To retain employees, companies must focus on trust, recognition, respect, gratitude, autonomy, and equity
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. & DUBLIN – September 5, 2019 – With unemployment rates at historic lows, companies are more desperate than ever to recruit and retain good talent. According to a new global survey released today by WorkhumanOpens in a new tabÒ, the leading provider of human applicationsOpens in a new tab, the answer to retention lies in meaningful work and creating a human-focused environment built upon trust, recognition, respect, gratitude, autonomy, and equity.
The report, “The Future of Work is HumanOpens in a new tab,” surveyed more than 3,500 people in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Ireland, and gives people leaders and executives a glimpse at the future of work as told from the perspectives of the humans in organizations. The study, published by WorkhumanÒ Analytics & Research Institute, provides insights to help employers improve engagement, recruitment, retention, and performance management—with the end goal of creating work cultures that are mutually beneficial to businesses and the people driving them.
One of the survey’s most important findings is that workers across all age groups rank meaningful work as the most important aspect of their career, beating out positive company culture, compensation and perks, a supportive manager, and a fun team. Younger employees (ages 18-24) are more likely to rank a supportive manager as the second most important aspect of their career, while workers 35 and older are more likely to rank compensation and perks second to meaningful work. The survey also revealed that workers are four times as likely to report loving their job when they have a sense of meaning and purpose at work.
“In this job seeker’s market, employees are actively seeking out more human-focused work environments where they have an emotional connection to their work and their company’s mission,” said Eric Mosley, CEO of Workhuman. “As humans are very much at the heart of the future of work, companies must focus on their workers’ core human needs and double down on inspiring meaningful work where employees feel recognized, respected, and empowered to do the best work of their lives.”
The report found that frequent recognition, particularly recognition that can be given by everyone, appreciation, and informal check-ins play a large role in building connections and improving employees’ trust in senior leadership. In fact, workers who have given recognition and expressed gratitude in the last month are 26% more likely to trust their company’s senior leadership team than workers who have never expressed gratitude at work (72% vs. 57%). Additionally, workers who check in with their manager at least weekly as opposed to never are more than two times as likely to trust their manager, five times less likely to be disengaged, and nearly two times as likely to believe they can grow in the organization.
The report also looked at several key workplace issues that directly impact employee well-being and humanity, such as diversity and inclusion, gender equity, discrimination, and celebration of work anniversaries.
Key findings include:
To review the full survey, please visit: https://resources.globoforce.com/research-reports/the-future-of-work-is-humanOpens in a new tab
Survey Methodology:
This survey was directed by the Workhuman® Analytics & Research Institute from June 1-17, 2019. This is the 11th deployment of this employee survey since its launch in Spring 2011. The respondent sampling of this survey was conducted by independent market research firm Dynata. The final sample of the survey was composed of 3,573 randomly selected fully employed persons in the U.S., U.K, Canada, and Ireland (age 18 or older). The survey has a margin of error of +/- 1.6 percentage points at a 95% level of confidence.
About Workhuman
Workhuman® helps forward-thinking companies energize their cultures, unlock their employees’ passion and potential, and unite their workforce around a shared purpose. With the world’s fastest-growing social recognitionOpens in a new tab and continuous performance managementOpens in a new tab platform, our mission is to lead the movement to celebrate the power of humanity in the workplace through gratitude and peer-to-peer recognition. Workhuman® CloudOpens in a new tab uncovers provocative workplace data and human insights, delivering tangible results powered by our core belief — the more motivated and valued employees are, the more they can perform the best work of their lives. Workhuman (formerly known as Globoforce) was founded in 1999 and is co-headquartered in Framingham, Mass., and Dublin.
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