Among employees in 10 of the world's largest economies, those in the U.S. and Brazil are the most engaged with their organizations, according to a new study by ISR, a global employee-research and consulting firm. Seventy-five percent of U.S. employees were found to be engaged, defined as the degree to which workers identify with, are motivated by, and are willing to expend extra effort for their employer, compared with 59 percent in France, the lowest-ranked country.

Key findings about employee engagement include:

• U.S. employees are the most likely to connect to their organizations through an intellectual bond, (to believe in the goals and accept the values of an organization) as compared with Canadian employees who are tied to their organizations more through an emotional bond (sense of pride in an organization).
• The most important workplace issue affecting employee engagement in the U.S. is the availability of long-term career opportunities. This finding dispels the notion that American employees are no longer interested in being loyal to their employer.
• Which employees are the most likely to exert extra effort on behalf of their employers? Not surprisingly given the engagement data, it is U.S. employees. French employees are the least likely to do so, again mirroring the engagement data.

The top three drivers of employee engagement in the U.S., according to the study, are:

• The organization offers long-term career opportunities for employees
• The company maintains high ethical standards
• Management makes sufficient effort to get the opinions of employees

Adapting to Cultural Values

One size does not fit all when it comes to motivating employees to contribute to their company's success, the study revealed. Since employees in different countries find value in different aspects of the organization, multinational organizations cannot rely on a single strategy to improve employee engagement. Rather, they should focus on adapting to different cultural values and norms when it comes to attracting, motivating, and retaining staff. 160,000 employees at hundreds of organizations in 10 of the largest world economies were surveyed for the study.

More information about the study can be found by contacting Jean Fulton of ISR at 312-645-4412 or by visiting www.isrinsight.com.