The Infogroup Perspectives survey explored employee engagement in 17 countries around the globe, with the UK scoring significantly lower in regards to the global engagement index of 57%.
The ranking (54%) places the UK 11th in terms of overall employee engagement, with India topping the list. UK employees also scored significantly below the global norm on intentions to stay in their current role and on employee advocacy in terms of recommending their organisation as a great place to work
The 2010 Infogroup Perspectives survey results also identified the UK as the lowest performing country in the area of job security. Additionally, UK employees seem to lack trust in management, scoring in the bottom three when answering "I trust the management team of my company to appropriately balance my interests to those in the organization." A similar result identified that UK employees do not feel that opportunities for career advancement in their organisation are based on merit, ranking eight percentage points below the global norm. According to the results of the survey, UK employees also feel that poor performance is not effectively dealt with in their organization.
Sally Winston, divisional manager of employee research at ORC International, said: "The results highlight some key challenges for UK businesses in engaging and motivating their staff.
"Results suggest that the current economic climate is hitting UK employees hard. Businesses need to focus on ensuring that their staff is clear about future direction, reassured as of their job security wherever possible and that strong performers are recognised, rewarded and motivated."
But one component of 2010 Infogroup Perspectives survey measured how healthy and sustainable employee engagement is by country. The questions focused on physical and psychological health, engagement, working relationships and the specialist support available to staff. UK employees, along with those in Austria and Germany, feel the most supported by their colleagues and also feel the most challenged and motivated by their work. UK employees rate their organisations highest in terms of being an equal opportunity employer.
