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SURVEY: Singapore workers less satisfied with employers than global average

HR in Asia/16 August 2017

Singaporeans are less happy with their companies compared to workers in other countries, according to recent survey published yesterday (Aug 15).

Conducted by of human resource consulting firm Mercer, the study revealed that employee engagement in the city state showed consistent decline over the past three years, which is in glaring contrast to the increasing trend observed across the globe.

Only 73 percent of Singaporean respondents in the poll are satisfied with the companies they work for, compared with higher global average of 82 percent, Straits Times reports.

Additionally, employees in Singapore are less likely to endorse or promote their organisations as good employers. While 76 percent workers in the Asia-Pacific region agree to advocate their firms as good places to work, only 68 percent Singapore employees are willing to do so.

Mr Kulshaan Singh, Mercer Singapore chief executive said that, “Improving employee engagement continues to represent a significant opportunity – not just for businesses, but also for the economy as a whole. This is widely acknowledged.”

He added, “The decline is primarily due to the lower feelings of pride in and satisfaction with organisations, and our analysis shows that such views are largely driven by the employees’ concerns about innovation and career development.”

Surveyed more than 42,000 employees, the survey represents various industries and jobs from global and local multinational resides in Singapore. The method it used to measure employee engagement is by assessing the level of pride, motivation, as well as commitment that the employees have towars the organisations they work for.

If it is said that performance and productivity are the fruit of combination between individual talent and engagement, then the best way to improve talent is to ensure that they are actively engaged. While this might seem obvious, many organisations are still struggling to build a work environment that will help them boost employee engagement in the workplace.

Mercer stated that an increasing number of employees in Singapore say that they do not get the right opportunities to learn and grow. Meanwhile, 20 percent respondents believe that they are not receiving necessary feedbacks from the higher-ups to make progress and development.

Further, one in three workers feels that personal career goals are difficult to realise in their companies, while 95 percent expect to be recognised and rewarded for a wider range of contributions.

Although it is found that 85 percent employees said they take pride in providing the products and services they offer, 30 percent feel their organisations do not make continuous improvement on these products and services. Particularly, one in three employees considers that the company does not take active role in supporting the development of new ideas.

Nonetheless, attitudes towards employee involvement are notably more positive in Singapore, with 70 percent staff feeling that they are adequately involved in the decision-making process on organisational issues that directly affect them. The figure is higher compared with 67 percent globally.

Managers play a critical role in this perception, with 80 percent employees saying their immediate managers notify them of important information related to their work.

“Engagement represents the best opportunity for Singapore to optimise the human capital it has,” said Mr Singh. “If performance and productivity are a combination of individual talent and engagement, the best way to optimise talent is to ensure it is engaged. Although this seems obvious, many organisations still struggle to build the work environment they need to fully realise engagement in the workplace.”

 

News Source: HR in Asia

Jayden

I am JC and I am an editor.