Employee engagement in the UK has increased by 3% from 2024 and is now at a record high, a report published yesterday (11 March) by HR software provider ADP showed.
The report also showed that, although the engagement of employees who work exclusively onsite has been growing each year, only 19% of those employees reported being fully engaged at work.
Despite employee engagement being at a record high, HR still has work to do, according to Chris Sheppardson, CEO of employee experience consultancy, Creative Spaces.
Speaking to HR magazine, he said: “HR’s work is far from done. It has much to do. HR should sit naturally at the shoulder of CEOs in a way that it has not done for many years. HR should be the sounding board, confidante and human asset planner for the CEO.”
Read more: Commitment to sustainability boosts employee engagement
Occupational psychologist Jenny Winspear, echoed this, and stated that employee engagement is in the best interest of leaders and managers.
She told HR magazine: “[Leaders and managers] should want to keep their teams engaged because they will deliver better results for the business. Employee engagement is arguably one of the most powerful levers for business success. Employee surveys are still a great lever for getting feedback on how to improve engagement. What gets measured gets managed.”
Winspear added that companies that do not back down on DEI initiatives and wellbeing and flexible working policies, will reap the benefits of higher employee engagement.
ADP’s report also found that employee autonomy had an impact on employee engagement. Employees who had much more freedom of choice regarding the location of their workplace reported being more engaged than those who didn’t. Hybrid workers had the highest engagement: almost a third (30%) reported being fully engaged in work.
A quarter of employees (24%) reported having complete control over where they worked.
The increase in employee engagement may be due to an increase in employee-centric workplaces, according to Tina Benson, founder of events provider Team Tactics.
Benson told HR magazine: “HR and business leaders have had to continually enhance their offerings, providing competitive pay, working conditions, an attractive culture, benefits, learning and development, and work-life balance initiatives.”
“Most businesses also seem to have hit their stride with their preferred post-pandemic working models. They’ve reinforced their expectations and values and established effective ways to bridge gaps and connect colleagues with technology.”
However, only a fifth (20%) of UK employees reported that they are currently working in the best team that they have ever worked with.
Read more: Employee autonomy is the key to productivity in an AI-powered workplace
The rise in engagement should be viewed as the beginning of a process, stated Steven Frost, CEO of employee engagement business WorkBuzz.
Frost told HR magazine: “We mustn't look past that 80% of the workforce that still isn't as engaged as they could be. Organisations should absolutely celebrate the movement, but it would be a mistake to assume that a small increase in engagement means the job is done.
“Low engagement has a ripple effect across organisations, leading to higher turnover, lower productivity, and a decline in customer experience.
“And the stakes are getting higher – in an ever changing world, with AI-fuelled disruption, having an engaged workforce, embracing change and driving innovation will be a competitive advantage.”
