McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
McLean & Company is a research and advisory firm that provides practical solutions
to human resources challenges with executable research, tools, and advice that will have a
clear and measurable impact on your business. © 1997-2022 McLean & Company.
McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group Inc.
Insights, analysis, and benchmarking data for McLean & Company’s
Employee Engagement Survey from 2019 to 2021.

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 2
Like everything else in the world, employee engagement has gone through upheaval
over the past two years. Employees’ relationship to their organizations shifted with
the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote and virtual work, and more. Employee
priorities are changing, and the way organizations think about employee
engagement needs to change as well.
This report seeks to answer the following questions:
• What impact was there on employee engagement in the immediate aftermath of
the COVID-19 pandemic? How has that impact changed in the time that
followed?
• What impact has the explosion of remote and hybrid work had on employee
engagement?
• How has the competitive labor market starting in 2021 been reflected in
employee engagement data, particularly key retention drivers?
• What have some of the major trends and themes been in employee
engagement?
Key points to remember:
• Knowing how other organizations
are performing is not the best way
to judge your own organization’s
performance, but there is value in
understanding broader trends
occurring in the world.
• Employee engagement action
planning should always be based on
feedback from your own employees,
not from benchmark data.
Executive Summary

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
02
Organizational Drivers
03
Job Drivers
04
Retention Drivers
01
Engagement Overview:
2019-2021
Table of
Contents
3
Introduction
Appendix
Benchmarking Data: 2019-2021

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 4
How to Read This Report
This report is based on data gathered from McLean & Company’s Employee Engagement Survey from January 1,
2019 to December 31, 2021. For the most up-to-date Employee Engagement data, contact your account
representative for updated benchmarking information.
Note: Graph totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Some n-counts throughout the report indicate a range of
responses due to organizations who chose to omit certain questions.
• 2019: 67-108 organizations, 28,537-80,600 employees
• 2020: 39-83 organizations, 18,126-52,476 employees (Note: To control for factors stemming from the COVID-19
pandemic, only data collected from April to December of 2020 was included.)
• 2021: 71-140 organizations, 46,267-125,788 employees
Data from McLean & Company’s 2022 HR Trends Report and New Hire Survey and Employee Exit Survey databases
have also been included in this report. Data was gathered from organizations primarily based in North America.
Organizational size
Small: 250 or fewer
employees
Medium: 251 to 1,000
employees
Large: 1,001 or more
employees
Key terms used throughout this report include:
Employee segments
Age
Tenure
Gender (M/F) – only two genders were
analyzed due to sample size constraints
Work Style (e.g. onsite vs. remote/hybrid
and field)
Top-box scores
A top-box score represents the
percentage of respondents
with a score of 5 or 6 on a 6-
point scale for a question or
driver.

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
What is employee engagement?
McLean & Company
defines employee
engagement as an
overall sense of being
energized by and
passionate about one's
work and dedicated
toward one's workplace.
It is important to
differentiate this
concept from employee
satisfaction.
Engaged employees feel
energized, passionate, and
dedicated. They are highly
involved with their work and
the organization.
Satisfied employees feel
comfortable and are generally
happy that their needs are
being met.
Less likely to help others for the
betterment of the organization
Generally keep
to themselves
Meet minimum
performance requirements
Committed to the degree
that their needs are met
Stay at the organization
because of what they
get from it
Stay at the organization
because of what they
give to it
Consistently exceed
performance requirements
Help others for the betterment
of the organization
Recommend improvement
opportunities
Have a sense of
purpose and pride
in their work
Characteristics
Characteristics
Optimal Performance
Average Performance
5

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 6
A positive employee experience
promotes strong employee engagement
This highlights the emphasis organizations are placing on helping
employees adjust after having been forced to change the way work
gets done. Employees are increasingly expecting a work experience
that fits more seamlessly into their lives.
Individual employee engagement is the outcome of a strong overall employee experience (EX), which is measured
using the response to a single question: “How likely would you be to recommend this organization to a qualified
friend or family member as a great place to work?”
As the outcome of an employee’s positive and negative work experiences, the employee experience is strongly correlated with
employee engagement across all years measured (McLean & Company, Engagement Database, 2019-2021; n=50,438-121,650).
Employee experience is rising in priority as a way for
organizations to improve employee-engagement-related
outcomes such as productivity, retention, and more.
“Providing a great employee experience” jumped
from 5th to 2nd in HR priorities for 2022.
#2 (McLean & Company, 2022 HR Trends Survey; n=826)

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Employee
Engagement
Overview:
2019-2021
7
McLean & Company uses various measures to inform the level of
engagement at an organization.
Employee Experience Monitor (EXM): Measures the employee experience
through an Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) – the difference
between an organization’s percentage of supporters and percentage of
detractors as measured by a single question.
Engagement Levels: Measures employee engagement levels (engaged,
almost engaged, indifferent, or disengaged) as indicated through the
average response to the Engagement Measure Questions – rated on a
scale of 1 to 6, where 1 = Strongly Disagree and 6 = Strongly Agree.
Trending Questions: Measures the employee’s satisfaction with their
organization and job compared to a year ago, as well as their intent to
stay at the organization a year from now.
In the sections that follow, this report explores three engagement drivers:
Organizational Drivers: Areas that influence an employee’s satisfaction
and commitment to their organization.
Job Drivers: Areas that influence an employee’s happiness and
commitment with their day-to-day role.
Retention Drivers: Areas that influence an employee’s desire and
likelihood to stay at an organization.
SECTION 1

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 8
Employee
Engagement
Level
Level 2019 2020* 2021
Engaged 58.7% 62.0% 60.7%
Almost Engaged 21.5% 20.4% 20.6%
Indifferent 9.9% 9.2% 9.4%
Disengaged 9.8% 8.4% 9.3%
The Employee Experience Monitor (EXM) uses the Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) to gauge employee
engagement using a single question on a 0-10 scale: How likely would you be to recommend this organization to a
qualified friend or family member as a great place to work?
EXM Score
2019 2020* 2021
10.4 14.6 15.1
Responses are measured on a
6-point scale:
• Engaged: 5.01-6.0
• Almost engaged: 4.51-5.0
• Indifferent: 4.01-4.5
• Disengaged: 1.0-4.0
Calculated
EXM Score
–
=
% of Detractors
% of Promoters
Respondents with
9-10 out of 10
Respondents with
0-6 out of 10
The full response range is -100 to 100.
Scores above 0 are typically considered a positive result.
*April to December of 2020
Employee Engagement scores, 2019-2021:
Overall 2019-2021 Employee Engagement
and Employee Net Promoter Scores

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Work-Life Balance
Engagement Priority Matrix: 2019
Engagement Priority Matrix Overview
The engagement priority matrix shows how each
engagement driver performs relative to one another in
terms of driver score (how positively employees view
this area) and impact on engagement (how much this
area influences overall engagement) on an individual
level.
The quadrants represent the varying levels of driver
score and impact on engagement for each area and
can help inform action planning:
• Improve: drivers that have relatively low scores
and are of high importance to engagement.
• Evaluate: drivers that have relatively low scores
and are of low importance to engagement.
• Leverage: drivers that have relatively high scores
and are of high importance to engagement.
• Maintain: drivers that have relatively high scores
and are of low importance to engagement.
Organizational Drivers Retention Drivers Job Drivers
Five out of the top seven drivers for importance to overall employee engagement are
organizational drivers, with Culture ranking #1 in all years measured (2019-2021).
Working Environment and Co-worker Relationships were perceived the most
positively of all drivers measured, though their impact on overall engagement were
lower than many drivers. This was consistent across all years (2019-2021).
9

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
-
Engagement Priority Matrix: 2020*
The impact of Senior
Management Relationships
on engagement leapfrogged
that of Department
Relationships in 2020.
*April to December of 2020
Benefits’ overall importance
to engagement and overall
satisfaction increased when
compared to 2019. The
remote work option was
seen as a valuable perk by
many employees.
In 2020, Employee
Empowerment, Culture,
and Company Potential
were still the drivers with
the largest impact on
engagement. The
increased uncertainty
surrounding a company’s
future during the early
days of the pandemic
may have led to Company
Potential’s increase in
importance to overall
employee engagement.
Organizational Drivers Retention Drivers Job Drivers
10

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Engagement Priority Matrix: 2021
Despite global upheaval, the drivers most important to employees’ overall engagement did not shift significantly from 2019 to 2021. However, it’s
important to remember that annual engagement surveys can mask the volatility of the employee experience on a day-to-day basis. It’s important to
track employees’ in-the-moment needs through an approach such as the Employee Net Promoter Score in McLean & Company’s EXM Survey.
Organizational Drivers Retention Drivers Job Drivers
In general, employees
viewed their relationships
with their direct co-
workers more positively
than other relationships.
These relationships can
be leveraged to help
improve overall
engagement.
The Improve quadrant
(high importance, low
scoring) signals a
significant opportunity to
plan improvements
related to Department
and Senior Management
Relationships, as well as
Company Potential.
Insight
11
-

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Engagement significantly increased with
the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic
As organizations adjusted to the realities of the pandemic
starting in April 2020, there was an upward shift in
engagement scores compared to 2019:
Full year 2019 vs. April-December 2020
Prior to the pandemic, remote/hybrid
employees were more engaged than
onsite employees
of employees were engaged in 2020,*
a 3.4% increase from 2019
% of Engaged Employees
Onsite Remote/hybrid
61.4
%
69.4%
This upward shift was seen in the following questions:
2019 2020*
55.3% 65.4%
What was the impact on remote/hybrid and onsite employees?
n=52,476
62%
of employees were disengaged in 2020,
a 1.5% decrease from 2019
8.4%
n=35,019
3.0%
n=31,295
3.4%
n=36,634
5.1%
increase in “I often look forward to coming to
work”
increase in “I am more satisfied with the organization
now than I was a year ago”
increase in “This organization takes actions to improve
employee engagement”
This trend continued into 2020 despite the large
number of newly remote workers.
2019 2020*
n=9,076 n=6,418 n=3,908 n=1,353
*April to December of 2020
12

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Increases in engagement during 2020
were generally sustained in 2021
There were few changes in engagement drivers
from 2020 to 2021 and they did not likely have a
large business impact.
The exception to this was a dip in retention drivers
scores in 2021, which reflects the challenges many
organizations are facing with talent acquisition and
retention in the Great Resignation. This trend will be
further explored in Section 4.
61%
63%
65%
67%
69%
2019 2020 2021
Yearly Engagement Driver Scores
Organizational Drivers Job Drivers Retention Drivers
n=80,600 n=52,476 n=125,788
Retention is a growing area of concern
Organizations who have maintained
engagement progress throughout 2021 see that
employees are recognizing the efforts put in to
increase engagement. Now is the time to build
on the progress and keep engagement high.
Insight
Employees viewed all
engagement drivers more
positively in 2020* than in 2019
*April to December of 2020
*
13

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Organizational
Drivers
Organizational drivers are areas that influence an employee’s
satisfaction and commitment to their organization.
Culture: The degree to which an employee identifies with the
beliefs, values, and attitudes of the organization.
Customer Focus: The employee’s belief in the organization’s
strategy and ability to meet the customer’s needs and wants.
Company Potential: The employee’s understanding and
commitment to the organization’s mission as well as the
employee’s excitement about the organization’s mission and future.
Department Relationships: The extent to which employees from
separate departments work together to get things done.
Senior Management Relationships: The degree to which an
employee believes senior management is trustworthy and
transparent and values employee feedback/input.
SECTION 2
14

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
When it came to perceptions of Culture, no significant differences were found between
onsite and remote/hybrid workers
Despite the anecdotal challenges and concerns with maintaining a strong culture in a distributed workforce, Culture scores
increased between 2019 and 2020 and did not change significantly between 2020 and 2021 across the entire organization.
This suggests efforts to ensure remote employees feel included and connected to the organization’s mission and values
are working across the board. This is positive, as the Culture driver ranks #1 in impact on engagement.
Remote/hybrid work did not impact
views on Culture
However, responses to questions in the Department Relationships driver did show some contrast
between onsite and remote/hybrid employees
Onsite employees were 9.0% more likely* to agree with “Departments work well together to get things done.”
than remote/hybrid employees. *4.7 percentage point difference
9.0%
2021; n=6,659-14,303
Organizations must intentionally create opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration and increase visibility of each department’s
contributions. This is especially important for remote/hybrid workers who may have less exposure to other departments day to day.
Insight
15

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Communication from executives
increased during the early stage
of the pandemic in 2020. This is
likely the cause of increased
trust and understanding
between employees and the
leadership team.
Going forward…
All questions under the
Senior Management
Relationships driver saw
increased scores relative
to the 2019 baseline:
35.0% 40.0% 45.0% 50.0% 55.0% 60.0% 65.0% 70.0% 75.0%
Organizations must build on the improvements in communications seen during the pandemic, especially when it comes to transparency and closing the loop on or acting
on employee feedback. This is particularly important because the Senior Management Relationships driver is a top-four driver in correlation with overall engagement.
The CEO/President inspires me
My department's executive leader inspires me
The executive leadership team inspires me
I trust my department's executive leader
I trust the members of the executive leadership team
My department's executive leader acts on
employee feedback
The executive leadership team acts on
employee feedback
I understand the rationale behind most of the
decisions made by my department's executive leader
I understand the rationale behind most of the business
decisions made by the executive leadership team
Percentage change, 2019-2021:
+6.6%
+5.4%
+9.8%
+9.3%
+8.6%
+7.7%
+9.2%
+7.4%
+7.4%
*April to
December of
2020
Employees’ satisfaction with senior
leaders increased over the past few years
n=18,548-34,256
n=28,537-66,848
n=46,267-87,798
*
2019
2020
2021
16

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
52%
56%
60%
64%
2019 2020 2021
Senior Management Relationships Driver by
Work Style
Perceptions of senior manager
relationships varied by segment
Large organizations saw the biggest jump in senior manager relationship
scores between 2019 and 2021, likely due to increased visibility, transparency,
and communication from senior leaders. For large organizations to sustain
momentum, or close the gaps with small and medium-sized organizations in
this driver, they must continue to focus senior management efforts on instilling
trust in employees.
In 2020* and 2021, senior leaders may have focused more efforts on onsite
employees facing greater uncertainty and health and safety concerns than
they did on remote/hybrid staff. However, as the scores for the two groups
show, leaders also need to focus on remote/hybrid employees who may be
more prone to feeling disconnected from the organization, particularly where
remote/hybrid work has become the norm.
45%
51%
57%
63%
2019 2020 2021
Senior Management Relationships Driver
by Organization Size
Small
Mediu
m
n=1,790-6,737
Communication, visibility, and transparency are the keys to strong results when it comes to senior manager relationships positively impacting
employee engagement.
Insight
n=1,079-1,882 n=4,168-8,949 n=​4,445-34,547 n=​2,109-14,687 n=3,400-48,074
*April to December
of 2020
* * *April to December
of 2020
17

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Job
Drivers
SECTION 3
Job Engagement Drivers are areas that influence an employee’s happiness and
commitment with their day-to-day role.
Employee Empowerment: The degree to which employees have accountability and
control over their work within a supported environment.
Learning and Development: A cooperative and continuous effort between an employee
and the organization to enhance an employee’s skill set and expertise and meet an
employee’s career objectives and the organization’s needs.
Rewards and Recognition: Rewards (such as tangible and intangible gifts) and
recognition that employees receive as a form of acknowledgement for a job well done.
Co-worker Relationships: The extent to which colleagues, who work together but do
not report to one another, get along with and support each other.
Manager Relationships: The quality of the professional relationship an employee has
with their manager. Manager Relationships depend on the trust that exists between
these two individuals and the extent that a manager supports and develops the
employee.
18

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Job driver scores jumped in 2020, then
plateaued in 2021
n=50,357-66,187
n=26,768-35,456
n=76,813-94,088
While average job driver scores increased from 2019 to 2021, the data indicates several key areas to target for
improvement
Most notably, employees are much less satisfied with Learning and Development and Rewards and Recognition than other job drivers. As “Opportunities for
career advancement” is the #1 reason employees leave an organization (McLean & Company, 2022 Exit Survey; n=24,605), this signals the need to provide more visibility
into internal career progression opportunities and encourage development activities to improve engagement.
*April to December of 2020
*
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Employee
Empowerment
Learning and
Development
Rewards and
Recognition
Co-worker
Relationships
Manager
Relationships
Job Drivers
2019
2020
2021
4.4%**
6.0%
7.0%
2.2%
6.6%
**percentage changes,
2019-2021
19

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Learning & development and rewards &
recognition fall in the bottom 3 of drivers
On average, Learning and Development (L&D) and Rewards and Recognition were both ranked among the lowest three
drivers from 2019 to 2021 (McLean & Company, Engagement Database; n=30,830-84,873).
3-year average
top-box score
3-year average
top-box score
54.3
%
52.1%
Learning and Development
Rewards and Recognition
Employees with less than one year of tenure were 14.5% more satisfied with
L&D than employees with five to ten years of tenure
As satisfaction drops over time, providing meaningful continuous learning opportunities for employees at
all stages of their careers is critical.
Address this with an L&D strategy: having a strategic approach to L&D is associated with improved
organizational performance and HR effectiveness, along with engagement (McLean & Company, 2022 HR Trends
Survey; n=379-387).
Employees working at small organizations were 22.5% more likely* than those in
large organizations to agree with the statement “Promotions in my department
go to those who deserve them the most” *10.6 percentage point difference
Being transparent with how rewards and promotions are determined may be more challenging as
organizations grow, but it is an important factor in engagement. Organizations should dedicate the necessary
time and resources to being transparent about how and why employee contributions are being rewarded.
The correlation between praise and engagement increased year over year from 2019 to 2021 (“I am praised
when I go above and beyond the call of duty”). This signals a need to frequently review and renew Rewards
and Recognition efforts to help drive engagement and to instill a culture of recognition and appreciation.
n=4,167-
13,102
n=1,857-
51,557
20

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
The impact of work style on relationships
cannot be overlooked
There are significant differences and trends in how onsite and remote/hybrid employees perceive manager and co-
worker relationships
“I have a good friend
at this organization”
“My manager cares
about me as a person”
n=978-11,854
n=645-9,012
*April to December of 2020
*
Onsite employees’ satisfaction with Manager Relationships jumped
in 2020*
The emphasis placed on the health, safety, and wellbeing of onsite
employees shown by many managers and organizations in the early days of
the pandemic likely contributed to this change.
The drop in 2021 suggests that managers must continue to strengthen
relationships with their employees and demonstrate that their support
extends beyond times of crisis.
The dip in 2021 in how remote/hybrid employees perceive Co-
worker Relationships may be driven by the many newly hired
remote/hybrid employees
Employees who shifted to remote work in 2020 could rely on relationships
previously built in-person. The decrease in these scores for 2021 may be
attributed to new hires struggling to develop relationships with their co-
workers in a virtual environment. At the same time, Co-worker Relationships
scores for onsite employees returned to approximately their pre-pandemic
baseline.
21
62%
67%
72%
77%
2019 2020 2021
Onsite vs. Remote/Hybrid: Co-worker Relationships
Onsite
Remote/hybrid
74%
78%
82%
86%
Onsite vs. Remote/Hybrid: Manager Relationships

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Work style is also impacting other job
drivers such as empowerment and L&D
“If I make a suggestion
to improve something
in my department, I
believe it will be taken
seriously”
“In the last year, I have
received an adequate
amount of training”
n=1,155-12,353
n=1,075-8,741
*April to December of 2020
*
Satisfaction between onsite and remote/hybrid employees
diverged in 2020 and 2021
Remote/hybrid workers may have felt they needed training on how to
communicate and collaborate effectively in a virtual environment and
on leveraging new tools and technologies to efficiently complete tasks.
This may also be an indication of some organizations’ reliance on in-
person training or may represent an undercurrent of employee
dissatisfaction at the need to upskill or reskill to adjust to the virtual
environment.
Accountability and control over one’s work were apparent
challenges with transitioning to a virtual environment
While leaders were communicating downward in 2020, newly
remote/hybrid employees may have found it difficult to influence positive
changes, resulting in a drop in scores. This trend continued into 2021,
indicating the need for leaders to provide more opportunities for upward
communication from employees.
Remote/hybrid employees were more satisfied with Employee Empowerment and L&D than onsite employees in 2019
but viewed each driver less positively through 2020* and 2021
22
48%
52%
56%
60%
2019 2020 2021
Onsite vs. Remote/Hybrid: L&D
Onsite Remote/hybrid
63%
66%
69%
72%
Onsite vs. Remote/Hybrid: Employee Empowerment

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Retention
Drivers
SECTION 4
Retention Drivers are areas that influence an employee’s desire and likelihood to
stay at an organization. An organization cannot get to engagement without
satisfying a minimum requirement in these areas.
Compensation: The level of fairness an employee attributes to their compensation
given the work they do and what they could make elsewhere in a similar role.
Benefits: Employees’ perspective of the competitiveness of an organization’s
health benefits and additional perks (e.g. gym memberships, provided meals and
snacks, and discounts).
Work-Life Balance: The extent to which employees feel they can balance their work
and personal life and manage their work stress.
Working Environment: The extent to which employees feel physically and
emotionally safe in their workplace.
23

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Despite improvements in 2020, retention
scores returned to pre-pandemic levels in
2021 Perspectives on retention driver questions varied by employee
segment:
Improvements in Compensation and Benefits scores and steady
Working Environment and Work-Life Balance scores despite the
rapid pace of change contributed to higher engagement during the
early part of the pandemic. However, in 2021 the increased scores in
Compensation and Benefits returned to their pre-pandemic baseline.
Retention drivers do have an impact on engagement, though it is relatively low
compared to other drivers. However, their impact on retention is high. Moving
forward, organizations need to focus their efforts on improving retention
drivers to help alleviate the turnover challenges that began in 2021 and have
continued into 2022.
Males consistently agreed that they are not
discriminated against or emotionally harassed at
work more than females did (2019-2021; n=8,267-29,372)
The discrepancy between genders calls out the need for organizations
to reinforce DEI as a priority and ensure all employees feel safe in their
workplace.
45+
Employees aged 45 and older viewed work-life
balance more positively than younger employees
(2021; n=34,726-41,016)
This signals a need to uncover the root causes of this discrepancy,
such as unclear work boundaries and a lack of employee
empowerment for younger employees.
*April to December of 2020
30%
50%
70%
90%
Compensation Benefits Working
Environment
Work-Life
Balance
Retention Driver Scores
2019 2020 2021
*
n=​38,970-60,951 n=​21,030-32,957 n=63,969-93,122
**percentage changes,
2019-2020
9.1%**
10.3%
1.1%
0.8%
24

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Changing work conditions brought on by
the pandemic are no longer unique
50.8%
61.5%
47.9%
55.8%
40%
48%
56%
64%
Compensation Benefits
2020 2021
With tight labor markets and increased ability to explore jobs beyond previous
geographical boundaries contributing to increased turnover, some organizations have
turned to increased Compensation and Benefits to attract and retain talent.
Regardless, employee satisfaction with these drivers decreased. While economic
conditions (e.g. high inflation) can partially explain the change, there is still work to be
done to understand and address the root causes of the drops and to communicate
the organization’s efforts, such as through an employee value proposition.
-9.2%
-5.6%**
Compensation and Benefits Driver Scores
n=77,838
8.9%
decrease in “My benefits
are competitive with
similar jobs I might find
elsewhere”
(percentage difference, 2020-2021)
* *April to December of 2020
n=​21,030-23,462 n=69,086-71,263
McLean & Company,
2022 HR Trends Report;
n=394
Organizations report increasing salaries and benefits:
25%
43%
Increased
benefits
Increased
salaries
The drop in Benefits scores from 2020 to 2021 may be explained by increased awareness
of unique benefits and perks beyond traditional health coverage offered by competing
organizations. It may also be that the impacts of the pandemic have increased both the
need for, and expectations of, expanded benefits packages. Continuous evaluation and
updates of retention efforts will be required to keep on top of these trends.
Just as many employees now expect flexible work arrangements, their definition and expectations of benefits have broadened.
**percentage changes,
2020-2021
25

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
59%
64%
69%
74%
2019 2020 2021
Onsite Remote/Hybrid
*
Onsite vs. Remote/Hybrid: Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is becoming a challenge
in the new world of work
While workplace flexibility comes with many
benefits, longer work hours jeopardize wellbeing
Despite the anticipated benefits of ongoing flexibility, remote/hybrid employees’
ability to maintain Work-Life Balance in 2021 returned to pre-pandemic levels:
*April to December of 2020
of organizations reported
increased working hours,
while 80% reported an
increase in flexibility
(McLean & Company, 2022 HR Trends Report; n=394)
Longer hours can contribute to stress and burnout, which is a
threat to employee engagement and retention. With careful
management (e.g. setting clear expectations and establishing
manageable workloads), flexible work arrangements can increase
and sustain engagement and productivity at an organization.
Organizations were especially accommodating in 2020, which could explain the initial
spike seen in Work-Life Balance. As remote work became the norm in 2021, employees
are realizing that this work style brings its own challenges, such as a lack of separation
between personal and workspace.
n=1,025-13,687
Organizations need to get creative about how they support employees and revisit their efforts to promote all aspects of wellbeing.
Mental wellbeing must be a particular focus as longer work hours may add to workload pressures and lead to employee burnout.
Insight
62%
26
“I am able to maintain a
balance between my
work and personal life”

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
What
Comes Next?
Actions and Practical Resources
Use McLean & Company’s diagnostic products to shed light on
employee engagement, experience, retention, DEI, and more.
Retention drivers are always among the lowest scoring in employee
engagement data, but that doesn’t mean we should accept low
scores. In today’s competitive labor market, it’s crucial to create an
effective talent retention plan.
As salaries and benefits increase and employees’ perception of them
continues to be negative, it is time to focus on how rewards are
communicated, whether that’s through a strategic project like
creating an employee value proposition, a tactical project like total
rewards statements, or training for managers on how to have
conversations about pay.
The data shows that engagement differs for onsite and remote/hybrid
employees. Prepare managers to lead in a hybrid work environment
to minimize the impact of the new working environment on
engagement.
Work-life balance and burnout are becoming a challenge in today’s
work environment, so take the time to revisit your wellbeing offerings.
It is a complex undertaking to understand the impact of the social, economic,
and cultural upheaval of the past several years on employee engagement. The
averages of annual surveys can mask the volatility of the day-to-day employee
experience, which shows the importance of combining more frequent
measurements than just the annual engagement survey. Meanwhile, the
engagement of different employee groups and demographics can also be lost in
averages.
It’s crucial to use engagement data as a starting point rather than the end of the
conversation. Dig deeper into the concerning trends and themes that emerge
from your engagement data and address them using the practical resources
available through McLean & Company.
27

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 28
Engagement Drivers (2019-2021)
2019 2020* 2021 Net change (2019-2021)**
Organizational
Drivers
Culture 72.7% 76.1% 75.0% +2.3
Customer Focus 66.2% 70.3% 69.7% +3.5
Company Potential 65.1% 69.4% 68.7% +3.6
Department Relationships 61.8% 63.9% 64.4% +2.6
Senior Management Relationships 54.9% 59.3% 59.2% +4.3
2019 2020* 2021 Net change (2019-2021)
Job Drivers
Employee Empowerment 68.9% 71.8% 71.9% +3.0
Learning And Development 52.3% 55.2% 55.5% +3.2
Rewards And Recognition 50.1% 52.7% 53.6% +3.5
Co-worker Relationships 76.8% 79.0% 78.5% +1.7
Manager Relationships 68.6% 72.6% 73.1% +4.5
2019 2020* 2021 Net change (2019-2021)
Retention
Drivers
Compensation 46.6% 50.8% 47.9% +1.3
Benefits 55.7% 61.5% 55.8% +0.1
Working Environment 84.8% 85.7% 86.1% +1.3
Work-Life Balance 62.8% 63.3% 62.6% -0.2
n= 38,970-66,187
responses, 72-95
organizations
n=21,030-35,456
responses, 46-64
organizations
n=62,211-94,088
responses, 89-117
organizations
*April to December of 2020
** Percentage point difference
Legend for year
over year change:
: Increased
: Decreased
: Similar
(<=0.5%
difference)

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 29
Gender comparisons (2019-2021)
Engagement Level Gender (M/F) 2019 2020* 2021 Net change (2019-2021)**
Engaged
Female 58.2% 63.6% 62.6% +4.4
Male 59.0% 61.6% 60.8% +1.8
Almost Engaged
Female 21.5% 19.9% 20.3% -1.2
Male 21.4% 20.0% 20.5% -0.9
Indifferent
Female 10.0% 9.1% 8.8% -1.2
Male 9.8% 9.6% 9.3% -0.5
Disengaged
Female 10.3% 7.4% 8.2% -2.1
Male 9.8% 8.7% 9.3% -0.5
n=34,107-42,197
responses,
96 organizations
n=18,157-25,890
responses,
72-73 organizations
n=44,579-59,013
responses,
110-111 organizations
*April to December of 2020
** Percentage point difference
Legend for year
over year change:
: Increased
: Decreased
: Similar
(<=0.5%
difference)

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 30
Tenure comparisons (2019-2021)
2019 2020* 2021
Less than
1 year
1 year to
less than
3 years
3 years
to less
than 5
years
5 years
to less
than 10
years
10 years
to less
than 20
years
20+
years
Less than
1 year
1 year to
less than
3 years
3 years
to less
than 5
years
5 years
to less
than 10
years
10 years
to less
than 20
years
20+
years
Less than
1 year
1 year to
less than
3 years
3 years
to less
than 5
years
5 years
to less
than 10
years
10 years
to less
than 20
years
20+
years
Engaged 63.0% 56.1% 55.0% 58.8% 60.6% 60.5% 67.8% 60.7% 59.6% 63.0% 64.3% 68.4% 66.6% 59.5% 58.4% 59.1% 61.6% 65.4%
Almost
Engaged
19.5% 22.7% 22.3% 20.9% 22.2% 20.6% 19.1% 21.1% 21.0% 20.5% 20.0% 17.7% 17.7% 20.9% 21.4% 21.2% 21.1% 20.1%
Indifferent 9.0% 10.5% 11.8% 10.6% 9.0% 9.7% 6.8% 9.5% 10.4% 8.8% 8.9% 7.3% 8.1% 9.3% 10.4% 9.9% 9.0% 7.7%
Disengaged 8.4% 10.8% 11.0% 9.8% 8.2% 9.2% 6.3% 8.7% 9.0% 7.7% 6.8% 6.6% 7.7% 10.3% 9.8% 9.8% 8.3% 6.8%
n=8,117-14,835 responses,
55-89 organizations
n= 4,937-10,823 responses,
47-69 organizations
n= 9,346-23,824 responses,
90-123 organizations
Engagement
Level
*April to December of 2020

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 31
Age comparisons (2019-2021)
2019 2020* 2021
Younger
than 25
25-34 35-44 45-54
Older than
54
Younger
than 25
25-34 35-44 45-54
Older than
54
Younger
than 25
25-34 35-44 45-54
Older than
54
Engaged 49.7% 51.5% 59.3% 62.1% 66.4% 53.3% 53.5% 61.5% 66.2% 70.0% 49.8% 52.4% 60.6% 64.9% 69.7%
Almost Engaged 23.4% 22.8% 22.7% 20.3% 18.6% 23.9% 22.8% 21.8% 19.1% 16.3% 21.6% 23.2% 21.0% 20.1% 16.8%
Indifferent 11.1% 12.7% 9.4% 9.4% 7.4% 11.5% 12.8% 9.2% 7.6% 7.5% 12.6% 11.5% 9.7% 7.9% 6.8%
Disengaged 15.8% 13.0% 8.7% 8.3% 7.5% 11.3% 10.9% 7.5% 7.1% 6.2% 16.0% 12.8% 8.7% 7.1% 6.7%
n=3,221-17,801 responses,
54-88 organizations
n=3,583-10,410 responses,
42-63 organizations
n=6,439-24,292 responses,
69-116 organizations
Engagement
Level
*April to December of 2020

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 32
Work style comparisons (2019-2021)
Engagement Level Work Style 2019 2020* 2021 Net change (2019-2021)**
Engaged
Onsite 55.3% 61.4% 59.7% +4.4
Remote/hybrid 65.4% 69.4% 60.7% -4.7
Almost Engaged
Onsite 23.1% 21.6% 21.8% -1.3
Remote/hybrid 17.4% 15.0% 19.6% +2.2
Indifferent
Onsite 10.3% 8.5% 9.0% -1.3
Remote/hybrid 8.6% 9.1% 10.1% +1.5
Disengaged
Onsite 11.4% 8.5% 9.6% -1.8
Remote/hybrid 8.6% 6.5% 9.6% +1
n=3,908-9,076
responses,
16-20 organizations
n=1,353-6,418
responses,
12-16 organizations
n=6,893-12,449
responses,
20-23 organizations
*April to December of 2020
** Percentage point difference
Legend for year
over year change:
: Increased
: Decreased
: Similar
(<=0.5%
difference)

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 33
Organization size comparisons (2019-
2021)
2019 2020* 2021
Small
(<=250
employees)
Medium
(251-1,000
employees)
Large
(>1,000
employees)
Small
(<=250
employees)
Medium
(251-1,000
employees)
Large
(>1,000
employees)
Small
(<=250
employees)
Medium
(251-1,000
employees)
Large
(>1,000
employees)
Engaged 61.3% 57.6% 54.9% 64.0% 60.4% 62.6% 63.2% 59.3% 59.9%
Almost Engaged 20.3% 22.5% 22.5% 19.8% 20.9% 20.1% 20.4% 21.3% 20.2%
Indifferent 9.3% 10.0% 11.0% 9.2% 9.5% 8.8% 7.9% 10.2% 9.6%
Disengaged 9.1% 9.8% 11.6% 7.0% 9.2% 8.4% 8.5% 9.2% 10.4%
n=5,430-60,428 responses,
27-46 organizations
n=3,005-32,901 responses,
20-25 organizations
n=4,511-97,141 responses,
38-41 organizations
Engagement
Level
*April to December of 2020

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
McLean & Company is the trusted partner of HR and leadership professionals around the
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McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 35
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks are used throughout all four options.
DIY Toolkit
“Our team has already made this
critical project a priority, and we
have the time and capability, but
some guidance along the way
would be helpful.”
Guided
Implementation
“Our team knows that we need to fix
a process, but we need assistance
to determine where to focus. Some
check-ins along the way would help
keep us on track.”
Workshop
“We need to hit the ground
running and get this project
kicked off immediately. Our team
has the ability to take this over
once we get a framework and
strategy in place.”
Consulting
“Our team does not have the time or
the knowledge to take this project
on. We need assistance through the
entirety of this project.”
McLean & Company offers various levels
of support to best suit your needs

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Understand their team’s Engagement Report
and prepare for their team discussion.
Feel clear and confident about how to act on
Engagement Report results.
Increase self-awareness and identify their role
in improving team engagement.
Employee Engagement Coaching
How It Works
This virtual coaching is available for groups of 10+ leaders in your
organization. After completing McLean & Company’s Employee
Engagement Survey, each leader will receive three 50-minute 1:1
sessions with a trained coach.
This four-month program can be supplemented with additional
sessions in year two for an additional fee. This coaching is offered to
clients that use our Employee Engagement Survey.
YEAR 1
YEAR 2*
*Coaching program fees are billed annually
Equip your leaders with everything they need to succeed with engagement action planning. Our trained coaches
work one on one with your leaders in a confidential environment to accelerate their confidence, self-awareness, and
development.
When survey launches
Engagement
Survey Session 1 Session 2 Session 3
Within 2 weeks of results being
provided to leaders
After team focus groups
(or about 4 weeks later)
3 months after
Session 2
Option A: 3 additional coaching sessions based on 2nd year
engagement survey results.
Option B: Further leadership coaching based on the results of a 360-
feedback survey.

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
HR Stakeholder Management Survey
Align HR initiatives with business strategy and stakeholder needs.
HR Management & Governance
Improve HR’s core functions and drive project success.
Optimize the HR
Department for Success
Improve Employee
Experience and HR Processes
Employee Engagement
Move beyond measuring job satisfaction with a comprehensive view of engagement.
McLean Employee Experience Monitor
Evolve to leader-driven engagement with a real-time dashboard and results.
New Hire Survey
Ensure recruiting and onboarding programs are effective by surveying new employees.
Employee Retention Pulse Survey
Identify warning signs for regrettable turnover.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Engagement Pulse
Take a thoughtful approach to mobilize inclusion efforts across your organization.
Employee Exit Survey
Understand why people leave the organization to proactively retain top talent.
360 Feedback
Empower employees with a holistic view of their performance to prioritize development.
Build a Data-Driven
Strategy Using
Full-Service
Diagnostic Programs
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McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Leadership Membership
The Leadership Membership Difference
This membership will give you the tools
you need to push your HR department
further, faster. Complete major projects
with the help of a dedicated Executive
Advisor who is a former HR leader.
You’ll get a dedicated Executive Advisor, who is a former HR leader with
deep experience across many research areas. They will help you identify
strategic initiatives, prioritize projects, mitigate challenges, direct you to
the relevant research or subject matter experts, and keep you on track. We
recommend you meet at a minimum quarterly for a touch point, in addition
to the unlimited advisory calls while working with our SME advisory team,
with flexibility to leverage additional touch points and select advisory calls
with your Executive Advisor as you work toward delivering key initiatives.
Boost your own development with one 360 Feedback personal evaluation,
including one debrief session and a separate development planning
session.
Your choice of one ticket to McLean & Company’s Signature Conference
or one ticket to our virtual Elevate HR strategic leadership development
course. Ideally, we’d like you to benefit from these events, although the
ticket could be transferred to a colleague.
Leverage the expertise of fellow senior HR leaders in Quarterly
Leadership Peer-to-Peer Roundtables. These 60-minute, facilitated
discussions are an opportunity to network and collaborate in an open,
honest, and inclusive virtual space.
Save money and obtain peace of mind from our HR technology vendor
management and contract review services. This helps you assess,
manage, and reduce costs while strengthening vendor relationships.
38

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends
Counselor Seat Services
The Counselor Membership Difference Features:
You’ll get a dedicated Executive Counselor who is a
former Senior HR Executive and has been in your shoes.
You will benefit from two online advisory sessions throughout the year
(along with unlimited scheduled and ad hoc phone calls), which integrate
your Executive Counselor as a trusted part of your professional support
network. Use these meetings to cover anything you’d like, from prioritizing
your own development to working through a project.
Your Executive Counselor can help you navigate board or executive-level
challenges and prepare for meetings.
You’ll get access to cutting edge IT research via our IT division, Info-Tech
Research Group.
Your dedicated Executive Counselor will provide a high-touch-point,
customized experience to help you develop yourself and your team
while increasing your personal and functional strategic impact. The
McLean Membership serves your firm; the Counselor membership
serves you personally.
Your customized Personal Leadership Development Plan created with your trusted
Executive Counselor will link to your personal and organizational goals and values.
You’ll develop a custom, authentic Leadership Brand that allows you to thrive and better
market your unique value proposition.
Network and collaborate with fellow senior HR leaders in Quarterly Leadership Peer-to-Peer
Roundtables.
Your choice of a ticket to McLean & Company’s Signature Conference or to our virtual
Elevate HR strategic leadership development course for a total of two tickets.
Protect your organization and save money with expert HR technology contract review and
price benchmarking & negotiation.
Leverage your personal Executive Counselor to make your personal
and professional development a priority.
Plus all the benefits of a Leadership Membership such as:
39

McLean & Company © | 2022 Employee Engagement Trends 40
Develop managers and your HR
team with our learning
solutions
Develop your managers
with our varied, interactive,
remote training sessions.
Sample topics include:
• Master the 3i’s of Employee
Engagement
• Build High-Performing Teams
• Master Difficult Conversations
• Emotional Intelligence
in Leadership
• Lead Through Change
• Manage Remote Teams
• Give Effective Feedback and
Coaching
• Systems Thinking
Elevate HR
Online
A blended learning program
designed to develop a strategic HR
mindset and help HR practitioners
better respond to the growing
complexity of the workplace of the
future.
Management
Fundamentals Online
A practical, interactive, and impactful
blended learning program designed
to develop foundational management
capabilities.
McLean
Academy
A self-paced eLearning program for
HR professionals. The curriculum is
built around McLean's HR framework
and provides practical, outcome-
driven advice on tackling HR
initiatives.

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organization forward. 1997-2022 © McLean & Company.
McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group Inc.