Your news story One-third of UK employees don’t care about their company’s success (PersonnelToday.com, 4 August) missed a number of important points. While we agree that employee engagement links directly to, and influences overall company performance, our research does not support the fact that UK employees lag behind their peers elsewhere – either in terms of their general level of engagement or their level of interest in the success of their employer.
The conclusion regarding the factors that most influence employee engagement is equally erroneous. It’s like stating all car problems are caused by faulty tyres – it may well be true for a limited number of vehicles, but meaningless in a wider context of helping all car owners avoid the majority of problems.
From our employee attitude data collected around the world, we can summarise three fundamental drivers of employee enthusiasm:
- Achievement – the desire that their own contribution be recognised and rewarded and the desire to work for an organisation that is successful
- Camaraderie – the need to work closely with others (usually in teams)
- Equity – the need to be treated fairly, and with respect.
People want to work, and they want to work for organisations that make them feel proud. When employees perceive that all three needs are being met, we see enthusiasm and engagement at very high levels, often with corresponding beneficial effect on share prices.
Pete Nicholls
European head of business development
Sirota Survey Intelligence
