Three out of four (77%*) employees working for the UK's 50 Best Workplaces want to work for their company for a long time, according to new research published by global research and management consultancy The Great Place to Work® Institute. This has increased from 44% just 12 months ago, reflecting an increased concern about job security and the risks associated with switching companies in an unstable economic climate. This research, the largest employee-centred survey of its kind, covers all aspects of employee trust in the workplace.
The research found that, within these organisations, 74% of employees surveyed believe that management consults them when making decisions that affect their jobs or environment. Three-quarters (76%) of these workers also believe that management shows sincere interest in them as a person, not just as an employee.
Increased workplace mobility may also explain why Britons are more focused on staying with their existing employer. Three quarters (75%) of employees at the UK’s 50 Best Workplaces think promotions go to those who most deserve them, an increase from 64% in 2003. Additionally, workers feel workplaces are becoming less hierarchical with 86% of employees working for these organisations claiming they are regarded as a full member of the team, regardless of their position in the company, an improvement on the 75% who felt included in 2003.
Commenting on the findings, Williams Johnson Mota, business development and sales manager for The Great Place to Work® Institute, said:
“The dramatic increase in employee loyalty over the last 12 months reflects concern over changing economic conditions. Job security is becoming increasingly important as economic instability and worries over an ability to meet high mortgage and debt repayments means employees increasingly prefer to remain in their existing role.
“However, our research also shows the UK’s best businesses are increasingly taking positive steps to encourage employees to stay. They are becoming less hierarchical, which means that employees are more likely to feel full members of the team, regardless of their job title. The best employers ensure promotions are seen as meritocratic, which encourages employees to believe that there is an opportunity to progress in an organisation based on their performance, rather than their ability to navigate the world of office politics.”
The research also reveals that in the UK’s 50 Best Workplaces, at least, the death knell has sounded for office politics. Three-quarters (74%) of employees surveyed claim people in their workplace avoid politicking and backstabbing as a means to get things done; this compares with 63% in 2003. With promotions increasingly based on merit, the incentive for employees to climb over their rivals to reach the top has diminished.
The UK’s top employers consistently score highly across those metrics that relate to ‘respect’ in the workplace. Amongst the UK's 50 Best Workplaces, 82% of employees claim management shows appreciation for good work and extra effort and 79% believe their management genuinely seeks and responds to ideas and suggestions. Perhaps most telling is that the best workplaces work hard to avoid establishing a ‘blame culture,’ with 80% of workers claiming their management recognises that honest mistakes are part of doing business.
