Annual report finds top engagement drivers shifted significantly during 2020

SINGAPORE- Media OutReach - 8 February 2021 - New research released today by Qualtrics, theleader in employee experience (EX) and creator of the experiencemanagement (XM) category, has revealed significant shifts to the drivers ofemployee engagement in Singapore in 2021.

According to the 2021 Singapore Employee Experience Trends Report, four of the top five employee engagementdrivers changed over the last year. Creating a sense of belonging, andcontinually improving ways of working emerged as the top two drivers ofemployee engagement. Confidence in senior leadership - which was second in lastyear's list - ranked third, followed by managers role modelling effectivecollaboration with other teams, and effective collaboration between teams.

The engagement drivers to drop out of the top five were a clear linkbetween work and the company's strategic objectives, managers who helpemployees with career development, opportunities for learning and development,and recognition for good work.

Employee engagement inSingapore on the rise 

Despite the challenges faced by businesses and government in 2020,overall levels of employee engagement in Singapore increased to 56% in 2020,from 47% in 2019. This is in line with the global average, which rose 13% inthe last year (66% vs. 53%). Intentto stay with an organisation three years or more also increased to 56%, from43% in 2019.

Well-being, which is an important contributor to overall EX, continuesto be a priority for workers and is predicted to be a key trend fororganisations in 2021. A sense of belonging is of particular importance in thecontext of well-being. Singapore employees who feel like they belong are morethan 4x more likely to rate their well-being favourably than those who feellike they don't belong (75% vs. 18%).

Despite this, only 56% of employees in Singapore rated their overallwell-being as favourable, down 13% from mid-2020, and below the global averageof 67%.

Lauren Huntington, EX Solutions Strategy, Qualtrics Southeast Asia,said: "2020 has irreversibly changed the working world, and so it isunsurprising we have seen engagement drivers shift considerably this year. Asbusinesses and governments look forward to 2021 we expect to see theseengagement drivers change once again as restrictions continue to change. Toensure teams are provided with the support and services they need in fastchanging situations it is critical leaders are able to understand how emergingtrends are reshaping the workplace, and what they can do to design and improveemployee experience."

"As a hybrid work arrangement takeshold across the globe, it is important that organisations coach and equip theirfrontline managers to effectively support their teams," said Mayank Parekh,CEO, Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP). "Organisations should takea holistic view of the employee life cycle, leveraging data insights to delivera more compelling employee experience. This survey reinforces the vital role ofHR's in building competency in areas such as employee belonging, collaborationand ways of working, as well as supporting the well-being of employees."

Listening up, positive actiondown

According to the Qualtrics study, more than nine in 10 Singaporeanemployees (93%) believe it's important their company listens to feedback.Compared to 12 months previously more employees are being listened to, with thevolume of respondents saying they have an opportunity to feedback increasing to74% in 2020 (up from 65%). However, only 21% say their company acts on it verywell - which is a 4% decrease over the same period.

"While it's pleasing to see more employers listening to their teams, thestudy outlines the critical importance of acting on feedback. There is no onesize fits all approach to improving the employee experience. By capturingresponses from their teams across the entire employee lifecycle and in keymoments that matter, businesses are able to design improved experiences."

"The business impact of listening and acting on feedback is huge. Whenorganisations do take action, scores increase across employee engagement (90%),wellbeing (88%) and intent to stay (87%)," said Huntington. 

About the study

The 2021 Global Employee Experience Trends Report examined more than11,800 full-time employees across 20 different countries around the world, tofind out what's changed in employee experience, and what is driving employeeengagement in a post-COVID world. More than 330 respondents polled werefrom Singapore.

To download the full 2021 Global Employee Experience Trends Report,please click here. 

About Qualtrics

Qualtrics, the leader in employee experience and creator of theExperience Management (XM) category, is changing the way organizations manageand improve the four core experiences of business----customer, employee, product,and brand. Over 12,000 organizations around the world are using Qualtrics tolisten, understand, and take action on experience data (X-data™)----the beliefs,emotions, and intentions that tell you why things are happening, and what to doabout it. The Qualtrics XM Platform™ is a system of action that helps businessesattract customers who stay longer and buy more, engage employees who build apositive culture, develop breakthrough products people love, and build a brandpeople are passionate about. To learn more, please visit qualtrics.com.