Low Work Commitment in UK

Some 34 per cent of employees in Britain admit to having low levels of commitment to the both the job they do and the company they work for, according to the results of the Global Employee Commitment Report 2002, released by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS). This is in keeping with the global average figure of 35 per cent and suggests that a significant proportion of the companies in Britain may be failing to get the most out of their employees.

The study interviewed almost 20,000 full-time employees across 33 countries, using EmployeeScore to assess levels of employee commitment, a more accurate measure of an employee's future behaviour than the traditional satisfaction measure currently used by most companies.

The findings also reveal that in Britain, while six out of ten (60 per cent) employees are committed to the work they do, just 49 per cent are committed to the company they work for.

One in six (17 per cent) employees in Britain are 'career-oriented' employees, predominantly committed to their work but not to the company they work for. In contrast only six per cent are 'company-oriented' employees - predominantly committed to their company but express low levels of commitment to the work they do. Globally, just over half of employees are committed to the job they do (57 per cent) and the company they work for (51 per cent), one in seven (14 per cent) are career-oriented and one in twelve (eight per cent) are company-oriented.

Employees in the West seemed to be more career oriented than those in the Asia- Pacific region. France, the Netherlands, Germany and the US had the highest proportion of career-oriented employees, while Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong showed the highest proportion of 'company-oriented' employees.

Workers in Japan, Korea and Bulgaria had the lowest levels of commitment. Only 59 per cent of employees in Japan, 58 per cent in Bulgaria and 55 per cent in Korea are committed to both the work they do and the company they work for. Employees in Israel (59 per cent) and Norway (57 per cent) had the greatest proportion of employees committed to both.

At a global level, employees from multinational companies expressed the highest levels of commitment, while in Britain, commitment to the company and to the type of work was shown to be greater among employees in smaller companies than those in large or multi-national organisations.

There are also clear differences in commitment across business sectors. The highest levels of commitment to both the organisation and type of work among employees in Britain were demonstrated in the education (60 per cent) and accommodation, leisure and hospitality services (56 per cent) sectors. In contrast, less than a third of employees in the manufacturing and transportation sectors demonstrated high commitment levels (34 per cent and 30 per cent respectively).

Cynthia Pinto, Director, Social and Employee Division, Taylor Nelson Sofres commented: 'In order to get the best from employees, it is important for companies to be able to identify and understand what motivates, satisfies and interests them to ensure that their commitment can be encouraged and sustained. Typically, employers will assess employee progress and satisfaction of work, but will rarely establish how staff feel about their company and how committed they are to their role within it. The pattern seems to be that employees are more committed to their work than the company they work for. As it becomes easier for individuals to move from one job to another - and even from one career area to another - it is also becoming increasingly important for companies to protect the often significant investments they make in recruiting and training employees.'

She added 'The Global Employee Commitment Report 2002 findings suggest that there is a significant opportunity for organisations in many countries to retain and develop existing staff by a regular and effective monitoring of the workforce. By measuring commitment, rather than satisfaction, companies can gauge whether employee values and goals are aligned with work and organisational values and whether the needs of both parties are being met. Companies can then implement new structures and approaches which respond to these in a positive way.'

The Global Employee Commitment Report was undertaken by Taylor Nelson Sofres in April 2002 by interviewing 19,840 full-time employees across 33 countries to assess their level of commitment to both their job and the organisation they work within.

A global summary of the report can be downloaded at www.tnsofres.com/gec2002

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

• Kantar TNS
• All news
• MrWeb info