Reshaping Company Culture
O.C. Tanner, one of the leading brands in employee recognition and workplace culture, recently released its 2022 Global Culture Report. In its fourth year, the report provides an in-depth look at timely workplace culture and employee experience issues based on data gathered from over 38,000 employees, leaders, HR practitioners, and executives from 21 countries worldwide.
“Demonstrating a causal relationship between employee recognition and the strength of connection between employees, this year’s landmark study supports over a decade of research to show that recognition is a critical tool for organisations, particularly in an era rife with disconnection and social fragmentation,” said Dr. Alexander Lovell, Director of Research and Data Science at the O.C. Tanner Institute. “Additionally, our research makes clear that the recent ‘Great Resignation’ phenomenon is only the beginning. Repairing the damaged aspects of workplace cultures is imperative, but will not be easy. It will take time to thoroughly rethink long-held beliefs about the employee experience and approaches to building workplace culture, and we hope this report will act as a guide for those company leaders looking to do so.”
As companies approach a post-pandemic era, the report highlights some of their greatest challenges: creating meaningful employee experiences and connecting people across the organisation. Generic, top-down programs for collaboration, recognition, and growth will no longer be effective. Because the pandemic has affected employees in extremely different ways, personalising the employee experience will be crucial to building inclusive cultures. Leaders will have to inspire great work in their people regardless of where it’s done. As they look to reimagine the workplace, organisations today have the opportunity to refresh their cultures—to exceed the best of their old normal, evolve their employee experiences, and focus on what will truly drive business results.
“The former concept of workplace ‘normalcy’ left the building in March 2020, and it’s not coming back,” said Gary Beckstrand, Vice President of the O.C. Tanner Institute. “A new landscape of work and business has emerged from the pandemic, and helping employees feel connected to purpose, accomplishment, and one another—no matter where or when they work—is more important than ever. With so much continued uncertainty, the 2022 Global Culture Report shines a light on the specific elements that organisations need to prioritise as they look to navigate the next phase of work.”
“No matter how tempting it may be to revert back to pre-pandemic modes of thinking and working, the 2022 Global Culture Report emphasises the need for organisations across the globe to continue the march forward,” said Alan Heyward, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at O. C. Tanner. “As markets recover and HR leaders continue to assert their position as a strategic partner through trying times, the findings from this extensive research can prove to be invaluable.”
Sample key findings include:
● The average employee engagement score is down 18% from last year’s report.
● Crucial elements of successful hybrid employee experiences:
○ Career development program: 68%
○ Flexibility to choose the number of days worked remotely: 65%
○ Clear expectations for availability when working remotely: 65%
○ Opportunities for in-person social connection with coworkers: 58%
● When employees have schedule and location flexibility at work, the probability of cultural outcomes increase:
○ Engagement: 41%
○ Retention: 77%
○ Likelihood to be a Promoter on the eNPS scale: 41%
● 61% of employees say the workplace is where they form most of their new friendships and that their social group at work inspires them to do their best work.