The last week or so has seen the publication of a number of survey-based reports focused on employee experience and related areas, among them the Evolution Report Pt1 by Benefex, the IC Index 2023 by Ipsos Karian & Box and the Institute of Internal Communication, and the Work Project 2023 by Home.
All three are worth a read, but we thought it would be useful to pull out some of the big EX-related themes here for our members. This is the first of three posts covering this latest trio of research reports, so keep a look out for parts 2 and 3 over the next few days.
We’ll pull out the key stand-out points from each of these reports and include the link, so you can download and review them for yourself.
"A year on from our last major global research study and the world of work already looks very different. New workplace dynamics such as ‘The Great Resignation’ and ‘Quiet Quitting’ have appeared and, some would argue, quickly disappeared. Talent shortages have become even more pronounced. And all of this against a backdrop of huge social, political and economic turbulence, and a cost-of-living crisis which is impacting a growing proportion of workers." Benefex
The Evolution Report is published by Benefex, an employee benefits platform, so expect some insight around both benefits and digital experience. This is part one of the report and examines employee priorities, motivations and frustrations, and what they think of their experiences at work.
The big message here is that employee expectations are rising in all sorts of areas - people are demanding more and/or better when it comes to benefits, recognition, wellbeing and alignment with their personal values. This overarching point certainly chimes with what we are seeing and hearing here at The EX Space, in 2023 employees clearly want more from their employers. To drive this home, a whopping 85% of employees say their employee experience is more important to them now than it was a year ago.
Overall, some 38% of employees surveyed say they are looked after ‘very well’ by their employer - identical to the number who report that their employee experience is ‘excellent’. That leaves the majority feeling the their employers could do better. There’s a big regional variation here though - employees in the US and India are much more likely to be positive, compared to those in the UK and Singapore.
According to the report, the number one factor that employees now consider when choosing an employer is evidence of a strong commitment to employee wellbeing. This is followed closely by benefits provision, flexible working policies and high ethical standards. Most of all, they want relevant benefits (55%) that align with their needs, greater recognition for their contribution (54%), and a stronger focus on their wellbeing (49%). Not surprisingly, financial wellbeing has become much more important against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis, with employees placing greater value on benefits that enable them to save money.
The research also uncovered a growing frustration around the digital experience, with 70% claiming that the technology they use at work lags behind the technology they use at home. Linked to this, 50% of employees state that great workplace technology is now an important factor for them when choosing a new employer. This is something we hear when we talk to employees and, for many organisations, there’s a growing expectation gap with the the overall tech experience being far superior outside the workplace.