News & Blog

• Written by Johan Poolman...
• Published: 20 July 2023

The Flow@Work and Engaged@Way-of-Work benchmark data have been updated to reflect the latest aggregate survey scores and engagement levels of the ±110 000 survey responses received over the past few years.

The industry benchmarks for the Financial Services Industry and Agricultural section have also been adjusted and the Engage EX analytics dashboard accordingly updated. Some noteworthy trends and patterns have been highlighted in the following section.

The Fully Engaged Levels have Gone Up

The table below summarises the current and the previous engagement levels, highlighting the fact that the Fully Engaged levels have shown a steady and healthy increase over the past few years – going up from the 37.5% in 2018 and the 42.5% in 2021 to the current 46.8%. On the downside, however, is the Disengaged levels that have gone up again after showing a steady decline over the previous few years.

The increase in the Disengaged level is hardly surprising considering the impact of the pandemic on the work environment and the wellbeing of employees – as highlighted by the Organisational Wellbeing indicator score that has gone down from the pre-pandemic high of 8.2 to the post-pandemic low of 7.3.

Engagement Driver Scores showed Minimal Changes

The benchmark scores for the drivers of engagement have remained fairly static since the previous benchmark, with some drivers showing marginal increases or decreases. The lower scores for the Feedback, Recognition & Praise, and Personal Development drivers can probably be ascribed to the pandemic-related surge in remote work and reduced personal contact and manager interactions.

Trends and Patterns Highlighted by Statistical Analysis

The recent statistical reliability analysis of the aggregate Flow@Work and Engage@Way-of-Work survey data conducted by Dr Jeremiah Martin, our US-based OD/data scientist, has highlighted some interesting trends and patterns. Below are a few excerpts from a forthcoming article on this topic:

• Personal Development seems to be more important for younger employees’ engagement. Given that turnover for younger employees also tends to be higher, organizations need to think about how they work in career development as a key component of their employee value proposition.
• In changing times, especially with hybrid and remote work, it remains important for organizations to create a sense of Strategic Alignment for their employees by establishing a connection between individual employee goals and the aims of the organization. The challenge is for organizations to ensure their employees are clear in expectations and focus – which is where managers will continue to play an important role.

The Engage EX analytics dashboard has been updated with the adjusted benchmark scores and engagement levels.