Employees in the Philippines and Indonesia say feeling a sense of purpose from their work is a top driver of employee engagement, according to research from Qualtrics, an experience management software firm.

In the Philippines, ‘feeling a sense of purpose from my work’ and having in place ‘processes allowing employees to be as productive as possible’ emerged as the top two drivers of employee engagement. 

In Indonesia, ‘feeling a sense of purpose from my work’ and ‘continually improving the way work gets done’ emerged as the top two drivers of employee engagement.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, ‘feeling that my career goals can be met’ and ‘being proud of the company's efforts to have a positive impact on the world’ emerged as the top two drivers of employee engagement.

Despite the challenges faced by businesses and government in 2020 overall levels of employee engagement in Philippines were 77%. Most, or 70%, of respondents said they intended to stay with their organisation three years or more.

Three-quarters (75%) of employees in the Philippines rated their overall well-being as favourable.

In the Philippines, well-being, continues to be a priority for workers and is predicted to be a key trend for organisations in 2021. Employees who feel like they belong are almost three times more likely to rate their well-being favourably than those who feel like they don't belong (82% vs. 30%).

Overall levels of employee engagement in Malaysia increased to 67% in 2020, from 54% in 2019. Intent to stay with an organisation three years or more was 71%.

Well-being also continues to be a priority for workers in Malaysia and is predicted to be a key trend for organisations in 2021. Employees who feel like they belong are almost five times more likely to rate their well-being favourably than those who feel like they don't belong (78% vs. 16%).

Meanwhile, 65% of employees in Malaysia rated their overall well-being as favourable.

In Indonesia, overall levels of employee engagement in Indonesia were 76% in 2020. When it comes to intent to stay in Indonesia, 79% of respondents said they intended to stay with their organisation three years or more.

In Indonesia, employees who feel like they belong are almost 3 times more likely to rate their well-being favourably than those who feel like they don't belong (84% vs. 23%).

Three-quarters (75%) of employees in Indonesia rated their overall well-being as favourable.

Lauren Huntington, EX Solutions Strategy, Qualtrics Southeast Asia, said, "2020 irreversibly changed the working world, and globally we saw engagement drivers shift considerably last year. As businesses and governments look forward to 2021 we expect to see these engagement drivers evolve once again as restrictions continue to change. 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."