Employees Say their Peers, not Management or Leadership Teams, have the Most Positive Impact on Engagement Levels at Work
23 Sep, 2015, 12:36 BST
57% of employees say they would prefer more proactive, regular interactions with their managers; only 26% say this is currently offered at their place of work
56% of employees say increased engagement enhances their productivity
LONDON, Sept. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle has today released the headline findings of its Western European study on employee engagement, Oracle Simply Talent, which reveals that the people most likely to make employees feel engaged at work are their peers rather than their managers. Worryingly, the study shows that according to employees, Human Resources (HR) is least likely to have a positive impact on their engagement levels. The survey draws attention to how HR teams can take ownership of employee engagement within their businesses and thereby help create better company cultures that improve business performance.
The Oracle Simply Talent study, which sets out to understand the drivers and benefits of employee engagement in Europe, polled 1,511 employees at large European businesses. The survey reveals that, surprisingly, 42% of employees across Europe believe that their peers have the most positive impact on how engaged they feel at work, well ahead of line managers (21%) and business unit managers (7%). Worryingly, only 3% of respondents say HR has the biggest positive impact on their levels of engagement.
Conversely, when it comes to negatively affecting employee engagement, employees in European businesses believe the senior leadership team (19%) and line managers (11%) are the most responsible.
Loic Le Guisquet, President for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific regions comments: "These findings should be of concern to HR teams as they indicate that HR does not 'own' engagement in the eyes of employees. If this is the case, then what hope is there that HR can have a positive impact on the working environment and company culture? This study should act as a call-to-arms for HR teams to demonstrate the value they bring to their business and its employees in a way that is clear for all to see."
According to Oracle's study, only around a third (35%) of Western European employees say they feel engaged most of the time. However, employees believe it is important for their organizations to get engagement right, citing increased productivity (56%), a reduced likelihood of them looking for work elsewhere (37%) and an increased ability to provide creative ideas to their company on what to improve (35%) as the main business benefits of them feeling engaged.
The benefits of engagement are also seen to extend to improved customer service: 30% of employees said they are more inclined to deliver better customer service if they feel engaged. This suggests organizations that get employee engagement right stand to gain a great deal in terms of improved business performance.
Oracle's study also reveals employees' thoughts on how HR teams and the wider business can make them feel more engaged at work. According to employees, recognising their achievements should be the biggest priority for management (53%), followed by helping employees understand their contribution to the company (35%) and giving them the opportunity to work on exciting projects (34%). Worryingly however, around a third of employees (32%) across Western Europe state that their company does not recognise individual employee excellence at all, suggesting that a gap exists between what employees and managers believe constitutes good management.
This contention is supported elsewhere in the research: 57% of employees say they want management to take a more proactive management style and 56% say they would like a more personalized and tailored approach to management that treats them as an individual, with neither currently offered at their organizations. Only 26% of respondents say a more proactive management style is offered at their work.
Millennials in particular want more regular discussions with their line managers about their career path. While this age group has the highest percentage of employees (44%) who already receive this, it is also the group with the highest percentage of employees who do not have regular discussions on their career path and would like to (79%).
Currently, only 29% of employees believe their company is proactive at engaging with them, compared to 42% who state that their employer typically waits for them to bring up issues. Meanwhile, only 33% believe their company understands their employees and treats them like individuals. Furthermore, 56% state their line mangers are average, poor or very poor at providing regular feedback. Only 11% say their employer communicates with them via regular engagement surveys (once a month or more).
Loic Le Guisquet concludes: "From the perspective of employees there is a gap between what makes them engaged and the approach taken by management; a gap which provides HR with a great opportunity to take ownership of engagement within their organizations. Employees feel engaged by their peers and HR can help encourage this by providing access to sharing and collaboration platforms and social tools. But employee expectations are also changing fast, particularly those of millennials. They want recognition and feedback and they want it consistently. HR can deliver this through technologies that provide managers with a more up-to-the minute view of their employees, which in turn encourages a more personalised, rewarding dynamic between them."
Additional Resources
Additional Information
For this research Oracle partnered with Opinium Research to survey 1,511 individuals from large enterprises based around Western Europe, with respondents coming from countries including the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
About Oracle
Oracle offers a comprehensive and fully integrated stack of cloud applications and platform services. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), visit oracle.com.
Trademarks
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Related Links
SOURCE Oracle