. But the state of the national economy, the mood of the country and it’s growth trajectory, too, have a significant impact on the workers’ attitudes and expectations, says a recent Watson & Wyatt’s Work Study, one of the most comprehensive studies to understand workers’ attitudes.In the Asia-Pacific, for instance, more than 6,500 full-time employees covering all major employment sectors in 11 countries in the region including India, China, Australia, Japan, Thailand, were surveyed. Here are some important findings:Regionally, European workers lead with the highest levels of engagement followed by the Asia-Pacific. American workers are clearly the least engaged. A combination of rapid growth in eastern European nations, generous employee benefits and various forms of government support it seems has kept the spirits of workers high.“Attitudinally, the centrality of work in an executive’s life in Europe is not as high as in many other places,” says Watson & Wyatt India country head Anita Belani. Shorter work week, work-life balance and vacation time keep engagement high, she says.The sheer growth momentum in the Asia-Pacific is keeping spirits high. Even though the work conditions in the region may be far below the western nations’ standards, the buoyancy in the economy and optimistic job outlook have kept workers modestly engaged.But within the Asia-Pacific, engagement levels vary wildly. India, with a buoyant economy and a cheery outlook, leads with engagement levels at 78%, followed by the Philippines. Japan and its lacklustre economy is visibly taking its toll. It has the lowest employee engagement in the region. China, despite its lead over the Indian economy, doesn’t score that high on engagement scores. “It’s all about how the Chinese workers perceive the changes—and the economy does not appear that hot to them,” says Belani. “There are still many ways in which Chinese workers feel restricted.”Both in the US as well as the Asia-Pacific, compensation and benefits remain the top three drivers for employee engagement. Clearly, the role compensation plays (never mind the high double-digit hikes) in employee engagement is very significant. In the US where corporate scandals have surged, many CEOs have been implicated in frauds and unethical practices, trust in top leaders is also among the top three drivers for employees there.The study reveals that Indian workers are happiest about their role clarity and how they fit into the entire scheme of things in the company. The respect at the workplace and outside plays a significant role in a worker’s life. “Work defines who you are here,” says Belani.No prizes for guessing the bottom three: salaries and training & development remains big problem areas. Surprisingly, strategic leadership and direction too find mention here. “It need not be the big boss, but the immediate supervisor who might be responsible,” says Belani.Frequent promotions and ill-equipped insecure supervisors with poor managerial skills are creating a spiralling discontent within organisations. Companies dealing with hyper growth will need to find a better way to promote and prepare young executives for bigger roles.