How’s your level of engagement at work? Is the economy getting you down? Are you just trying to hang on? Or are you actually more focused on your work and enjoying it? If it is the latter, you’re not alone. Several studies are reporting increased levels of engagement.

The Sunday Times reported the employees at the companies that appear on the Best Companies to Work For list:

“Employee engagement remained steady at 71%. Workers are still as committed and motivated as they were and some even more so. Although people are worried about job security they are not blaming their company for it. There will be winners and losers and, five years from now, the top 100 lists will be dominated by companies that have not just maintained but improved their employee engagement in difficult times.”

This tells me these companies have mastered the art of communicating necessary messages to employees while also inspiring and motivating employees.

Modern Survey is reporting the same results – employee engagement remaining relatively high because employees now feel fortunate to have their jobs instead of feeling entitled to their jobs.

“At least for the time being, these results suggest that the majority of employees are motivated to do their part to help the organisations they work for survive the current economic crisis. Those organisations that neglect their employees by failing to provide recognition or developmental opportunities risk losing people as the economy improves and other opportunities present themselves.”

It’s this final point that is most critical to understand. Even if you are showing increased or stable employee engagement levels during this recession, you must not become complacent in your employee appreciation tactics. Your people are your greatest competitive advantage. To position yourself strongly for success today and in the upturn, ensure your employees clearly understand how much you value their efforts and appreciate their contributions.

What’s the average engagement level in your organisation?