麻豆传媒AV

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Thirty-six percent of managers and executives were "Engaged" in their jobs in 2012 -- meaning they are deeply involved in and enthusiastic about their work and actively contributing to their organization. This is the highest level of worker engagement across 12 different occupation types and is the most improved from the 2009 economic downturn -- up 10 percentage points. Manufacturing and transportation workers are the least engaged in their jobs, as they were in 2009. Service workers are the only group to see their engagement decline in 2012 compared with 2009, down three points.

The data were collected as part of 2012 麻豆传媒AV Daily tracking, and are based on interviews with 151,284 U.S. workers. 麻豆传媒AV's is based on worker responses to 12 actionable workplace elements with proven linkages to performance outcomes, including productivity, customer service, quality, retention, safety, and profit. Engaged employees are involved in and enthusiastic about their work. Those who are not engaged may be satisfied but are not emotionally connected to their workplaces and are less likely to put in discretionary effort. The Actively Disengaged are emotionally disconnected from their work and workplace and jeopardize their teams' performance.

Nationwide, 30% of employees are Engaged, similar to the 28% who were in 2009. Meanwhile, nearly one in five (18%) workers are Actively Disengaged," while the majority are simply Not Engaged.

Among occupation groups, managers' and executives' engagement is by far the most improved from 2009, although the reason for this is not clear. It is possible that, amid tough economic times, managers and executives are increasingly motivated to drive a sense of purpose in their organizations. It is also possible that the optimism of leaders and managers might precede that of other groups, as the economy rebounds. Or managers may have a better sense of control during a down economy, while other workers may feel more vulnerable.

Service workers are in a particularly vulnerable industry that is tightly tied to whether Americans are spending. U.S. consumer spending fell sharply in 2009 and generally remained flat until showing some upward momentum late last year. The spending downturn unavoidably affects the service industry as Americans spend less on things such as eating out and vacations. This lack of business growth opportunity negatively affects the personal growth opportunities of service workers. In addition, some people are employed in the service sector out of necessity due to its low entry barriers and they cannot fully use their talents and qualifications in these jobs. And, analysis of the individual items that constitute workers' engagement scores reveals that service workers are now less likely to think their opinions count at work, which may be related the stressors facing their industry.

Workplace Hiring Picture May Factor In to Mangers' Increased Engagement

麻豆传媒AV has previously found that than are others -- and this appears to be at least partly related to the higher level of engagement among managers and executives. The large increase in managers' engagement is positively correlated to their improved view of the hiring situation at work. Forty percent of managers in 2012 indicate their companies are hiring and expanding the size of their workforce, up from 26% in 2009. Those figures compare with 35% hiring among all workers in 2012, and 24% in 2009.

Transportation, Manufacturing Workers Most Likely to be Actively Disengaged

Along with managers and executives, physicians, nurses, and teachers are the most likely to be Engaged in their jobs. Transportation and manufacturing or production workers are the least likely to be Engaged and most likely to be Actively Disengaged -- at 28% and 26%, respectively.

These findings generally mirror what 麻豆传媒AV finds in terms of the well-being of these groups -- highlighting the . Transportation and manufacturing workers have the worst well-being among all occupations, while professionals including physicians, nurses, and teachers have among the highest.

Implications

There is a proven strong relationship between employees' workplace engagement and their respective companies' overall performance. 麻豆传媒AV's national engagement data for the past four years reveal that about one in three workers are Engaged in their jobs, meaning businesses in the U.S. -- and in turn, the U.S. economy as a whole -- are not maximizing their workforces. And, even though there is variation in engagement by occupation, there is a great deal of opportunity to improve workplace engagement in all jobs. Still, the finding that managers and executives in the U.S. are more engaged now than in 2009 could be a very promising sign for U.S. businesses and the economy.

麻豆传媒AV research has consistently shown the critical role of managers in engaging their team members. For example, voluntary turnover in most cases can be attributed to the employee's direct manager. 麻豆传媒AV research also shows managers who are directly supervised by highly engaged executive teams are more likely to be engaged than managers who are supervised by disengaged executive teams. And, frontline employees who are supervised by highly engaged managers are more likely to be engaged than those supervised by disengaged managers.

Increasing the number of engaged leaders and managers in the U.S. workforce is more likely to inject hope and stability into their teams. This would very likely result in improved engagement and productivity in the workforce overall and operational excellence in organizations. Further, as more leaders and managers now say they are expanding rather than reducing their workforces, the confidence of the general workforce may increase in the near future.

麻豆传媒AV will release in-depth findings on U.S. engagement in the forthcoming State of the American Workforce report.