Kenexa Research Institute's WorkTrends(TM) Annual Report Offers Guidance to Leaders on Increasing Workforce Performance

Report Features Methodology for Improving Performance Excellence and Employee Engagement


WAYNE, PA--(Marketwire - September 16, 2009) - Kenexa® (NASDAQ: KNXA), a global provider of business solutions for human resources, today issued its 2009 Kenexa Research Institute WorkTrends™ Annual Report, which presents a novel approach to tackling the question, "What makes employees continue to perform at high levels and engage in their work, especially in hard times?"

The annual report, "Driving Success Through Performance Excellence and Employee Engagement," outlines Kenexa's new High Performance-Engagement Model (HPEM). This model is a method for improving performance excellence and employee engagement through periods of turbulence and change, as well as in times of higher demand and economic growth. The report describes the elements of the HPEM, as well as details the characteristics of a high performance organization.

"Leaders are expected to meet increasing productivity demands, yet oftentimes with lower costs and fewer resources. That means employees need to be motivated and fully engaged in their work in order to support organizational objectives," Jack Wiley, Ph.D., executive director Kenexa Research Institute. "Given the recent economic conditions, many organizations and employees are feeling particularly battered. We wanted to give leaders clear guidance on the specific organizational levers to pull in order to get the most from their workforces."

Wiley continued: "Our High Performance-Engagement Model shows that having a high performance organization and an engaged workforce are complementary goals, and both are necessary conditions for maximizing success. The analysis of our WorkTrends data tells us where employees are reporting strengths and opportunities for improving performance, enabling leaders to modify their practices and improve their systems."

By exploring employee engagement and discussing the leadership behaviors that support employee engagement, the report provides leaders with insight into the steps they can take to strengthen their own organizations. The report also demonstrates the countries and industries where performance excellence in the strongest and weakest and the countries and job positions where employee engagement is the strongest and weakest.

Additionally, the report researches the impact of performance excellence and employee engagement on important organizational performance outcomes, concluding with an exploration of the relationships between these two constructs and standard fiscal metrics, total shareholder return and diluted earnings per share.

The report is available for $495 USD and can be downloaded at www.kenexa.com.

About Kenexa

Kenexa® provides business solutions for human resources. We help global organizations multiply business success by identifying the best individuals for every job and fostering optimal work environments for every organization. For more than 20 years, Kenexa has studied human behavior and team dynamics in the workplace, and has developed the software solutions, business processes and expert consulting that help organizations impact positive business outcomes through HR. Kenexa is the only company that offers a comprehensive suite of unified products and services that support the entire employee lifecycle from pre-hire to exit. Additional information about Kenexa and its global products and services can be accessed at www.kenexa.com.