Global Workforce Study shows key factors in retaining and engaging employees
The 2014 Global Workforce Study conducted by Towers Watson provides an insight into the attitudes and concerns of workers around the globe. This year’s study covers responses from over 32,000 employees across a range of industries in 26 markets. The survey compares the views of employees and employers.
When considering joining a new organisation, employees gave the most importance to three basic factors – base pay, job security and career advancement opportunities – and employers recognised these factors in their responses. However, when considering reasons to stay with an organisation, there are three key drivers cited by employees that didn’t even appear on the employers’ list of factors influencing retention; trust/confidence in senior leadership, job security, and length of commute.
According to the survey, there are low levels of highly engaged workers, and close to a quarter of employees are disengaged. Sustainable engagement requires strong leaders and managers. In companies where both leaders and managers are perceived by employees as effective, 72% of employees are highly engaged.
The survey found that labour activity has picked up since the last study in 2012, with nearly half (48%) of employers reporting an increase in hiring and more than one-third (35%) indicating that staff turnover rose during the same period. With an improved economic outlook, it is therefore critical for employers to develop a clear perspective on what it takes to attract, retain and engage their workers.
CBI survey shows staff want employers to share more about important issues
Employees trust their employer more than businesses in general, a survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has revealed.
The YouGov poll investigated the public’s confidence in business. The poll found that public confidence in business is generally low. Only just over half (53 per cent) of the 2,080 respondents thought that business makes a positive contribution to society and more than half (55 per cent) believed that there was a greater expectation on business to ‘do the right thing’ than there was 10 years ago.
When questioned about the survey results, CBI deputy director-general Katja Hall said although confidence was generally low, people did trust their employers more than they trusted businesses in general.
The survey findings were shared at the launch of a new CBI campaign, ‘The Great Business Debate’, which is designed to help tackle the public’s lack of confidence in business. The campaign will consist of an online forum as well as a series of public-facing events. “I think part of this campaign has to be about business leaders talking much more to their employees and that’s one of the groups that we’re focusing on initially in the campaign,” said Hall. “And there is huge interest from employees to hear from their managers, to hear from their leaders about important issues”.