Cultural Differences in Employee Engagement in Global HR

 

Employee engagement is a vital aspect in Human Resources context for companies around the world. What works in one country might not essentially work in another. Culture shapes how people feel about work, respond to leaders, and stay motivated. Global HR teams can’t just apply the same strategies everywhere—they need to adapt to cultural differences.

How Culture Shapes Engagement

Culture affects how employees respond to leadership/management. For example, Li et al. (2021) found that transformational and ethical leadership styles increase engagement differently depending on a country’s culture. In countries with low power distance and high individualism, employees respond strongly to empowerment and recognition. In high power distance cultures, however, hierarchical leadership is more effective at keeping employees engaged (Li et al., 2021).

Trust also plays a key role in engagement, but once again, its impact varies by country. A comparative study of China and Pakistan showed that trust increases engagement in both cultures, but the outcomes differ—Chinese employees translated that engagement mainly into job performance, while Pakistani employees showed reduced turnover intention (Aman, Rafiq and Dastane, 2023). This shows that engagement may produce different results even when the same engagement strategy is applied.

Engagement in Different Regions of the World

South Asian (Sri Lanka and Gulf South Asian expatriates)

In Sri Lanka, engagement is heavily influenced by HR systems and workplace culture. Research in the apparel sector found that staffing, training, fair performance reviews, and rewards significantly improve engagement (Pinto and Thalgaspitiya, 2018). In banking, employees also report higher engagement when they feel the organization contributes positively to society, showing that meaningful work matters (Nuzla, Neruja and Arulrajah, 2024).

In Gulf workplaces, however, South Asian expatriates often show lower engagement levels compared to Western expatriates, despite working in the same companies (Mukred, 2025). This suggests that South Asian employees working abroad may need more cultural support, better communication, and leadership styles that understand their expectations.

East Asian (Japan)

Japan reports some of the lowest employee engagement levels among developed countries, with only around 6% of employees classified as engaged (Gallup, 2024). Long working hours, top-down leadership, and limited channels for open feedback are common issues (Cherian, Tanaka and Lee, 2022). Researchers suggest that Japanese organizations may improve engagement by increasing employee voice, fostering two-way communication, and helping employees clearly see the purpose of their work

European (Italy)

European workplaces often place strong value on relationships and employee well-being. In Italy, servant leadership—where leaders focus on staff development, empowerment, and emotional support has been shown to increase engagement (Canavesi, Perrin and Mirabile, 2021). Employees respond positively when they feel respected, listened to, and supported showing that emotional climate matters as much as rewards.

South American (Brazil)

In South America, organizational culture and strong social relationships are central to engagement. Studies in Brazil highlight that employees engage more when leaders show empathy, trust, and regular developmental support (Minarelli and Ribeiro, 2019). Informal communication and collaborative leadership align with collectivist values and help employees build stronger emotional connections to the workplace.

What Global HR Can Learn

Research highlights three important lessons:

1. Leadership needs to adapt to culture. Transformational leadership works in the UAE, but it needs modification in collectivist cultures (Li et al., 2021).

1. Trust and engagement are culturally dependent. While trust always matters, the way it influences performance or turnover differs. Programs to build trust should respect local expectations and social norms (Aman et al., 2023).

1. Soft skills are crucial. In regions like the Gulf, leaders with high emotional intelligence can connect better with employees and increase engagement (Kissi et al., 2024).

Engagement programs should therefore be flexible. HR can use frameworks like Hofstede’s cultural dimensions to guide strategy, segment engagement initiatives by country, train culturally aware leaders, and measure outcomes in ways that reflect local culture (Hofstede, 2011).

Conclusion

Employee engagement is not universal. Culture shapes how people respond to leadership, trust, and recognition. Global HR teams can succeed by balancing global standards with local adaptations. By developing culturally aware leaders, building trust in ways that resonate locally, and designing flexible engagement programs, companies can improve both motivation and loyalty across borders. The key lesson from research is clear: engagement works best when culture is considered, not ignored.

References

Aman, A., Rafiq, M. and Dastane, O. (2023) ‘A cross‑cultural comparison of work engagement in the relationships between trust climate – job performance and turnover intention: Focusing China and Pakistan’, Heliyon, 9(9), e19534.

Canavesi, A., Perrin, M. and Mirabile, M. (2021) ‘Servant leadership and employee engagement: A qualitative study in Italy’, Frontiers in Psychology.

Hofstede, G. (2011) Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), pp. 1–26.

Kissi, E., Nyarko, M. and Antwi, S. (2024) ‘Mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between supervisor support and turnover intention’, Evidence-Based HRM, 31(13).

Li, P., Loi, M., Chiu, R.K., Chen, Z. and Xin, K. (2021) ‘Country differences in the relationship between leadership and employee engagement: A meta-analysis’, The Leadership Quarterly, 32(6).

Mukred, M.M.A. (2025) ‘A Study on The Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Engagement in Gulf Countries’, Journal of Marketing & Social Research, 2(3), pp. 173–179.

Murali, S.R. and Aggarwal, M. (2020) ‘A Study on the Impact of Transformational Leadership Style on Employee Engagement and Employee Performance in ICT Industry in United Arab Emirates’, International Journal of Management, 11(5), pp. 210–221.

Long, T. & Warman, Z. M.S. (2025) ‘2025 Employee Engagement Trends by Geo: What’s the Local Story?’, Perceptyx Blog, 8 July. Available at: https://blog.perceptyx.com/2025-employee-engagement-trends-by-geo-whats-the-local-story