The vast majority (83%) of employees worldwide feel work colleagues are not heard ‘fairly’ or ‘equally’, confirmed new research from UKG.
Nearly half (46%) say that underrepresented voices remain undervalued by employers, according to The Heard and the Heard Nots report, carried out by UKG’s Workforce Institute. In particular, essential workers, younger workers, non-caregiving employees and employees who identify with underserved races and ethnicities say they feel less heard than their workplace counterparts. Interestingly, only 9% of younger workers believe everyone at their workplace is being heard fairly and equally; making them more than three times more pessimistic than older workers.
IMPACT ON RETENTION
On average, only one in five employees (21%) feel heard on various workplace topics. Around 30% feel least heard on diversity, equity and inclusion; 21% on the hiring process; and 18% on management/leadership process. In fact, staff in Switzerland (23%), France (24%) and Germany (25%) felt the least heard on workplace safety.
As organisations increasingly struggle to retain their current workforce as well as hire fast enough to keep up with consumer demand, the report exposes a troublesome gap between employee voice and employer action; and if left unresolved can disengage workers, fuel turnover and hinder business performance.
Business leaders must listen to employees, or risk losing them, warns the report. Around 60% of UK employees say their voice has been ignored in some way by their manager or employer; which may have a devastating impact on retention. One in three (34%) of employees would rather quit or switch teams than voice their true concerns with management. Around 55% of employees in India and 40% of younger workers across the globe are more likely to make the switch than voice their concerns.
TROUBLING INEQUITY
“There is troubling inequity in the feedback loop at organisations across the globe. Despite many employees feeling personally heard by their employer, the majority see significant disparities in which employees are – and not – heard,” said Dr Chris Mullen, Executive Director of The Workforce Institute at UKG. “At a time when organisations are desperately vying to attract and retain top talent, people leaders must first listen and then act upon the voice of the employee; in order to sustain long-term business stability and success.”
Employee engagement is an important part of the overall employee experience, “and if employees don’t feel heard, then their engagement and sense of belonging at work suffers”, added Liam McNeill, EMEA Vice President at UKG. “Organisations must take stock of employee needs and action them with prescriptive plans to continuously improve engagement and the overall employee experience. Why? Because the research clearly shows that employee happiness and wellbeing directly correlate to positive growth for the business and its customers. It’s not only the right thing to do; it makes good business sense.”
STAFF FEEDBACK ESSENTIAL
Feedback is essential for corporate culture and business success, noted the report. Employees in the UK, for example, with very high senses of belonging and engagement (both 96%) are significantly more likely to feel heard; compared to those with very low engagement (33%) or belonging (14%). This has a remarkable impact on the bottom line. Organisations are much more likely to perform well financially (88%) when their employees feel heard, engaged and a sense of belonging.
When employees feel their voice is heard, 74% feel more engaged at work; 74% feel more effective at their job; and 71% feel more confident to share ideas and feedback in the future. In fact, 88% of employees whose companies financially outperform others in their industry feel heard compared to just 62% of employees at financially underperforming companies.
Click here for a copy of the report. Check out more advice from UKG on how to establish bi-directional workplace trust, by clicking here.
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