21% Canadian workforce engaged? Yikes!

[Carolyn Ray]

I attended a Gallup breakfast in Toronto last week where - for the first time - I saw Canadian statistics citing 21% engaged; 61% not engaged and 18% actively disengaged, which is even more daunting than the US numbers. Although we didn't have much discussion at the session, I was fairly surprised by this and wonder what the implications are in the face of recent economic uncertainty. What are people's thoughts on this? Are Canadian organizations doing enough to engage and communicate with employees in the face of economic uncertainty? Do CEOs recognize this as a huge problem with financial implications? It seems like everyone I'm speaking to these days is fairly concerned about retention and productivity.

[Carolyn Ray]

Thanks for all the great comments. I heard back from Gallup and wanted to share what they told me. First of all the numbers are correct - but they are from 2006. Gallup says they represent the 'general working population' in Canada. Canada's numbers are the same, in fact, as Brazil's. Apparently they are updating them for 2009 so perhaps we'll see some change. I wonder what the economy is doing to them.... certainly this has somewhat positive implications for the vital role of engagement (and from my perspective, internal communications as an element of that). I've specialized in this area for the past six years and I've never seen so much business press on the need for effective employee engagement, which is great on one hand but distressing on the other hand....

[Bill Hogg PerformanceExcelerator]

I see the similarity with these numbers and customer satisfaction. All too often we see people who don't have an issue as "satisfied" -- and that's good enough. The problem is that satisfied doesn't inspire loyalty and because a person is not actively disengaged doesn't mean they are engaged.. To me engaged reflects a positive commitment. It doesn't surprise me that the majority of folks are just okay with their job.

The real issue is how do we get these ambivalent employees and customers to become more engaged.

[Khalid Ibrahim]

Carolyn, I tend to agree with David about the impact of these statistics if proven to be correct. I am working with an oil producing campany for the last thirty years and doubted very much to see this high degree of dis-satisfacation. I for example been a plant operator in 1978 to an engineering divison head now but did not noticed such slow down of an emplyee that can be classified as totally disengaged. The noticeable syndrom is the exhustion of those high potentials of working all the times due to such need for shortage of manpower.

[Rick Spratley]

Hi Carolyn,

I'd like to preface my comments because I spent half my life in Canada and half my life in the US with a parent from each country. Whereas I have found Canadians, on average, much more polite and eductated, there is a personal warmth between strangers and coworkers in the US.

Those numbers seem quite consistent with Gallup's earlier findings. Those numbers have been rather static since 2001. We published an Independent Research Report on Employee Engagement. We included a specific section on Gallup's Benchmarking approach. At that time, Gallup's numbers found that in the US and Canada only 27% were actively "engaged" and 24% in Canada. 17% were actively "disengaged" in the US and 16% in Canada. For both countries that left between 50-60% were someowhere in the middle with "great potential to be engaged but for whom the company found wanting." What was most surprising from their survey is that the US was the most engaged. Japan had the least engaged workers @ 9%. 31% of its workers are considered disengaged.

Where I think the Gallup Model is weak is that it's benchmark approach doesn't accurately reflect significant cultural differences such as the general outlook on life. Brazil consistently has the highest engagement scores when benchmarking the same questions and data against other countries like Japan Could you imagine Tokyo hosting Carnival?

[Carolyn Ray]

Hi David, Gallup presented the numbers at a breakfast event - the previous numbers I saw were 29% disengaged for NA - this is the first time I've seen Canadian numbers. They didn't hand out the presentation which I've asked for - so hopefully can share that shortly.

[David Zinger]

Carolyn,
I find myself skeptical of those numbers. I do not believe that 79% of employees are not engaged or actively disengaged. This has not been my findings when I go into workplaces and talk with employees. Do you have a direct source for those numbers as I would love to see what this figure is based on. I believe Canadian companies and organizations can always do more but I just can't believe there is that low a level of disengagement. Do you see that where you work?
David

[Paul Lush]

Very interesting comments. I am currently working with the management team of the organization I am employed with and they are realizing the engagement struggle. No where is this more evident than in western Canada at the moment. My favourite line is no one leaves a great work environment for $1/hour! I presume these stats are available online? As far a sCanadian organizations are concerned, I was always surpirsed when I travelled throughout the US with my previous employer. I consistenly felt more of a "family" atmosphere than I ever felt at any of the Canadian operations. Canadians seem to guard themselves a little more.