Singaporeans less satisfied with their employers
KUCHING: Employee engagement in Singapore has declined consistently over the last three years — a stark contrast to the upward trend observed in employee engagement across the globe.
According to global consultant Mercer in the findings of its Enabling your talent to thrive: Singapore Employee Engagement Index report for the second year, only 72 per cent of Singaporeans are satisfied with the companies they work for compared to 82 per cent of their counterparts in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam.
In addition to that, Singaporeans are less likely to endorse their organizations as good employers — 76 per cent of employees in APAC would advocate for their companies as good places to work, while only 67 per cent of employees are willing to do so in Singapore.
“Improving employee engagement continues to represent a significant opportunity — not just for businesses but also for the economy as a whole, as we prepare for the future of work.” said Peta Latimer, CEO of Mercer in Singapore.
“Many find the culture of their organizations limiting, unable to fully express themselves even though they may feel a sense of pride in working there. Companies must foster a culture of empowerment, one where every employee feels included and appreciated.”
What may be a case for worry is that even among the engaged employees, only a small fraction are reportedly enthusiastic about going above and beyond their scope of work to help their companies thrive. Only 70 per cent of the employees feel they have enough opportunity to continually learn and grow despite the growing emphasis and investment on learning and development at most organizations today.
“Engagement represents the best opportunity for Singapore to optimize the human capital it has. If performance and productivity are a combination of individual talent and engagement, the best way to optimize talent is to ensure it’s engaged. Although this seems obvious, many organizations still struggle to build the work environment they need to fully realize engagement in the workplace,” concluded Latimer.
Mercer’s Singapore Employee Engagement Index is based on responses from more than 45,000 employees in Singapore, representing various industries and jobs from global and local multinationals.
It assessed employee engagement by measuring the level of pride, motivation and commitment employees have toward the organizations they work for.