Lincolnshire, Ill. — May 21
Though organizations around the world continue to struggle with economic volatility and uneven growth, a new analysis by human resources research and consulting firm Aon Hewitt found that overall employee engagement worldwide and employees’ perceptions of their overall work experience continues to modestly improve.
Aon Hewitt’s annual study of more than 2,500 organizations representing 3.8 million employees found that employee engagement levels rose to 60 percent in 2012, up from 58 percent in 2011 and 56 percent in 2010.
Areas with the highest increases in employee perception scores were: effective communication; business unit/division leadership; managing performance; innovation; and recognition. Engagement scores dropped in these areas: sense of accomplishment; customers; and organization reputation.
Aon Hewitt’s analysis also showed differences in engagement levels by job level and generation.
Not surprisingly, executives and senior managers were the most engaged (66 percent), followed by middle managers, team leaders and supervisors. Professional employees, such as engineers, lawyers and nurses, had the lowest level of engagement globally, with only around 55 percent being engaged, according to the firm’s analysis.
Substantial differences in engagement by generation were also identified.
Baby Boomers had the highest level of engagement, with 65 percent engaged, followed by Generation X (58 percent) and Millennials, or Generation Y (55 percent).
Source: Aon plc
