It should come as no surprise that engaged employees are the best employees. They’re less likely to change jobs, saving companies time and money that come with training new hires, said Thomas Hartley, a vice president at GfK Custom Research North America. But what makes for an engaged worker?
There are a number of factors, according to a recent study by GfK. Engagement tends to increase depending on age, education and job responsibilities, GfK found after surveying thousands of employees.
For example, 38% of employees with a doctorate are highly engaged, compared with 25% of those who did not graduate from high school. It’s not all rosy for the most educated workers, though; they also report a high level of job-related stress.
Engagement varies across industries. More than 40% of employees in construction are highly engaged — the most of any industry. On the other end of the spectrum, retail employees have the highest level of disengagement. Size matters, too: Smaller companies generally have more engaged employees.