In a recent report by Mercer, titled “Employee Engagement Index”, it is concluded that even though a considerable number of people in India feel engaged at work and are happy with their workplace, one in four employees would leave their job if they were given the opportunity. A sizable share of employees in each organisation was not contented with their workplace and would resign their position immediately if offered to do so.
This, however, is in the stark contrast to the other findings of the same report which states that 80% of the total employees felt engaged at work. In fact, almost 9 out of 10 employees who participated in the survey tagged themselves with “very satisfied with their jobs” and feel proud to be a part of their company.
The report also mentioned that most of the employees want competitive compensation, linkage of rewards with performance and career advancement.
In the exact words of the Mercer report, “While many employees in India tell us they are proud and motivated, far fewer see themselves as staying for the long haul with their current employer.”
These findings clearly indicate that creating a compelling workspace in an organisation where a majority of the total number of employees are satisfied is a trick environment to create and maintain.
Employee Engagement in India
Despite booming salary and improving per capita income employees in India feel that they are paid a lot less than they deserve. The report states that 1 in 4 Indian employees are dissatisfied with its current paycheck. Looking statistically, at one side when almost 70% of the Indian employees feel that their work is appreciated and that their efforts are recognized, on the other side, one in a total of four employees (around 25%) feel that their skills are not valued and not used to the best.
Undoubtedly, the findings portray a disappointing scenario for India – the country known and praised for being the fastest growing economy in the world. It vividly shows that India needs to work a lot on making the best use of an employee in a company. The situation is better in the other Asia-Pacific countries, but the leaders in our country need to make sure that a company’s role is structured in such a way that the skills of the individual are utilized to the best, at least better than how they are being utilized currently.
The findings of the Mercer report is derived from the assessment of the employee engagement. The process included measuring the level of pride, motivation and the height of commitment the recruits have towards the company that is giving them their paycheck.
This Survey was conducted in 116 companies in India, working for various global and local multinationals across areas such as Consulting and Professional Services, Consumer Products, Energy Oil and Gas, Financial Services, High Tech Hospitality Life, Sciences Manufacturing, et Carta.
Time To Improve Employee Engagement?
By knowing that almost one-fourth of their workforce is not willing to continue with their organization, the top management of many Indian companies might not agree with the findings of the report.
Generally, most employees join a firm with a lot of enthusiasm and want to prove their mettle to become an asset. Then what goes wrong that turns off a number of employees? The management of the organization “demotivates” the employees, answers the report. After six months, almost no firms maintain that level of employee engagement.
The degree of engagement may be affected by something big, such as culture or something unique, such as the behaviours of an immediate manager. Hence, in an organization, assessments must be carefully constructed to enable and recognise real action. The employers must know what their employees are happy or unhappy about. This will escalate the level of employee engagement, so the satisfaction and lower the attrition.
