L’employee engagement nel Sud Est Asiatico:

“How engaged is your workforce?” is fast becoming one of the most asked questions in organizations around the world. Employee engagement is seen to be vital to performance, innovation, productivity and business success.

Why?

Because a direct chain links the employee experience with the customer experience, leading to sales, driving revenue, enhancing an organization’s reputation and improving overall corporate performance.

For multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in Southeast Asia, increasing employee engagement levels is an obvious and urgent goal. The trends in employee engagement, however, can best be described as lackluster – in Asia, 60% of employees are engaged, leaving 40% of the average workforce either passively or actively disengaged.

So, how can employee engagement be improved, especially in Southeast Asia? Unfortunately, engagement is neither a skill that can be trained nor a competency that can be developed. It is the outcome organizations achieve when they connect employees both professionally and emotionally with the organization, the people in it and the work they do.

Let’s take a closer look at how these connections play out in the Southeast Asia region.

1.      Engaged with the organization

Brand power continues to retain a high level of importance throughout the employee life cycle, especially in Southeast Asia. MNCs work hard to ensure that they deliver on their brand promise, but once on the inside, the employee experience may fall short of expectations. That said, it is within an organization’s control to communicate an accurate employment brand that represents the organization’s true culture and conditions.

The world’s best workplaces do this well and espouse employee-centricity as the pivotal force behind customer satisfaction and ultimate business results. Employee-centric organizations recognize that satisfied employees sell products and services better, provide superior customer service and care about each other.

As we researched our book, Talented Southeast Asia, we heard from many companies in the region who are actively engaging in creative and inspiring initiatives both within and outside their corporate walls. These successful companies understand how organizational goals and employee goals can readily be made one and the same.

2.     Engaged with the people

Like every other group of mammals – from a herd of buffalo to a pride of lions – humans seek the society of their own kind. In the workplace, our most important social connections are with those we work for (leaders and managers) and those we work with (peers and colleagues). These connections have a profound effect on whether we feel valued and important, both of which are key to the outcome of engagement.

In particular, the Southeast Asian psyche is more socially oriented than what is typical in the West. In MNCs with Eastern origins, the concept of having a job for life is not uncommon. Employees feel high levels of loyalty to the organization and to the people in it. Leaving an employer is akin to walking away from family. It is not unusual, therefore, for organizations to have on-site family days and regular social events involving work colleagues.

3.     Engaged with the work

Most people enjoy a challenge. That is not to say that employees want to be in a constant state of flux, but challenging work consistently rates high in the employee engagement stakes. It pushes people to continuously develop their capabilities and stretch their efforts.

High achievement at an individual level, however, may be more closely aligned with Western cultural values. Within the Southeast Asian workforce, a strong work ethic and commitment to achieving results should be tempered in the context of social connectedness and team equity.

Engagement is everything

In Southeast Asia as in the rest of the world, engagement is everything. Once considered just a component of a comprehensive talent management strategy, engagement is fast becoming a centerpiece to talent management and is acknowledged as the root cause behind a multitude of organizational success factors. MNCs should keep in mind that connecting the employee to the vision of the organization, the meaning of their work, their bonds with colleagues and their inspiration by leadership are as important as competitive remuneration.