(Note: click on the graph to see a larger version)
I’m closing the vizu.com powered poll that’s been running on the blog for the past few weeks and the results are pretty interesting.
The question asked was “What are the most important factors in employee engagement?” and I based the answers on a Towers Perrin Survey report from 2003 on the topic.
The poll attracted 47 responses, 59% of which indicated that “challenging work” was the most important factor in employee engagement. Close behind were “Senior manager’s interest in employees well being” with 55%, “clear vision from senior management about future success” with 53% and “Input on decision making” and “A collaborative work environment where people work well in teams” with 51% each.
The least important were “evidence the company is focused on customers” with only 25% and “company’s reputation as a good employer” with 36%.
Certainly there’s nothing scientific about this poll, but the split between issues that center around “me” and those that are about “the company” seems clear from these results. The answers that specifically related to my job, the level of attention paid to me, my likelihood of future success, and my input topped the heap.
From these results, it seems fair to conclude that engagement is largely defined by the extent to which people like their work and feel taken care of by those for whom they are working. Or, to put it another way, “What have you done for me lately”
Anybody get something different?
New poll coming soon.
Everyone thinks they’re above average.

KEY concept in retention: