UK Workers Happy but Not Engaged

Four surveys out this week put British workers under the spotlight. ISR finds that most enjoy their work, but many are indifferent to their company's success. MORI finds that private sector workers feel more pride in their organisations than those in the public sector, while RPCushing reveals workers frustrated at the social 'niceties' expected of them.

According to employee research firm ISR, 85% of employees in the UK like the kind of work they do. The research, which includes the views of more than 15,000 people, finds that nearly all (90%) get on well with their colleagues, 75% think their job makes good use of their skills and abilities, and 72% think they do something really worthwhile.

However, another ISR study shows that up to a third of British employees are not engaged at work, and therefore feel indifferent to their organisation's success. Engagement refers to the extent to which employees identify with, are motivated by, and are willing to expend extra effort for their employer. Britain comes seventh out of the world's ten largest economies in ISR's Employee Engagement Index, based on the opinions of nearly 160,000 employees in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UK and the US. Employees in Brazil and the US are the most likely to be engaged, with 75% motivated to play an active role in their organisation's success. France is bottom of the list, with only scoring 59% of workers engaged. ISR says its previous studies show that employee engagement has an important impact on a company's profits.

So why do the otherwise happy UK workers feel so disengaged? ISR links engagement to wider organisational issues, rather than personal satisfaction. It states that the key factors influencing employee engagement in the UK are clear long-term career opportunities, confidence in products and services, and the level of respect they are shown in the workplace.

The first in a series of twice-yearly Workers' Indexes from MORI's Social Research Institute and The Work Foundation looks at similar issues, and finds a disparity between public and private sector workers. Results from the survey, based on interviews with a representative sample of 970 adults, show that more workers in the private sector than in the public sector believe that their organisation knows where it is going, and feel pride in what their organisation delivers to customers and clients.

Among private sector employees, 69% feel their senior management has a clear vision of where the organisation is going, compared with 61% of public sector workers. Public sector workers are also more likely to be critical of their organisation to customers, friends and family: 15% of public sector workers are critics compared with just 10% of private sector workers. Pay is important but does not differentiate between those workers who are advocates or critics. Instead, better management, better internal communications, less internal bureaucracy and better training would all improve satisfaction.

The further people are from the top of their organisation, the less likely they are to be aligned with its objectives. Managers and senior staff are much more likely to think that top management has a clear vision than manual/elementary staff (79% compared with 56%). Older workers are also less likely to say that senior management has a clear vision (58% of those aged 55+, compared with 69% of under 44-year-olds).

It's not just poor management and a lack of company vision that irritate workers. A survey from recruitment specialists RPCushing identifies a rebellion against the informal traditions of the British workplace. The Alternative Work Survey, conducted by Research Now among 500 respondents, found that 50% of the workforce is irritated by office collections for farewell presents, charity sponsorship requests, and office sweepstakes. Social office outings are not always the fun trips they are intended with over one in three office workers finding them a pain. Leaving parties are also a grievance, with 40% of office workers resenting the tradition of the leaver buying drinks for colleagues. Frustration with such enforced generosity extends to office birthdays, where the British expectation of buying cakes for all on your own birthday irritates one in four workers. Dress-down days also frustrate one in six workers, with one in four admitting they feel pressure to look their best.

The companies mentioned are online at www.isrsurveys.com , www.mori.com , www.workfoundation.org.uk , www.rpcushing.co.uk and www.researchnow.co.uk

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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