Aon Hewitt: Worldwide employee engagement rose in 2011

Businesses throughout the world are doing a better job of more effectively engaging their workers, according to a recent report from Aon Hewitt. Worldwide engagement climbed to 58 percent in 2011 from 56 percent in 2010, with North American companies ranking well above that average.

The survey, which analyzed more than 3,000 companies and nearly 10 million employees, found that in North America, worker engagement was at 64 percent. Many of the participants believe improved leadership at their organizations has made working more enjoyable, with 61 percent noting those at the top were more effective – a 7 percent increase from the 54 percent who said the same in 2010.

“Business leadership as well as HR programs that meet the needs of specific employee segments contributed to the uptick in engagement levels,” said Pete Sanborn, co-president of global compensation and talent at Aon Hewitt. “However, with one out of every four people not engaged worldwide, more needs to be done.”

As a separate survey from Hay Group noted, as many as two in five employees plan to leave their jobs in the next five years. Workplaces that employ continuous improvement philosophies are better able to retain these individuals.

How do you go about engaging your employees? Have you tried including them in the scheduling of training, asking where they see room for improvement, or giving them permission to pursue their own continuous improvement efforts? Learn more about how you can accomplish a greater level of engagement with your employees in the Empower Employees section of Enna’s website.