European Engagement Now Below Pre-Pandemic Levels: Here’s What it Means

Across the continent, European employee engagement is slipping. At 75.6%, it now sits below the global average of 79.3% and significantly trails South America's leading score of 84.6%. At Perceptyx's Center for Workforce Transformation, we wanted to understand why European engagement differs from other regions and what organizations can do to turn these numbers around.

Our research revealed a landscape of contrasts. Estonia leads Europe with 84.0% engagement, while Germany shows the lowest score globally at 71.7%. This East-West split runs deep, with Western Europe consistently lagging behind its Eastern neighbors by 1.5 percentage points.

The Changing Face of European Engagement

The European engagement landscape tells a distinct story from global patterns. While both European and global engagement peaked during 2020 and 2021's height of COVID-19, Europe's trajectory has since diverged. Unlike the global average, which showed renewed vigor in 2023, European engagement continues its steady decline from the 2021 peak.

Our research identified several key patterns shaping this landscape:

• Well-being Crisis: Employee well-being across Europe has hit a concerning low point, dropping below pre-pandemic levels. Less than 7 in 10 employees believe their organization cares about their health and well-being, marking a 2.8-point decline from 2023. Eastern European workers, in particular, are struggling with mounting stress levels.
  
  
• Shifting Engagement Drivers: What drives engagement is evolving. While traditional factors like feeling valued and career growth remain essential, employees are increasingly focused on how companies handle change, whether they trust their leaders, and whether their workplace supports their well-being.
  
  
• Career Development Bright Spots: Career growth shows promise, with 53.8% of employees feeling positive about their opportunities. However, what that means varies significantly between East and West. Eastern European employees place notably stronger emphasis on growth and development opportunities, while Western European workers prioritize confidence in senior management and feeling valued.

The Role of Change Management

Among all experience factors in our research, Change & Innovation shows the steepest decline. Most notably, the two primary engagement drivers in Europe — "Change is handled effectively" and "I feel supported in my efforts to adapt to change" — demonstrate the most significant drops, with less than half of employees feeling supported in adapting to change.

However, there are encouraging signs. When asked if their company makes sufficient effort to gather employee opinions, more employees feel their voices are being heard (+3.2 points). Additionally, 83.4% of employees now feel their managers are receptive to new ideas (+5.1 points), making this our highest-scoring measure.

DEIB Resilience

Despite some claims that diversity and inclusion efforts are fading around the world, our numbers tell a different story. DEIB metrics have actually improved since 2019, with belonging remaining a crucial factor in how engaged people feel at work. "I feel like I really belong at our company" consistently emerges as a top engagement driver across industries, and organizations maintaining robust DEIB initiatives show measurable advantages in talent acquisition and development.

The Leadership Impact

In Europe, as in other regions, senior management's influence extends well beyond strategic decision-making. While the average favorable score for confidence in senior management sits at approximately 67.8%, top-performing organizations reach significantly higher at 76.9%. This gap demonstrates that while some organizations excel at fostering trust in their leadership, the majority struggle to reach similar levels.

The most successful organizations follow a clear pattern: they give their leaders sufficient time to absorb and prepare for significant changes before sharing them more broadly. These companies also equip leaders with comprehensive resources to address team questions and concerns confidently.

A Path Forward

Now here's a much happier truth for European leaders to consider: The best-performing organizations aren't succeeding by accident. They're having continuous conversations with their people, taking well-being seriously, and managing change thoughtfully. But there is a catch: what works in Warsaw might not work in London. Success means understanding these regional differences and adapting accordingly.

Organizations operating in Europe must recognize that benchmark scores reflect not just organizational performance but broader cultural and economic contexts. This understanding enables more nuanced interpretation of employee feedback and more effective action planning at both regional and country levels.

Learn More About What’s Driving Engagement Across Europe

Ready to dive deeper into understanding engagement patterns across Europe? Download our comprehensive report, Trends in Employee Engagement: A European Perspective. Inside you'll discover detailed insights into regional variations, key drivers of engagement, and practical strategies for enhancing employee engagement across your European operations.

Want to explore how these findings could transform your workplace? Schedule a meeting with our team to discuss how we can help your organization build a more engaged workforce across Europe and throughout the world.