Are your employees engaged?

South Africa is currently in the grip of a recession. Individual managers can't impact directly on the recession but can influence the extent to which employees connect to their jobs and the organisation. This connection is referred to as employee engagement. Research has shown that employees with high levels of engagement perform better at work and they are more likely to be retained.

The Human Resource Practice conducted a survey to determine the current levels of employee engagement in South African organisations. The survey was conducted during April 2009 and 767 responses were received.

Overall Employee Engagement Levels

The major findings were that 76% of respondents were fully engaged; 13% undecided and 11% disengaged. A key finding relating to biographical factors was that 31% of the respondents younger than 30 were disengaged and undecided.

The study found seven dimensions which influence overall levels of employee engagement (in a 5 point rating scale) - meaningfulness scored 4.29, resourcefulness 4.17, self-awareness 3.86, teamwork and co-worker relations 3.86, organisation connectivity 3.79, job identity 3.68 and supervisor relations 3.44.

Employee engagement can further be grouped into three levels of the organisation, namely, the individual level - consisting of job resources (supervisor relations and team work and co-worker relations) and personal resources (meaningfulness, resourcefulness and self awareness); the job level - consisting of job identity and organisational level consisting of organisation outcomes such as intent to stay and organisational commitment. The research found that job and personal resources positively influence job identity. Job identity in turn has a significant and moderate influence on intent to stay and organisation commitment.

This survey revealed that personal resources are currently valued more highly by South Africa employees than the job- and -organisational dimensions of employee engagement. South African employees are going beyond conventional notions of engagement, by seeking personal meaning in their work and becoming resourceful, before seeking a fit with their job or with their organisation.

In the context of the current recession and limitations on job mobility, employees may be pressured to look for greater meaning in their current work and find ways to be more resourceful. Importantly, they are not engaged through their supervisors, which was given a low rating. Respondents who frequently think of quitting are mainly: Africans under 30; people with degrees; at lower job levels; with up to 10 years experience and ready for new job challenges at the next level. This profile poses a risk from an equity perspective, business continuity and the availability of skills to fill potential vacancies.

With an upturn in the economy, many employees with a strong sense of resourcefulness will feel more confident about finding other work, and will look for employment which is more meaningful to them. The survey has revealed that the new world of work has started to take root in the collective thinking of employees, which means a shift from organisational focused to more individual based people management (HR) approach. A shift is also required in the way managers interact and engage with their people towards a coaching management style. Coaching is an empowering relationship which will facilitate the creation of meaningful, and challenging work which tests peoples' resourcefulness.

This survey provides a framework for managers and organisations to engage and retain key and leadership talent. Retention strategies should focus more meaningfulness of work than just job and organisational dimensions. To create meaningful work, creative communication media and methods need to be deployed to facilitate the link of organisational strategic priorities with individual performance goals. The employee value proposition should place more emphasis on personal levels for attraction of talent and on the organisational and job dimensions for the retention of talent. Finally, this model provides a measure of employee engagement and serves as a key input to talent retention and performance enhancement strategies.