Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Employee relationsEmployee engagementHR strategy

Corporate scandals ‘damaging employee engagement’

by John Eccleston 23 Jul 2012
by John Eccleston 23 Jul 2012

More than half of employees are “not bothered” about their work, as the result of corporate scandals eroding their trust in senior leaders.

This is according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which published its latest Quarterly Employee Outlook report today.

The survey, which polled 2,000 UK workers’ engagement and attitudes to their professional lives, found that 58% of employees show signs of a “not bothered” attitude to their work. By contrast, only 36% trust their senior leaders.

The CIPD said that the findings reflect the impact of recent corporate scandals, which have eroded employees’ relationships with their organisations and leaders, and warned that long-term employee engagement could be at risk.

Peter Cheese, CIPD chief executive, said: “Given the number of examples reported in the media in recent months of unethical behaviours and corrosive cultures overseen by senior leaders, it is perhaps unsurprising to see trust in the workplace eroding. What’s worrying is the impact this will have on engagement. We know that strong employee engagement drives higher productivity and better business outcomes, so such a prominent display of ‘neutral engagement’ in the workplace should act as a real wake up call for employers.

“Now more than ever, organisations need to pay close attention to the impact the behaviours of senior leaders is having on the rest of the workforce and consider how they can improve corporate culture from the top down. The HR profession is uniquely positioned to help organisations properly understand existing cultures and behaviours, to re-examine and re-define corporate values and to revisit the way in which those values are reinforced, incentivised and rewarded through the day-to-day behaviours by managers – from the very top, down to the front line.

“Employees also need to believe their views are respected and that they have a voice in the organisation, otherwise there is a risk that when things go wrong, no one tells the executive team until it is too late. Just as importantly, empowered and engaged employees are able to provide customer inspired innovation and ensure organisations’ products and services adapt quickly to take advantage of fast changing markets.”

The survey also found that just 24% of employees feel consulted by senior managers about key issues that affect the business, and only 40% are satisfied with the opportunities that exist to feed their views and ideas upwards to senior managers.

The CIPD findings contrast with the results of a survey also released today by the CBI and recruiter Harvey Nash, which found that management and employees are working together to overcome challenging business conditions.

According to the Facing the Future Employment Trends Survey, which surveyed 319 businesses employing 1.9 million people in the UK, 67% of respondents said employee relations in their workplace are either “cooperative” or “very cooperative”, with staff remaining resilient despite the economic climate. Furthermore, 40% of firms described morale as “high” or “very high”.

Katja Hall, CBI chief policy director, said: “In the UK, we have a good story to tell about collaboration in the workplace during the worst of the economic crisis. By working pragmatically and flexibly together, employers and employees have been able to safeguard and create jobs.

“With two-thirds of businesses reporting high levels of cooperation in their workplace, employers clearly understand the value of engaging their employees and keeping them informed about business challenges being faced.

“The interests of employees, employers, and the economy as a whole will continue to be best served by maintaining these positive employment relationships. Businesses do not recognise the more adversarial, political rhetoric being adopted by some unions as representing the reality on the ground.”

XpertHR has further information on employee engagement, including guidance from CIPD organisation development and engagement adviser Angela Baron and a good practice guide on how to measure employee engagement.

Avatar
John Eccleston

previous post
Former CIPD chief executive Jackie Orme passes away
next post
Legal opinion: Employees who fall ill while on holiday

You may also like

International business faces ‘permacrisis’ in 2024

8 Dec 2023

Who is on strike and when?

7 Dec 2023

Pay up by two-thirds for ER managers

6 Dec 2023

One in five workers to quit in 2024

6 Dec 2023

Three strengths for HR to build in 2024

1 Dec 2023

What will it mean to be an HR...

28 Nov 2023

Biffa’s Jane Patemen is crowned 2023 HR Director...

21 Nov 2023

Zopa banks 2023 Employee Experience Award

21 Nov 2023

2023 HR Impact Award is the right style...

21 Nov 2023

Progeny collects Large HR Consultancy of the Year...

21 Nov 2023

  • How to spot and tackle imposter syndrome in the workplace PROMOTED | Half of all UK adults...Read more
  • BetterMe for Business: How to Build Wellness Culture at Work PROMOTED | Ever encountered a...Read more
  • Global growth with simple HR compliance (webinar) WEBINAR | In an increasingly global marketplace...Read more
  • Talent acquisition: How AI can complement a ‘back to basics’ approach PROMOTED | Artificial intelligence is now...Read more
  • What will it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (webinar) WEBINAR | As we approach 2024...Read more
  • HR Budget Planning for 2024: Preparing your People Strategy PROMOTED | As organisations continue to adapt...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+