Is employee engagement in the Netherlands really only 12%?

A respected international research study found that the Netherlands scores very low on employee engagement. But of course there are certain caveats, argues employee experience expert, Heleen Mes. For one you must account for differences between the US and Europe. Moreover, the Netherlands is a case apart. Still, we can learn something from the research.

In Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, the prestigious US research and consultancy firm found that the global score for employee engagement and enthusiasm has increased, but not in the Netherlands. Gallup reported that 21% of their 33 million respondents worldwide are truly ‘engaged’. As a continent, Europe’s score is the lowest – an average of 14%. But the Netherlands scores even lower, at 12%, which is comparable to countries like South Korea, Egypt and Zimbabwe. But can this be right?

Gallup’s American CEO, Jon Clifton, supports the findings. “Europe’s great to live in, but terrible to work in,” he opines. Yet our feeling says otherwise. This may well be the case for southern European countries, but also for the Netherlands? Gallup also researched the overall well-being per country, and the Netherlands ranked 4th in the world. So why does the Netherlands score so low when it comes to work? And is there anything we can do about it?

Compelled teleworking

Gallup uses just 12 questions to measure engagement – the engagement and enthusiasm of employees. Gallup claims that these questions measure the 12 most distinguishing characteristics of high performance teams. First, we should note that the answers to a number of these questions have come under heavy scrutiny, not least of all because people in the Netherlands were compelled to work from home in recent years. Gallup’s questions include, ‘At work I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day’, and ‘I have the materials and tools I need to do my job properly’. This is why the scores were lower.

Work to live

According to Gallup, Europeans view work differently than Americans do, for example. In a New York Times article published in 2005, Princeton economist, Alan Krueger, wrote that “Europeans work to live, not live to work”. But that’s not the whole explanation, according to Gallup: “Ultimately, employee engagement isn’t about being obsessed with work or living to work. It’s about having clear expectations, feeling connected and supported by your team, and finding purpose in your work. These are universal human needs. The fact that they’re not met for millions of European workers is not a cultural badge of honor, but rather a sign of poor leadership and people management.”

Critical and sparing

The scores are certainly also a matter of culture. The Dutch are very critical of their work and sparing in their scoring. We don’t give nines and tens easily. Americans and Asians give high scores much more easily. The benchmark also plays a role: the respondents in the Netherlands are not closely comparable to those in the US, who are primarily employees of large multinational corporations. Comparison is indeed possible within sectors, but ultimately the nuance is lost. In the Gallup survey, the statement, ‘I have a best friend at work’, is related to a high performance indicator, but this has little to do with the Dutch. A Dutch person’s best friend almost always comes from outside the workplace: an old football club teammate or someone from their social scene.

People management

Is the low employee engagement level in the Netherlands really nothing to worry about? Leadership is indeed a legitimate concern. Of the 12 survey questions, 9 pertained to experienced leadership. Gallup demands real people management, explaining that the manager accounts for 70% of the variance in a team’s engagement. As previously noted, the Dutch are highly critical by nature, so managers are wholly under the magnifying glass and the ones to be most criticized. Moreover, in the Netherlands, we still largely believe that leadership positions are too often filled by careerist specialist, who often have too many people under their management. This lowers our appreciation for leadership.

If, in terms of global engagement, the Netherlands wants to continue growing, (personal) leadership is a key factor within organisations. Opt for a leadership profile in which the people management of a viable team is foremost. For self-managing organizations, coaching and team discussions about career trajectory and development are key contributors to engagement.