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Drivers of wellbeing and engagement
Insights to help you improve the engagement and wellbeing of your employees.
Key takeaways
Meaningful work and a safe working environment are the top drivers of positive employee wellbeing.
Organisational integrity and senior leaders are the key drivers of positive engagement.
Highly engaged employees also report high levels of wellbeing and vice versa.
Public sector organisations can focus on these drivers to improve employee wellbeing and engagement.
Why engagement and employee wellbeing matters
Engaged employees help strengthen the efficiency, effectiveness and capability of the public sector to deliver high-quality services.
Remember this: employee engagement is a foundational component to workplace outcomes. If you want to talk about wellbeing, manager development, performance (and more), you also have to talk about employee engagement.
Improving the wellbeing of your employees triggers a virtuous cycle. It leads to higher levels of engagement and productivity, which again leads to better wellbeing, motivation and retention.
Research suggests that employees who report high levels of wellbeing are more likely to:
be more engaged
be more creative
be more productive
provide better customer service
report more positive interactions with their managers
be more confident to speak up
be more satisfied with their job, career development and work-life balance.
A workforce that is well works well…organisations need to take better care of their people and recognise how the demands of work affect their physical and mental health, as well as their ability to perform well at work.
– Sir Professor Cary Carter, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, President and wellbeing expert.
Improving engagement helps organisations attract new talent and retain their employees. Turnover is costly, and in an increasingly competitive job market, it’s important to measure and improve employee engagement.
A Gallup Panel Web study found that employees who are engaged and have high wellbeing are:
59% less likely to look for a job with a different organisation in the next 12 months
27% more likely to report “excellent” performance in their own job at work
27% more likely to report “excellent” performance by their organisation
45% more likely to report high levels of adaptability in the presence of change
30% more likely not to miss any workdays because of poor health in any given month and miss 70% fewer workdays over the course of a year because of poor health
18% less likely to change employers in a 12-month period
19% more likely to volunteer their time in the past month.
Measures of wellbeing in 2022
To improve employee wellbeing we need to understand what affects it.
We’ve included some measures of wellbeing from the People matter survey 2022 that organisations should pay attention to. Police and emergency services aren’t included in this data because Victoria Police and Fire Rescue Victoria weren’t able to participate in the survey.
Results from the survey show about:
54% of respondents feel happy
48% of respondents feel enthusiastic about their work
33% of respondents feel worried about their work
19% of respondents feel miserable
25% of respondents experienced high to severe job-related stress.
This chart shows the percentage breakdown of responses.
Impact of negative behaviour
Negative behaviour can impact the health, wellbeing, performance and behaviour of your employees.
We asked respondents if they’d experienced negative behaviour at work in the 12 months before they took the survey.
This chart shows a breakdown of the types of negative behaviour respondents experienced.
Drivers of positive and negative wellbeing
We analysed People matter survey data from 2019 to 2022 to find out what drivers impact employee wellbeing the most.
We put all survey questions into factor groups. The factor groups that have the biggest impact on employee wellbeing are called drivers.
For example, we found meaningful work to be the top driver of employee wellbeing. Respondents who felt they were doing important work and making a worthwhile contribution reported higher levels of wellbeing.
In the survey, we asked respondents how work made them feel in the 3 months before they took the survey.
The top 5 drivers of employee wellbeing in 2022 are the same factors identified from the 2019 to 2021 People matter survey data. Interestingly, we found consistent results before and during the coronavirus pandemic.
Top 5 drivers of positive wellbeing in order of impact
Meaningful work
Safety climate
Learning and development
Manager support
Workload
Top 5 drivers of negative wellbeing in order of impact
Workload
Safety climate
Manager support
Safe to speak up
Job enrichment
About the drivers
All drivers are important to understanding and improving employee wellbeing. But we found some were more important than others depending on where you work and what you do.
For example, health professionals reported different drivers of wellbeing compared to child protection practitioners or police officers.
To illustrate this, we’ve divided the drivers into 2 groups:
drivers that affect wellbeing across the public sector
drivers that affect some employee groups more than others.
Drivers that affect wellbeing across the public sector
This is how your employees feel about their contribution and how worthwhile their work is.
If they find meaning in their work, they’re more likely to achieve better outcomes for themselves, their team and organisation.
Wellbeing is higher for respondents who agree with these statements:
I am achieving something important through my work.
I feel that I can make a worthwhile contribution at work.
This is how your employees feel about their workload and time pressure.
If they have too much work to do or not enough time to do it, they’re likely to experience more work-related stress.
Wellbeing is higher for respondents who agree with these statements:
The workload I have is appropriate for the job that I do.
I have enough time to do my job effectively.
This is how safe and secure your employees feel at your organisation.
If they feel safe, they’re likely to be more productive and feel good at work.
A bad safety climate may lead to:
poor work quality
negative acts such as bullying and harassment
mental health problems such as depression, distress and emotional exhaustion
sickness absence
presenteeism (coming to work when sick)
worker compensation
reduced engagement.
Wellbeing is higher for respondents who agree with these statements:
I feel culturally safe at work.
Senior leaders show support for stress prevention through involvement and commitment.
Senior leaders consider the psychological health of employees to be as important as productivity.
My organisation provides a physically safe work environment.
My organisation consults employees on health and safety matters.
My organisation has effective procedures in place to support employees who may experience stress.
In my workplace, there is good communication about psychological safety issues that affect me.
All levels of my organisation are involved in the prevention of stress.
This is how your employees feel about their opportunities to learn and grown in your organisation.
If they can learn and develop their career, they’re more likely to be engaged, efficient and capable.
Wellbeing is higher for respondents who agree with these statements:
I am developing and learning in my role.
In the last 12 months I have learned skills that have helped me do my job better.
I am satisfied with the way my learning and development needs have been addressed in the last 12 months.
I feel I have an equal chance at promotion in my organisation.
My organisation places a high priority on the learning and development of staff.
I am satisfied with the availability of opportunities to move between roles within my organisation (e.g. temporary or permanent transfers).
I am satisfied with the availability of opportunities to take up roles in other organisations (e.g. temporary or permanent transfers or secondments).
There are adequate opportunities for me to develop skills and experience in my organisation.
This is how supported your employees feel by their direct manager.
Supportive managers provide clarity, appreciation and positive feedback and coaching.
If your employees feel supported by their manager, they’re likely to be more satisfied and productive at work.
Wellbeing is higher for respondents who agree with these statements:
I receive adequate recognition for my contributions and accomplishments.
My manager involves me in decisions about my work.
My manager listens to what I have to say.
My manager keeps me informed about what’s going on.
My manager encourages and supports my participation in learning and development opportunities.
My manager has regular conversations with me about my learning and development.
My manager provides me with enough support when I need it.
My manager provides feedback to me in a way that helps me improve my performance.
I would be confident in approaching my manager to discuss concerns and grievances.
This is how freely and confidently your employees can talk about issues without fear of retribution.
If they don’t feel safe to speak up they’re more likely to feel worried or miserable at work.
If they feel safe to speak up at work, they’re more likely to report negative behaviour and integrity issues at work. This leads to safer a workplace for everyone.
Wellbeing is higher for respondents who agree with these statements:
I am confident that I would be protected from reprisal for reporting improper conduct.
I am confident that if I raised a grievance in my organisation, it would be investigated in a thorough and objective manner.
I feel safe to challenge inappropriate behaviour at work
People in my workgroup are able to bring up problems and tough issues.
Wellbeing is lower for respondents who agree with these statements:
People in my workgroup often reject others for being different.
If I make a mistake in my workgroup, it is often held against me.
This is how your employees feel about their autonomy at work and their role clarity.
If they can use their skills, knowledge and abilities at work they’re likely to be more engaged.
Wellbeing is higher for respondents who agree with these statements:
I have the authority to do my job effectively.
I have a choice in deciding how I do my work.
My work performance is assessed against clear criteria.
I clearly understand what I am expected to do in this job.
I understand how my job contributes to my organisation’s purpose.
I understand how the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities applies to my work.
My job allows me to utilise my skills, knowledge and abilities.
Drivers of wellbeing that affect some employee groups more than others
This is how well your team works together and supports each other in your organisation.
The better you work together, the better you’ll perform as a team.
It’s a significant driver of wellbeing for respondents:
in demanding service delivery environments
in multidisciplinary or highly specialised teams
who need adjustments due to special needs or specific tasks.
For example:
nursing, medical, allied health and support services workers in health organisations
employees with disabilities
employees with salaries less than $55,000.
This is how well your organisation supports work flexibly.
Employees who have flexible work arrangements tend to report higher wellbeing compared to those who don’t.
It’s a significant driver of wellbeing for respondents:
in demanding service delivery environments
high in their organsational hierarchy
who have cultural or community commitments that require special leave arrangements.
For example:
ambulance operations support and clinical on-road workers, including paramedic, MICA, patient transport
child protection practitioners
housing services officers
personal service workers in health organisations
employees on high salaries
employees from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background.
This is how much trust your employees have in your organisation and how it operates, implements policy and delivers services.
It’s a significant driver of employee wellbeing for respondents in organisations where delegation and hierarchy are important.
For example:
management and corporate employees in health organisations
police officer inspector rank and above
people working for consumer affairs, liquor, gaming and dispute services.
This is how your employees feel about their direct manager’s leadership.
Good managers can foster the right environment for your team by acting as role models for your organisation’s strategy and values.
It’s a significant driver of employee wellbeing for respondents in organisations with less hierarchy.
Often these employees engage directly with the community.
For example:
ambulance operations support workers
people working for consumer affairs, liquor, gaming and dispute services
custodial staff.
This is an indicator of how well your organisation supports diversity and inclusion in your workplace.
If your employees feel valued and included, they’re likely to be more engaged and productive.
It’s a significant driver of wellbeing for respondents that are directly involved with the community and their clients.
For example:
ambulance community officers
custodial staff.
This is how well your team operates to deliver quality services.
Your team needs to be motivated, make impartial decisions and have clear accountabilities.
It’s a significant driver of wellbeing for respondents providing critical services to their clients.
For example:
emergency services
clinical on the road workers including paramedic, MICA and patient transport
This is how well your employees feel your organisation innovates its operations.
If your organisation is innovative, you can reduce costs, create public value and deliver quality services.
It’s a significant driver of wellbeing for respondents who are:
police officer inspector rank and above
ambulance community officers.
Measures of engagement in 2022
Engagement, job satisfaction and wellbeing
If your employees are satisfied at work, they’ll likely be more engaged and productive.
This also leads to lower absences and turnover.
This chart shows the engagement index and how satisfied respondents are with their jobs, work-life balance and career development.
The employee engagement index is a score out of 100.
The engagement statements are:
My organisation motivates me to help achieve its objectives.
My organisation inspires me to do the best in my job.
I would recommend my organisation as a good place to work.
I am proud to tell others I work for my organisation.
I feel a strong personal attachment to my organisation.
The weightings for each engagement response are:
strongly agree is 100 points
agree is 75 points
neither agree nor disagree is 50 points
disagree is 25 points
strongly disagree is 0 points.
The index is the average score of the 5 statements.
Positive affect and employee engagement
This chart shows the relationship between positive affect and employee engagement.
The positive affect rating shows how often respondents felt enthusiastic or happy at work.
As positive affect goes up, employee engagement typically goes up.
Each dot represents a public sector organisation that took part in the 2022 survey.
integrity – values statements are reflected in day-to-day behaviours
strategic narrative – visible empowering leaders who can explain where the organisation is going
engaging managers – managers focus on their people, treat them as individuals and coach and stretch them
employee voice – all employees are seen as central to the solution of problems.
Organisational integrity, leadership and engagement
Our analysis shows that organisational integrity and senior leadership are top drivers of positive employee engagement.
Integrity is one of 7 core Victorian public sector values. Values define what’s important to an organisation and how things will be done. They underpin an employee’s interaction with the government, community, suppliers and other employees.
Public officials should demonstrate integrity by:
being honest, open and transparent in their dealings
using powers responsibly
reporting improper conduct
avoiding any real or apparent conflicts of interest
striving to earn and sustain public trust of a high level.
Organisational integrity and culture can affect how your employees feel and therefore what they say about you and your organisation.
Public sector organisations should demonstrate integrity by:
implementing internal policies and procedures that are clear, fair and in line with public sector values
creating a safe work environment for employees to report integrity concerns
delivering services and performing functions in the best interest of the public
monitoring their performance, acknowledging mistakes and finding ways for continuous improvement
implementing fair recruitment practices based on merit.
A Gallup study found that engaged employees are 23 times more likely than disengaged employees to strongly agree that they would recommend their organisation as a great place to work.
Ethical leaders reinforce the importance of conducting work with integrity and encourage employees to do the same, creating a positive work atmosphere.
Senior leaders set the tone and need to lead by example. This creates confidence in the organisation and a foundation for employee engagement. This is reinforced when governance processes support the oversight and monitoring of decision-making and when consistent and frequent communications to employees on progress and direction are provided.
How to use the drivers in your action planning
Your People matter survey 2022 results provide information on how engaged your employees are and how they feel at work.
Positive engagement and employee wellbeing benefits everyone and helps us serve the Victorian community.
You can compare your People matter survey results against each driver and use the survey statements to help guide your action planning.
Speak to your People matter survey coordinator, human resource or people and culture representative for more advice about action planning.
More information about employee wellbeing and engagement
For tips, tools and activities for managing team wellbeing check out the Wellbeing toolkit.
If you’d like to know more about what research we’ve done or the technical definitions and methods we used, please get in touch.
