Asia has highest level of Employee Engagement

India (79%), Thailand (72%) and Hong Kong (63%) were given the highest Employee Engagement Score globally in the 2020 Employee Experience Trends report by Qualtrics.

The Asian nations take up the top three spots respectively in the report, which revealed the extent at which businesses can boost employee engagement by acting on employee feedback.

Malaysia was ranked seventh while Singapore, South Korea and Japan scored below the global average of 53% and came in 11^th, 13^th and 14^th respectively.

What countries or regions have the most engaged workers (Source: Qualtrics):

The study also found that employee engagement rises significantly to 83% when employee feedback is well-received and acted on. And it falls by over half to 34% when feedback is not acted on.

The frequency at which feedback is collected and acted on also impacts employee engagement. Employee engagement is 67% when feedback is collected and acted on at least quarterly. When engagement drops to 50% when the frequency is once or twice a year.

“Our study shows that asking for employee feedback and the frequency with which organisations ask have a direct impact on employee engagement scores. However, what really moves the needle is whether employees feel the company turns their feedback into tangible actions,” said Stephen Choo, EX Senior Solutions Strategist APJ, Qualtrics.

“The positive impact of high employee engagement cannot be overlooked. Modern employee experience programmes make it easier and faster than ever for businesses to consistently listen and act on employee feedback, ensuring decisions are always made with people in front of mind.”

The report also ranked the attrition level among different countries and region. And Singapore has the highest attrition level in Asia at 18%, coming in sixth globally while Australia and New Zealand top the global score at 23%.

Thailand enjoys the lowest attrition rate at 6% followed by Japan at 11%.

Which countries or regions have the highest attrition risk? (Source: Qualtrics)

In its research on employee engagement in Singapore, it found that engagment tends to increase the longer an employee remains at the company, peaking around four years. However, engagement drivers change over time, reflecting the need to continually understand and act on important issues.

The key engagement driver for employees who are with the company for less than two years is a link between work and the company’s objectives. Whereas engagement for employees with more than four years of tenure is mostly driven by confidence in senior leadership.