According to Oracle Simply Talent study, it reveals employee engagement levels at work are most positively impacted by their peers and not by their managers or business unit leaders. Worryingly, the study shows that according to employees, Human Resources (HR) is least likely to have a positive impact on their engagement levels.

The study further draws attention to how HR teams can take ownership of employee engagement within their businesses and thereby help create better company cultures that improve business performance.

The Oracle Simply Talent study sets out to understand the drivers and benefits of employee engagement in Europe, polled 1,511 employees’ at large European businesses.

The findings reveal  42% of employees across Europe believe that their peers have the most positive impact on how engaged they feel at work, well ahead of line managers (21%) and business unit managers (7%).

Conversely, when it comes to negatively affecting employee engagement, employees in European businesses believe the senior leadership team (19%) and line managers (11%) are the most responsible.

Loic Le Guisquet, President for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific regions comments: “These findings should be of concern to HR teams as they indicate that HR does not ‘own’ engagement in the eyes of employees. If this is the case, then what hope is there that HR can have a positive impact on the working environment and company culture?”

These findings should act as a call-to-arms for HR teams to demonstrate the value they bring to their business and its employees in a way that is clear for all to see.

See: How to Drive Employee Engagement Levels at Work?

Employees believe it is important for their organizations to get engagement right, citing increased productivity (56%), a reduced likelihood of them looking for work elsewhere (37%) and an increased ability to provide creative ideas to their company on what to improve (35%) as the main business benefits of them feeling engaged.

The benefits of engagement are also seen to extend to improved customer service: 30% of employees said they are more inclined to deliver better customer service if they feel engaged. This suggests organizations that get employee engagement right stand to gain a great deal in terms of improved business performance.

Here are some employees’ thoughts based on the study on how HR teams and the wider business can make them feel more engaged at work:

• Businesses need to recognise achievements of employees, which should be the top priority for management (53%), followed by helping employees’, understand their contribution to the company (35%) and giving them an opportunity to work on exciting projects (34%).
• HR managers should work towards bridging the gap between what employees and managers believe constitutes good management. 57% of employees say they want management to take a more proactive management style and 56% say they would like a more personalized and tailored approach to management that treats them as an individual.
• Millennials in particular want more regular discussions with their line managers about their career path. While this age group has the highest percentage of employees (44%) who already receive this, it is also the group with the highest percentage of employees who do not have regular discussions on their career path and would like to (79%).
• Currently, only 29% of employees believe their company is proactive at engaging with them, compared to 42% who state that their employer typically waits for them to bring up issues. Meanwhile, only 33% believe their company understands their employees and treats them like individuals.
• Only 56% of the employees state their line managers are average, poor or very poor at providing regular feedback. Only 11% say their employer communicates with them via regular engagement surveys (once a month or more).

Loic Le Guisquet concludes: “From the perspective of employees there is a gap between what makes them engaged and the approach taken by management; a gap which provides HR with a great opportunity to take ownership of engagement within their organizations.”

“Employees feel engaged by their peers and HRs can help encourage this by providing access to sharing and collaboration platforms and social tools. However, employee expectations are also changing fast, particularly those of millennials. They want recognition and feedback and they want it consistently. HR can deliver this through technologies that provide managers with a more up-to-the minute view of their employees, which in turn encourages a more personalised, rewarding dynamic between them.”

Also read: Top 10 HR Secrets to Measure Employee Engagement Levels

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