Keeping employees committed to company goals and focused on fulfilling these are crucial in an economic crisis, according to a survey conducted by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt in the Asia-Pacific region.

Watson Wyatt’s 2008-2009 WorkAsia TM study showed that employee engagement in many Asia-Pacific countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, has declined over the past year. As employee engagement rose or remained flat in some countries, the study showed overall engagement scores in the region dropped from 65 percent to 61 percent since the 2007 survey.

Watson’s Wyatt’s studies of global employee attitudes show a strong link between employee engagement and key business metrics such as productivity and turnover. For example, the study found that highly engaged employees are 70 percent more likely than low-engagement employees to exceed performance expectations and miss 27 percent fewer days of work due to illness and represent very low turnover risk.

“Our research shows that the key to driving organization-wide engagement is to understand the similarities and differences of high-engagement and low-engagement workers. Insight into how their attitudes and experiences in the workplace differ can guide senior leaders and HR professionals in their efforts to increase engagement levels among all employees,” said Ilene Gochman, global practice leader, organization effectiveness, Watson Wyatt.

The employee attitudes for the survey and other WorkAttitude surveys for 2008 and 2009 were collected from May to July of 2008, prior to the recent financial crisis. Watson Wyatt says the current events unfolding in the financial markets reinforce the findings and conclusions of the studies. Keeping engagement levels high at all times, and particularly during economy downturns, is critical to successfully navigating a major crisis and returning an organization to stability and profitability.

“Greater employee engagement is a valuable economic asset leading to higher productivity and retention of critical talent,” said Deirdre Lander, head of human capital group, Hong Kong Watson Wyatt. “Economic downturns create uncertainty and job insecurity amongst employees, potentially weakening engagement and undermining the value of that asset. So it is crucial for employers to take steps to engage their employees even when business has slowed down.”

Analysis of the survey data indicates that there are two ways that companies can maintain engagement, Watson Wyatt said. The second is to continuously engage people through strong strategic direction and leadership, intense customer focus, equitable rewards and effective internal communication. Companies that do both are likely to make it through the current crisis and deliver superior results in the years ahead. Dinna Chan Vasquez