How Employee Engagement Compares in Small and Large Enterprises

Employees in Saudi Arabia’ SMEs engage with their work less than their counterparts in Enterprises do, according to the recent employee engagement survey by Engagesoft. The survey compared employee engagement in Saudi Arabia across more than 30 engagement drivers and among several employee groups. 

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The result may go contrary to the assumption (held by organizational leaders) that the ownership and responsibility granted to employees by smaller companies are sufficient to ensure high engagement. In fact, however, the result demonstrates that large companies invest more systematically than small companies do in employee engagement. 

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SME employees scored 7.2 out of 10 in terms of general engagement compared to 8.2 by Enterprise employees.

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With this in mind, let's have a deeper dive into some of the specific engagement drivers behind the company size engagement divide and what HR professionals and organizational leaders could do to help close the gap. 

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What drives the engagement gap between the company sizes 

Engagesoft's employee engagement survey shows that SME employees in Saudi Arabia reported lower scores across a wide range of engagement drivers. 

We will highlight a few of these drivers here.

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Organizational Attention to Employee's Wellbeing

Employees in SMEs feel that their wellbeing and mental health isn’t being catered to, scoring this driver the lowest at a 6.4. Employees in Enterprises have scored this driver a 7.1 putting them in a better place compared to their peers in SMEs. 

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Regular feedback

SME employees are also not getting regular feedback on their work from their direct managers, scoring it a 7.0 compared to the 7.5 Enterprise employees scored. 

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Workload and stress

SME employees feel their workload is heavier than employees in Enterprises, with a score of 7.1 compared to 7.6 by Enterprise employees. SME employees feel that they are under alot of pressure and that their employers are not accommodating to their circumstances.

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Diversity and inclusion

SME employees reported lower scores in terms of the diversity and inclusion giving it a 7.9 compared to the 8.5 given by employees in Enterprises. 

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What SMEs could do to improve their employee engagement levels

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There is no one-size-fits-all solution to addressing the engagement gap between SMEs and Enterprises. Organizations should tailor their engagement initiatives to the specific needs of their employees and continue to measure engagement to improve year-on-year.

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Some general recommendations include:

Creating a more supportive environment

While smaller organizations may not have access to the resources of their counterpart larger organizations, they still need to prioritize investing in the well-being of their employees. Not all such investments are necessarily costly. For example, creating systems that accommodate the work-life balance needs of your employees may go a long way to address the needs of your employees and enhance their wellbeing. Additionally, investments in the workplace are known to bring about positive results. In general, seek to create an environment that is supportive of employees and their professional and personal needs. Doing this can help you retain your top talent. You can read more about employees and supporting their mental health here.

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Improving communication and feedback

Organizations should improve communication with their employees and make sure that their feedback is heard and acted upon. Smaller organizations may fall for the assumption that feedback systems are not necessary given that the smaller size of the organization should make feedback flow effortlessly. We strongly recommend that organizational leaders seek to formalize feedback processes and train managers on how to give feedback effectively and according to agreed upon schedules.

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Promoting diversity and inclusion

Organizations should make sure they are focusing on diversity amongst their workforce. Diversity and inclusion is not just a moral imperative but also a business investment. By putting diversity and inclusion into practice, we can increase employee engagement, retention, innovation, and productivity.

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Next steps

While the Saudi Arabia employee engagement survey offers a clear call to action for SMEs to address the engagement challenges of their employees, it is important that each organization tailor its engagement initiatives to the specific needs of its workforce.

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Organizations should consider conducting their own employee engagement surveys and launch their employee engagement initiatives to get a better understanding of the needs of their employees and where there may be engagement gaps. Employee engagement surveys can help organizations to identify the root causes of engagement issues and to design targeted engagement initiatives that can make a real impact.

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