Spotlight on Culture at Egyptian Startups

A startup is a culture all on its own - it's fast paced, it's rapidly changing and it's always adapting to the times, so you can bet that employee engagement has to be a priority. In the Egyptian Startup scene, we are seeing a new generation of workers. Young, tech savvy and creative millennials are taking over, and they are looking at work differently. They want to be recognized for their contributions; they want to feel like part of a community; and they want to work somewhere that cares about them as individuals.

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However, according to the recent employee engagement survey by Engagesoft, employees in Egypts’ Startups are less engaged at work compared to their peers in Medium to Large companies. Startups have also scored lower than the country average, and particularly lower than employees in large organizations. Let’s take a look at how the scores have compared across the board and what Startups could do to help improve their employee engagement levels. 

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Key Takeaways

Overall employee engagement score in Egypt: 7.40 out of 10

Employee engagement in Startups: 7.03 out of 10

Employee engagement scores in Medium sized companies: 7.23 out of 10

Employee engagement scores in Large companies: 7.71 out of 10

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Main drivers of high engagement among startups

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As an HR Leader, it’s important for you to understand these drivers of high engagement and ensure your organization is keeping up with these scores.

• Trust in management 

Employees in startups have significantly higher trust in management, scoring this attribute a 8.27 compared to a 7.80 and 7.94 given by employees working in medium sized and large organizations. 

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• Diversity 

According to the survey, startups have better diversity and inclusion with a score of 7.95 compared to the 7.69 given by medium sized organizations and the 7.82 given by employees working at large organizations. 

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• Sharing of opinion 

Employees at startups find it easier to share their opinions and be heard by the team, scoring this attribute a 8.32 compared to medium sized and large organizations which scored a 8.02 and a 8.26. 

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Main drivers of low engagement among Startups 

As an HR Leader, it’s important for you to understand these drivers of low engagement and ensure you’re working on improving these within your own organization. 

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• Meaningful work 

Employees in startups are struggling to find meaning in the work they do, scoring this attribute a 7.96 compared to the 8.14 and 8.46 given by employees in medium sized and large companies. This could be a result of poor communication between senior management and employees in regards to the mission and vision of the company which is something Startups could look into and work on.

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• Direct managers 

Startups employees have a weaker relationship with their direct managers, scoring this a 8.21 compared to the 8.57 and 8.51 given by employees in medium sized and large companies. Even though this score isn’t relatively bad, there still is room for improvement within startups that HR Managers and Executives could take advantage of. 

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These findings place special responsibility on managers in startup companies to provide more guidance and clarity of objections, vision and mission of the company. Clear communication is key for startups to ensure employee engagement. 

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How to increase engagement among employees in Startups

After going through which drivers affect engagement negatively and which affect engagement positively, it’s important for you to know what step you can take to help boost employee engagement levels in your startup. Here are our top tips:

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• Provide coaching and training to your managers so they can be more empowered in handling their teams. If you need further assistance with running your startup, consider getting the help of a reliable business coach. 

• Encourage transparency in the workplace - employees are more inspired to work if they are confident in the organization they are working for.

• Provide your employees the freedom to modify their work hours. Give them work alternatives to help them balance their work duties with their personal obligations. 

• Make sure your employees are healthy—both physically and mentally. If they’re not, this will have a negative impact on their performance at work and make them more likely to leave the company or seek out new opportunities elsewhere.

We can't stress enough how important employee engagement is for startups. It's not just about money or corporate initiatives; it's about being part of something bigger than yourself and working towards a common goal. Engagement isn't just an HR issue - it's an issue for everyone who works in your company. If you want to create engaged employees, then start by understanding what engagement means for them and their role within the company. 

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Good news! Our Engagesoft platform can help you achieve your employee engagement goals sooner rather than later. Book a demo today and make sure your employees are happy, healthy and committed - because when your employees are happy, everyone benefits from their high performance!

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