Download the full report for free at http://www.eco.ca.
The findings from ECO Canada's 2011 study on what drives employee engagement for the environmental workforce.
"Engaged" employees are those that would recommend their employer as a good place to work, are motivated to do more than what is normally required, and feel their contribution is valued.
The study reveals that 78% of environmental employees are engaged in their work, compared to just 64% of workers in the overall Canadian labour force.
For more research findings, or for resources to help you launch and advance your own environmental career, visit ECO Canada at http://www.eco.ca
4. Engaged workers are those that would
recommend their employer
as a good place to work,
are motivated to do more
than what is normally required
and feel their contribution is valued.
5. Emotional and Rational Motivators
The impact of heart and mind – or emotional and rational motivators –
play a key role in determining the degree to which employees are engaged.
6. Employee Engagement Model
Employee Engagement model helps organizations and industries identify
the areas of strength that can be leveraged and barriers to creating a
motivated and loyal work force. Using a simple yet powerful causal model,
the cause and effect relationships between the human resource
management practices and the level of engagement of employees are
defined and tested.
Grounded in theories of organizational behaviour and years of practical
application, this approach provides strategic insights into the degree to
which employee engagement is driven by the heart (emotional) rather than
the head (rational) and tactical insights into which specific aspects need
focus to improve business results.
7. Employee Engagement Among Environmental
Employees in Canada
The Employee Engagement Index
The engagement index for environmental workers is 78, fourteen
points higher than the index for Canadian workers overall. However, in
comparing environmental employees to employees overall, it should
be noted that the benchmark includes many people working in jobs
where a low level of commitment would be expected, such as
minimum wage jobs that do not require a high level of skill. As a
result, it is important for the environmental sector to strive for a level of
commitment that is well above this benchmark.
8. Employee Engagement Among Environmental
Employees in Canada
80%
77% 77% 78
71%
64% 64
58%
**The overall Engagement Index is
based on the level of agreement with
three attributes:
1. Employees would recommend
their employee as a good place
I would recommend my I am motivated to do
My contribution is Employee
to work;
company as a good more than what is
valued by my Engagement Index
2. Discretionary effort—employees
place to work. normally required for are motivated to do more than
employer.
my job. what is normally required for their
jobs; and,
3. Employees believe that their
contribution is valued by their
employer.
Environmental Workers (n=974)
National Benchmark (n=2,600)
9. Employee Engagement Among Environmental
Employees in Canada
Compared to the National Employee Engagment
benchmark, environmental employees:
• Are more likely to believe that their contribution is valued by their
employer. Seventy-seven percent of environmental employees agree or
strongly agree with this statement, as compared to only 58% of
employed Canadians.
• They are more likely to state that they would recommend their employer
as a good place to work (77% vs. the benchmark of 64%).
Importantly, environmental workers are more likely to expend
discretionary effort, one of the hallmarks of employee engagement.Eighty
percent of environmental practitioners state that they are motivated to do
more than what is normally required for their jobs, as compared to only
71% of Canadian employees.
10. Emotional and Rational Motivators
The results for the rational
Environmental employees
83% 84% motivations are mixed.
are more connected to 80%
77% Environmental employees
their employers in terms of 73%
report higher job
the emotional motivators 67% 66% satisfaction, but are less
than the average 60% likely to agree or strongly
employed Canadian. They
agree that “All and all, I
are 23 points above the
would say it “is worth it” for
benchmark when it comes
me, my family, and my
to trust and 13 points
career to work here”.
above for being proud to
Remuneration and job
work for their employer.
security appear to be
concerns for environmental
employees.
Trust Pride Job Satisfaction All and all, it’s worth it
Emotional Motivators Rational Motivators
Environmental Employees (n=974) National Benchmark (n=2,600)
12. Engagement Segmentation Among Environmental
Employees
Fully engaged and plan to stay
with their current employer
for three years or longer.
14%
21% Compared to the
workforce
overall, environmental
Engaged*
Strategic 22%
Committed
Fully
Switchers workers are less likely to
Engagement Level
30% be:
15% • Disgruntled—less
Less than Fully
Disgruntled Detached
engaged employees
Engaged
9% that do not plan to stay
at their current
<3 Years 3+ Years employer; or,
Years Expect to Stay • Detached—employees
49%
With Your Company
40% that plan to stay with
their employer even
though they are not
Environmental employees have a greater
fully engaged.
tendency to fall into the Strategic Switchers
segment. They are fully engaged, however they Environmental National Benchmark
Employees (n=974) (n=2,600)
do not plan to stay with their current employer.
13. Age
Strategic
Committed
Switchers
Generation X employees
A higher Proportion of are as likely as Millenials to
Millenials are disgruntled. be Strategic Switchers. Disgruntled Detached
15% 13% 12% 12%
21%
22% 22% 24% 24%
14%
14% 8%
16% 17% 19%
Out of all 3 generations, Baby
52% 56% Boomers are most likely to be
47% 48% 45%
in the Committed segment
Male Female Millenials Generation X Baby
(590) (382) (155) (478) Boomers
(324)
Gender Generations
14. Level of job responsibility
Strategic
Committed
11% 14% 13% Switchers
20%
Disgruntled Detached
30% 23% 24%
18%
13% 14%
18%
Engagement tends
23%
to increase with
increased level of
responsibility
51% 49%
44%
36%
Entry Junior Intermediate Senior
(91) (170) (311) (343)
Level of Job Responsibility
15. Career Paths Segmentation
Strategic
Committed
Switchers
12% 15% 16%
Subject Disgruntled Detached
Matter
16% Experts, Tech
nologists and
26%
Technicians 30%
17% tend to be
‘Strategic
Switchers’ or
Employees 19% ‘Detached’ 8%
managing people
or projects tend
to be the most
‘Committed’
55%
employees.
45%
41%
Managing Subject Matter Technologist/
People/Projects Expert Technician
(508) (211) (185)
16. Number of Employees Canada wide
Strategic
Committed
Switchers
15% 14% 16% 12%
Disgruntled Detached
15% 19% 16%
32%
those working for 18%
Those employed by
18% 21% large organizations
smaller companies 6%
are more likely to (over 1,000
be Strategic employees) are more
Switchers, perhaps likely to be Detached.
due to a perceived
lack of opportunity 51% 49% 50%
47%
for advancement The proportion of
within a smaller committed employees is
organization. similar across different-
sized organizations at
19 or Less 20-99 100-1000 Over 1000 around one-half
(137) (172) (317) (348)
Number of Employees
18. Attributes and key drivers of engagement
The attributes of employee engagement are characteristics that
differentiate engaged employees from those that are not engaged.
These include characteristics such as commitment to their
employer, recommending their employer as a good place to work and
willingness to expend discretionary effort.
The key drivers are those attributes which are strongly related to
individual employees levels of commitment—the attitudes and
behaviours that are likely to characterize engaged employees, and are
usually not characteristics of uncommitted workers.
19. Corporate Culture and Communications
Environmental employees hold positive opinions of their
employers’ corporate culture and communication
% Strongly Agree/ attributes. The highest rated attributes are demonstating
Agree integrity, and having a safe and healthy work environment.
81 86 83 82
60 64
n/a n/a
My employer
demonstrates I have a safe and I trust the leadership of My company’s staff are
integrity, for example by healthy work my company. ready and willing to
being against environment. adapt to change.
bribery, corruption and
n/a
human rights abuses. n/a
3 4 6
7
14
20
% Disagree/
Environmental Employees (n=974)
Strongly Disagree
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
20. Corporate Culture and Communications
“My work and my employer’s goals align with
my personal values” is a key driver of overall
% Strongly Agree/
engagement for environmental employees.
Agree
81 78 75 72
52
n/a n/a n/a
My employer
My employer is an My work and my demonstrates corporate Sufficient effort is
environmentally employer’s goals align philanthropy, including made to obtain the
responsible with my personal values. encouraging employees opinions of employees.
organization. to take part in
fundraising and other
activities to benefit
n/a n/a n/a
others.
5 7 8
12
% Disagree/
Strongly Disagree 28
Environmental Employees (n=974)
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
21. Discretionary effort – being
Commitment to results motivated to go “above and
beyond” job expectations – is a key
driver in engagement.
% Strongly Agree/
Agree
93 88 89 88
82 85 80
70 71
55
I have a clear My department has a
The employees I work clear understanding of There are usually I’m motivated to do
understanding of how enough employees in
my work contributes to with cooperate to get our customers’ needs more than what is
the job done. (note: your customers my department to required for my job.
achieving my company’s handle the workload.
overall goals. may be internal or
external).
2 4 3 6 3 4 6
12
19
% Disagree/ 28
Strongly Disagree
Environmental Employees (n=974)
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
22. Management Effectiveness - Contribution
Environmental employees are more likely to perceive that they
are effectively managed than is the norm. They are especially
% Strongly Agree/ likely to feel that their employer values their contribution (a key
Agree factor for engagement), and to feel encouraged to come up with
new and better ways of doing things.
81 80 79 77
64 67 66
58
My immediate supervisor
I feel encouraged to come My immediate supervisor
understands the realities My contribution is valued
up with new and better demonstrates interest in
and circumstances that I by my employer.
ways of doing things. my well being.
experience in my job.
8 7 8 8
17 15 13
18
% Disagree/
Strongly Disagree Environmental Employees (n=974)
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
23. Management Effectiveness - Recognition
% Strongly Agree/
Agree
76 71
65 70
57 56 54
40
My immediate supervisor
Employees in my
My immediate supervisor provides me with regular When I do a good job, my
department who perform
provides the necessary positive feedback and performance is
poorly are appropriately
objectives and direction. suggestions for recognized.
managed.
improvement if necessary.
8 10
15 13
21 23 22
33
% Disagree/
Strongly Disagree Environmental Employees (n=974)
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
24. Training and Development
Doing a good job of developing its
people to their full potential is the top
% Strongly Agree/ Training and Development priority, as
Agree it is a key driver of engagement.
77
71 67
61
55
48
I am given opportunities I believe that I have the My company is doing a
and encouraged to learn opportunity for growth good job of developing its
or train to improve my and development at my people to their full
skills. company. potential.
10 14
18 16
24 27
% Disagree/
Strongly Disagree
Environmental Employees (n=974)
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
25. Treatment, Balance and Respect
Environmental employees are above average
when it comes to work-life balance, having an
% Strongly Agree/ employer that treats employees with
Agree dignity, respect and fairness, and feeling that they
are fairly treated.
89 87
81 78 77
74 76
68 67
n/a
I am not personally subject Employees are treated
I am able to maintain
to sexual, racial or any with dignity, respect and The amount of work that
a healthy balance I feel that I am treated
other kind of harassment fairness regardless of I am expected to do is
between my work and fairly at my company.
from my company’s their position of reasonable.
personal life.
employees or customers. background.
5 6 8
12 11 9 12
17 14
% Disagree/
Strongly Disagree Environmental Employees (n=974)
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
26. Job Satisfaction
% Strongly Agree/
Agree
95 93 85 85
79 83
n/a n/a
My work is satisfying
I understand the role and I have enough flexibility in I like the people with
because it contributes
responsibilities of my job. my job to provide good whom I work.
directly to a better
service to my customers.
community/environment
/world.
1 1 4 3 4
7
% Disagree/
Environmental Employees (n=974)
Strongly Disagree
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
27. The 5 key aspects of Job Satisfaction
– those which have the greatest
impact on employee engagement –
are:
Job Satisfaction • Feeling of accomplishment
• Feeling committed to employer
• Pride
• Willingness to recommend
% Strongly Agree/ company as a good place to work
Agree • Over satisfaction
82 81 80 78
74
67 68
n/a
I feel a strong sense of
My job gives me the I am proud to work at my
My job gives me a feeling commitment to my
chance to do challenging company.
of accomplishment.
n/a company
and interesting work.
4 7 5 7
9 11 11
% Disagree/ Environmental Employees (n=974)
Strongly Disagree
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
28. Job Satisfaction
% Strongly Agree/
Agree
84
77 77 73
64
n/a
I would recommend my My work is near where I Considering
company as a good place live or in a place I like to everything, how satisfied
to work. live in. are you with your job?
8 10 6
15 13
% Disagree/
Strongly Disagree
Environmental Employees (n=974)
National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
29. Although environmental
employees are more positive
Job Security, Remuneration. Benefits about many aspects of their jobs
as compared to the Canadian
workforce in general, this is not
the case when it comes to the
key elements of job security, and
% Strongly Agree/ remuneration.
Agree
77
70
66 64
61
57
All and all, I would say it
I am paid fairly for my
“is worth it” for me, my I feel secure in my job
duties, responsibilities
family and my career to
and performance.
work here.
7
13
19
25 27 29
% Disagree/ Environmental Employees (n=974)
Strongly Disagree National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
30. Job Security, Remuneration. Benefits
Environmental workers are fairly
% Strongly Agree/ positive in their assessment of their
Agree 70 benefits program or package, with
70% rating it as excellent or good.
60
They are less enthusiastic about
46 their incentive/bonus system, with
only 46% rating it as excellent or
good.
n/a
How do you rate your How do you rate your
benefits program/package incentive programs or
overall? bonus systems?
7
16
20
Environmental Employees (n=974)
% Disagree/
Strongly Disagree National Employee Benchmark (n=2,600)
31. Key drivers of engagement
Key drivers that employers can directly impact include:
Demonstrating that employee contributions are valued
Recognizing good performance
Developing employees to their full potential
Treating employees fairly
Actions or communications to enhance sense of job security
33. Difference of Key Drivers of Engagement for Large and
SMEs (in order of the strength of the correlation with overall engagement)
Small and Medium Employers Large Employers
(Less than 100 employers) (100 employees or more)
Base: 309 Base:665
I would recommend my company as a good place to work. I would recommend my company as a good place to work.
My contribution is valued by my employer. My contribution is valued by my employer.
I am motivated to do more than what is normally required for my job. I am motivated to do more than what is normally required for my job.
I am proud to work at my company. I feel a strong sense of commitment to my company.
I am proud to work at my company
Overall job satisfaction.
My job gives me a feeling of accomplishment. My job gives me a feeling of accomplishment.
I feel a strong sense of commitment to my company. Overall job satisfaction.
I feel that I am treated fairly at my company. I feel that I am treated fairly at my company.
34. Large Employers – increase engagement
Focus on communications and activities that support in employees a
sense of fair treatment
increased feelings of accomplishment
pride
commitment to the organization
Employees of large organizations find value in being recognized
for their contributions.
35. Large Employers – increase engagement
The drive for employees to go above-and-beyond expectations in large
organizations is related to
Feelings of commitment to their employer
The willingness to recommend their employer
Feeling a sense of accomplishment in daily work
Leverage these feelings by ensuring employees feel
their workload as reasonable
fairly treated
able to maintain work-life balance
flexibility in providing customer service
36. Large Employers – increase engagement
Employees of large organizations find value in being recognized for their
contributions.
This is supported by an employer:
recognizing good performance
encouraging strong, positive relationships with
employees and their supervisor
providing opportunities for employee learning and growth
37. Small to Medium Employers – increase engagement
Focus on communications and activities that support an employees ability to:
Understand customer needs
Understand employer goals
Brainstorm new and improved methods of productivity
Access opportunities for training and development
38. Small to Medium Employers – increase engagement
Employees of SMEs find value in contributing to a larger cause.
Support this by
action and communication that emphasizes trust
making an effort to hear employee opinions
maintaining open, honest communication
ensuring employees feel treated with dignity, respect and fairness
encouraging work-life balance
39. Compared to large organizations,
SMEs are doing a better job of
valuing employee contributions and
encouraging outside-the-box solutions.
40. Key Recommendations for
Large Organizations
Ensure
Workloads are reasonable
Employees feel fairly treated
Employees have a strong sense of recognition and
accomplishment
41. Key Recommendations for
SME Organizations
Ensure
Employees feel fairly treated
Employees have flexibility to provide good customer service
Employees maintain a work/life balance
42. Overall Recommendations for
all organizations
Leverage key attributes by ensuring
A feeling of accomplishment and recognition for good performance
A feeling of fair treatment for all staff
Employees can access opportunities to develop themselves to their
full potential
Alignment of work, employer and personal goals.
43. For more information contact:
Chris Stewart
cstewart@eco.ca
(403) 476-1950
www.eco.ca
Special thanks are extended to the consultants Ipsos for conducting
the research and analyzing the data collected through the survey.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Compared to the National Employee Engagment benchmark, environmental employees:Are more likely to believe that their contribution is valued by their employer. Seventy-seven percent of environmental employees agree or strongly agree with this statement, as compared to only 58% of employed Canadians.They are more likely to state that they would recommend their employer as a good place to work (77% vs. the benchmark of 64%).Importantly, environmental workers are more likely to expend discretionary effort, one of the hallmarks of employee engagement. Eighty percent of environmental practitioners state that they are motivated to do more than what is normally required for their jobs, as compared to only 71% of Canadian employees.
Environmental employees are more connected to their employers in terms of the emotional motivators than the average employed Canadian. They are 23 points above the benchmark when it comes to trust and 13 points above for being proud to work for their employer.The results for the rational motivations are mixed. Environmental employees report higher job satisfaction, but are less likely to agree or strongly agree that “All and all, I would say it “is worth it” for me, my family, and my career to work here”. Remuneration and job security appear to be concerns for environmental employees.
Increasing employee engagement is proven to enhance organizational metrics, including financial performance indicators, employee retention and productivity.*The analysis of employee engagement segments is based on a quadrant segmentation performed on two variables:How much longer workers will stay with their current employer if given their own way; and,Overall employee engagement level.
The Committed segment of employees is fully engaged and plan to stay with their current employer for three years or longer. At 49%, environmental employees are more likely to be in the Committed segment than are employees overall (40%). Environmental employees also have a greater tendency to fall into the Strategic Switchers segment—15% vs. 9% of employees overall. Strategic Switchers are fully engaged, however they do not plan to stay with their current employer.Compared to the workforce overall, environmental workers are less likely to be:Disgruntled—less engaged employees that do not plan to stay at their current employer; or,Detached—employees that plan to stay with their employer even though they are not fully engaged.
Among environmental employees, Baby Boomers are more likely to be in the Committed segment than are either Millenials or Generation X employees. Among the youthful Millenials, there is a higher proportion that are Disgruntled (21%) or Strategic Switchers (17%). Generation X employees are as likely as Millenials to be Strategic Switchers (19%), and as likely as Baby Boomers to be Detached (24%).
Engagement tends to increase with increased level of responsibility
When environmental practitioners are asked which of three options best describes their career path, just over one-half are managing people or projects, while, 22% are “subject matter experts” and 19% are “technologists or technicians”.Those managing people or projects tend to be the most committed employees, while subject matter experts are a bit more likely to be Strategic Switchers or Detached. Technologies/technicians also tend to be less engaged.
The proportion of committed employees is similar across different-sized organizations at around one-half. Those employed by large organizations (over 1,000 employees) are more likely to be Detached (32% of their employees), while those working for smaller companies are more likely to be Strategic Switchers, perhaps due to a perceived lack of opportunity for advancement within a smaller organization
The slides that follow this slide – the charts were redone but some does not match the original slide – this info will be found in the ppt called a ‘A few additional slides’
Environmental employees hold positive opinions of their employers’ corporate culture and communication attributes. The highest rated attributes are demonstating integrity, and having a safe and healthy work environment.For attributes for which national benchmarks are available, environmental employees’ scores are up to 20 points higher than those of Canadian employees in general.“My work and my employer’s goals align with my personal values” is a key driver of overall engagement for environmental employees (75+% agree). Overall, environmental employees hold positive opinions of their employers’ corporate culture. The highest rated attributes are demonstrating integrity and having a safe, healthy work environment.
Environmental employees hold positive opinions of their employers’ corporate culture and communication attributes. The highest rated attributes are demonstating integrity, and having a safe and healthy work environment.For attributes for which national benchmarks are available, environmental employees’ scores are up to 20 points higher than those of Canadian employees in general.“My work and my employer’s goals align with my personal values” is a key driver of overall engagement for environmental employees (75+% agree). Overall, environmental employees hold positive opinions of their employers’ corporate culture. The highest rated attributes are demonstrating integrity and having a safe, healthy work environment.
Discretionary effort – being motivated to go “above and beyond” job expectations – is a key driver in engagement. 80% of environmental employees (compared to 71% average) are motivated in this way. Environmental employees are only slightly above average when it comes to:Understanding how their work conrtibutes to the goals of their company;Working with employees who cooperate to get the job done; and,Having a clear understanding of internal/external customers’ needs.Environmental employees are much more likely to agree that there are usually enough employees to handle the workload (70% agree) than are Canadian employees (at 55%).
Environmental employees are more likely to perceive that they are effectively managed than is the norm. They are especially likely to feel that their employer values their contribution (a key factor for engagement), and to feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things.
Doing a good job of developing its people to their full potential is the top Training and Development priority, as it is a key driver of engagement. Environmental employees are significantly more positive than the average employee when it comes to Opportunities and encouragement to train/learn new skills Having the opportunity for growth and development Working for a company that is doing a good job of developing staff to their full potential
Most environmental employees and Canadian employees in general agree that they are not personally subject to any form of harassment from other employees or customers. Only 5% to 6% disagree.Environmental employees are above average when it comes to work-life balance, having an employer that treats employees with dignity, respect and fairness regardless of their background or position, and feeling that they are fairly treated. Three-quarters of environmental employees also agree that the amount of work they are expected to do is reasonable.Treating employees fairly should be emphasized by employers of environmental workers, as there is a strong relationship between feeling that they are fairly treated and having a high level of engagement with the employer.
The 5 key aspects of Job Satisfaction – those which have the greatest impact on employee engagement – are: Feeling of accomplishmentFeeling committed to employer Pride Willingness to recommend company as a good place to work Over satisfaction At least 75% of environmental workers are positive about all of these 5 key aspects.
The 5 key aspects of Job Satisfaction – those which have the greatest impact on employee engagement – are: Feeling of accomplishmentFeeling committed to employer Pride Willingness to recommend company as a good place to work Over satisfaction At least 75% of environmental workers are positive about all of these 5 key aspects.
Although environmental employees are more positive about many aspects of their jobs as compared to the Canadian workforce in general, this is not the case when it comes to the key elements of job security, and remuneration.Canadian employees overall are more likely to agree that it is worth it for them, their families and their careers to work with their current employer (77%) as compared to environmental employees (66%). Environmental workers provide levels of agreement that they are fairly paid that are similar to employees overall.Within these three important measures, the largest gap is for job security. Only 57% of environmental workers agree that they feel secure in their jobs, as compared to Canadian workers overall at 70%.Environmental workers are fairly positive in their assessment of their benefits program or package, with 70% rating it as excellent or good. They are less enthusiastic about their incentive/bonus system, with only 46% rating it as excellent or good.
Although environmental employees are more positive about many aspects of their jobs as compared to the Canadian workforce in general, this is not the case when it comes to the key elements of job security, and remuneration.Canadian employees overall are more likely to agree that it is worth it for them, their families and their careers to work with their current employer (77%) as compared to environmental employees (66%). Environmental workers provide levels of agreement that they are fairly paid that are similar to employees overall.Within these three important measures, the largest gap is for job security. Only 57% of environmental workers agree that they feel secure in their jobs, as compared to Canadian workers overall at 70%.Environmental workers are fairly positive in their assessment of their benefits program or package, with 70% rating it as excellent or good. They are less enthusiastic about their incentive/bonus system, with only 46% rating it as excellent or good.
Employers from small, medium and large companies can all have a positive effect on employee engagement by emphasizing the factors that have the most impact on their employees. These are also the ones over which employers tend to have the most control.
Overall job satisfaction is higher in environmental employees (84%) than it is for average Canadian employees.