The top drivers of employee engagement in Singapore changed drastically over 2020, according to new research released by Qualtrics. Its 2021 Singapore Employee Trends Report found that four out of five drivers shifted:

IN

• Creating a sense of belonging

• Continually improving ways of working

• Confidence in senior leadership

• Managers role modelling effective collaboration with other teams

• Effective collaboration between teams

OUT

• A clear link between work and the company’s strategic objectives

• Managers who help employees with career development

• Opportunities for learning and development

• Recognition for good work

Lauren Huntington, EX Solutions Strategy, Qualtrics Southeast Asia, said the massive shift is unsurprising given how the working world changed last year. Furthermore, she predicted that as the COVID-19 situation and the resulting restrictions change, the drivers of engagement are likely to change yet again.

“To ensure teams are provided with the support and services they need in fast changing situations, it is critical leaders are able to understand how emerging trends are reshaping the workplace, and what they can do to design and improve employee experience,” she observed.

Interestingly, the study also found that overall engagement levels in Singapore have risen despite the difficulties of 2020. Overall employee engagement is now 56 percent, up from 47 percent in 2019—one of the lowest engagement levels in the region—and the number who intend to stay with their employer for at least three years is also up to 56 percent from 43 percent in 2019.

However, given that the global average engagement level also rose to 66 percent in 2020, up from 53 percent, Singaporeans are still among the least engaged employees in the world.