Annual report finds engagement drivers shifted in 2020

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach - 23 March 2021 - New research released today by Qualtrics (Nasdaq: XM), the leader in employee experience (EX) and creator of the experience management (XM) category, has revealed significant shifts to the drivers of employee engagement in Malaysia in 2021.

According to the 2021 Malaysia Employee Experience Trends Report, feeling that my career goals can be met and being proud of the company's efforts to have a positive impact on the world emerged as the top two drivers of employee engagement. Confidence in senior leadership to make the right decisions, feeling a sense of purpose from work, and feeling a sense of belonging rounded out the top five.

In contrast, last year's engagement drivers were receiving recognition for good work, seeing a clear link between work and strategic objectives, opportunities for learning and development, manager support in career development, and confidence in senior leadership to make the right decisions.

Employee engagement in Malaysia increased

Despite the challenges faced by businesses and government in 2020, overall levels of employee engagement in Malaysia increased to 67% in 2020, from 54% in 2019. This is in line with the global average, which rose 13% in the last year (66% vs. 53%). Intent to stay with an organisation three years or more was 71%.

Well-being, which is an important contributor to overall EX, continues to be a priority for workers and is predicted to be a key trend for organisations in 2021. A sense of belonging is of particular importance in the context of well-being. Employees who feel like they belong are almost 5x more likely to rate their well-being favourably than those who feel like they don't belong (78% vs. 16%).

Two-thirds (65%) of employees in Malaysia rated their overall well-being as favourable, which is just under the global average of 67%.

Lauren Huntington, EX Solutions Strategy, Qualtrics Southeast Asia, said: "2020 irreversibly changed the working world, and globally we saw engagement drivers shift considerably last year. As businesses and governments look forward to 2021 we expect to see these engagement drivers evolve once again as restrictions continue to change. To ensure teams are provided with the support and services they need in fast changing situations it is critical leaders are able to understand how emerging trends are reshaping the workplace, and what they can do to design and improve employee experience."

Uncovering the experience gap

According to the Qualtrics study, 93% of employees believe it's important their company listens, with 80% saying they have the opportunity to feedback. However, only 34% say their company acts on feedback well.

"While it's pleasing to see employers listening to their teams, the study outlines the critical importance of acting on feedback. There is no one size fits all approach to improving the employee experience. By capturing responses from their teams across the entire employee lifecycle and in key moments that matter, businesses are able to design improved experiences."

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

About the study

The 2021 Global Employee Experience Trends Report examined more than 11,800 full-time employees across 20 different countries around the world, to find out what's changed in employee experience, and what is driving employee engagement in a post-COVID world. 292 respondents polled were from Malaysia.

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

About Qualtrics

Qualtrics, the leader in employee experience and creator of the Experience Management (XM) category, is changing the way organizations manage and improve the four core experiences of business––customer, employee, product, and brand. Over 13,000 organizations around the world are using Qualtrics to listen, understand, and take action on experience data (X-data™)––the beliefs, emotions, and intentions that tell you why things are happening, and what to do about it. The Qualtrics XM Platform™ is a system of action that helps businesses attract customers who stay longer and buy more, engage employees who build a positive culture, develop breakthrough products people love, and build a brand people are passionate about. To learn more, please visit qualtrics.com.