Employee Engagement , Employee well-being
Great Place to Work®, the global authority on workplace culture and leader in certifying great employee experiences around the world, recently announced the results of its 2021 Global Employee Engagement Benchmark study, a data-led analysis of employee satisfaction around the globe.
The study surveyed over 14,000 workers across 37 countries to determine the average employee experience.
The study found that only about half of employees worldwide are experiencing a great workplace, with little variation across regions. In Latin America, the highest-scoring region, only 60% of employees report a positive employee experience. By comparison, Europe, the lowest-scoring region, saw 52% of employees reporting a positive experience.
There were also few differences across industries. Hospitality saw the lowest score, with only 49% of employees reporting a positive experience, while all other industries in the study averaged between 54% and 60%.
Employees rated their workplaces against 17 statements in Great Place to Work’s confidential Trust Index™ survey. The statements measure factors that contribute to a positive employee experience such as a sense of purpose, innovation opportunities, psychological safety, leadership and fairness.
Within these findings, four challenges stood out as most common to workplaces today, with employees citing inequity, lack of meaningful connection, lack of purpose and poor leadership.
“These experiences are sadly familiar to many employees,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. “Moreover, they’re hurting companies’ agility, innovation and performance.”
The study shows that more than half of workers feel pay and promotions are handled unfairly. As well, 43% said they believe their coworkers don’t care for each other, 35% said they feel they can’t be themselves at work and 45% say their workplaces are not psychologically and emotionally healthy.
Roughly half of all employees reported their leaders do not genuinely care for them as people, don’t involve them in decisions and fail to match their actions to their words. And nearly half of all employees said they do not intend to stay with their current workplace, nor are they willing to recommend their employer.
By contrast, employee feedback data from companies that are Certified™ by Great Place to Work shows that when workplaces provide positive leadership, a sense of purpose and opportunity for meaningful connections with colleagues, employees’ intent to stay improves by 52%, while their willingness to recommend their employer to others increases by 65%.
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the Global Authority on Workplace Culture. We make it easy to survey your employees, uncover actionable insights and get recognized for your great company culture. Learn more about Great Place to Work Certification.
