Employee Outlook

Transcription

Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
in partnership with
Employee Outlook
WORK
WORKFORCE
WORKPLACE
Championing better work and working lives
The CIPD’s purpose is to champion better work and working lives by improving practices in people and
organisation development, for the benefit of individuals, businesses, economies and society. Our research work plays
a critical role – providing the content and credibility for us to drive practice, raise standards and offer advice, guidance
and practical support to the profession. Our research also informs our advocacy and engagement with policy-makers
and other opinion-formers on behalf of the profession we represent.
To increase our impact, in service of our purpose, we’re focusing our research agenda on three core themes: the future
of work, the diverse and changing nature of the workforce, and the culture and organisation of the workplace.
WORK
WORKFORCE
Our focus on work includes what
work is and where, when and how
work takes place, as well as
trends and changes in skills and
job needs, changing career
patterns, global mobility,
technological developments and
new ways of working.
Our focus on the workforce includes
demographics, generational shifts,
attitudes and expectations, the
changing skills base and trends
in learning and education.
WORKPLACE
Our focus on the workplace includes how organisations are
evolving and adapting, understanding of culture, trust and
engagement, and how people are best organised, developed,
managed, motivated and rewarded to perform at their best.
About CIPD
About Halogen
The CIPD is the professional body for
HR and people development. We have
over 130,000 members internationally –
working in HR, learning and development,
people management and consulting across
private businesses and organisations in the
public and voluntary sectors. We are an
independent and not-for-profit organisation,
guided in our work by the evidence and the
front-line experience of our members.
Halogen Software offers an organically built cloud-based talent
management suite that reinforces and drives higher employee
performance across all talent programmes – whether that is recruiting,
performance management, learning and development, succession
planning or compensation. With over 1,750 customers worldwide,
Halogen Software has been recognised as a market leader by major
business analysts and has garnered the highest customer satisfaction
ratings in the industry. Halogen Software’s powerful, yet simple-touse solutions, which also include industry-vertical editions, are used
by organisations that want to build a world-class workforce that is
aligned, inspired and focused on delivering exceptional results.
cipd.co.uk
www.halogensoftware.com
Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
Contents
Foreword from the CIPD
2
Foreword from Halogen
3
Key findings
4
Job satisfaction and engagement
7
Employee attitudes towards managers
9
Performance management
10
Pressure at work
12
Work–life balance
13
Employee attitudes to the current economic context
14
Job-seeking16
Conclusions17
Background to the survey
19
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 1
Foreword from the CIPD
The CIPD is delighted to be
partnering with Halogen on our
important Employee Outlook
tracker research. The CIPD/Halogen
spring 2014 Employee Outlook
reveals some interesting findings in
employee attitudes that reinforce
the importance that employers
should place on talent retention
strategies.
First, this survey shows a marked
increase in negative perceptions of
senior managers, with overall trust
and confidence in senior managers
hitting a two-year low. Trust and
confidence levels are particularly
low in the public sector and have
potentially been influenced by the
current unrest and strike action
going on in the public sector.
The survey also reveals
performance management and
progression issues. Almost a third of
employees believe that their current
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performance management systems
are unfair, with a worryingly higher
proportion of employees overall
in the public sector believing their
systems to be unfair as opposed
to fair. Again this is likely to be
linked to the current unrest in that
sector related to pay, pensions
and performance. There are also
concerns regarding progression
across sectors but particularly in
the voluntary sector, with more
employees currently feeling that
career progression is unachievable
as opposed to achievable.
This survey sees a very slight drop
in job-seeking intentions compared
with autumn 2013’s two-year
high, but talent is still planning
to be on the move compared with
figures from previous surveys.
Organisations therefore need to
think very carefully about creative
retention strategies in order to
retain their top talent as the
economy picks up. In particular,
this survey’s results show that
much more work is needed
around effective and motivating
performance management
approaches as well as providing
progression opportunities for the
majority of employees, who will
have seen very little movement
in organisations over the last few
years. Clearly more also needs to be
done in order to build confidence
and trust in senior leaders, who are
pivotal to organisations and have
been shown previously through our
Employee Outlook data to have
a relationship with employee job
satisfaction, advocacy and jobseeking intentions.
Claire McCartney
Adviser, Resourcing and Talent
Planning, CIPD
Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
Foreword from Halogen
Halogen is once again very proud
to support the Employee Outlook
survey. The survey continues to
reveal compelling trends that
highlight the ongoing need for
organisations to focus on their
talent as they strive for growth.
With employee perceptions
of the job market improving,
demonstrated by fears of
redundancies decreasing and
intentions to leave remaining
comparatively high, organisations
need to consider how well their
existing talent strategies are
supporting the retention and
motivation of their employees.
The evidence suggests that critical
aspects of these strategies are failing
to deliver the required results. The
survey reveals a two-year low in
trust in senior leadership, coupled
with 30% of employees considering
their performance management
process to be unfair (with less than
40% considering it fair). And on
top of this, perceptions of career
progression amongst employees are
not positive, with more employees
believing it to be unachievable
(32%) than achievable (31%).
communication between line
managers and employees,
building trust across the
workforce
These results highlight that a
weakness exists in the current talent
management process with regards
to meeting the growing expectations
of a workforce that may have seen
little by way of improved reward
or progression during the recent
economic downturn. At Halogen we
encourage organisations to review
whether their talent management
process contains these critical
elements:
• a performance management
process that aligns employees to
the strategies and goals of the
organisation
• an approach to performance
that facilitates effective
and continuous two-way
• identifies the learning and
development needs of each
employee so that they grow with
the organisation
• enables managers to identify
and highlight those employees
who add the most value to the
business for differential reward
and progression.
With these factors in place, HR
will be in a better place to help
their businesses meet the demands
of a more mobile and expectant
workforce.
Donna Ronayne
Vice President of Global Marketing
Halogen Software
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 3
Key findings
Job satisfaction and
engagement
Employee attitudes towards
managers
The proportion of engaged
employees this quarter is 35%, a
very slight decrease from previous
surveys (autumn 2013: 36%;
spring 2013: 37%) and still below
the levels of autumn 2012 (38%).
Four per cent of employees are
disengaged and 61% remain
neutral.
Overall, attitudes towards line
managers remain positive, with
64% of employees strongly satisfied
or satisfied with their relationship
with their line manager. Employees
in the voluntary sector are most
satisfied with their relationship with
their line manager (67% strongly
satisfied or satisfied), while for
employees in both the public and
private sectors the figure is 64%.
Job satisfaction levels (+42) are
slightly up on spring 2013 (+40).
Employees in the voluntary sector
continue to be the most satisfied
with their jobs (+48), with a slight
decrease from previous surveys
(autumn 2013: +54; spring 2013:
+52). Job satisfaction in the private
sector has shown an increase in this
Employees in the public sector remain the
most negative about their senior managers
and there have been some substantial
decreases in this survey.
survey (+42 compared with +39 in
autumn and spring 2013) but is still
below winter 2012–13 levels (+45
and +48 respectively). While job
satisfaction has decreased in this
survey in the public sector (+37), it
is up on 2013 levels (autumn 2013:
+41%; spring 2013: +25).
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This survey sees a fall in ratings for
senior managers in all areas apart
from ratings of senior managers’
visions for their organisations.
Confidence in particular has fallen
by 5 net percentage points and trust
in senior leaders and perceptions
of consultation have fallen by 4
net percentage points each. This
represents a two-year low in our
survey findings. This goes against
a trend seen in previous Employee
Outlook (EO) surveys of general
improvements in perceptions of
senior managers.
Employees in the public sector
remain the most negative about
their senior managers and there
have been some substantial
decreases in this survey – the
biggest decreases are in relation
to senior managers treating
employees with respect (decrease of
12 net percentage points), trust in
senior leaders (decrease of 11 net
percentage points) and confidence
Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
in senior leaders (decrease of 14 net
percentage points).
Performance management
Overall more employees
reported that they believe their
organisation’s performance
management process is fair (39%)
rather than unfair (30%). However,
employees in the public sector
were more likely to believe their
performance management process
is unfair (33%) than fair (32%).
With employees in the voluntary
sector most likely to view their
process as very or somewhat fair
(47%).
Over half of employees (56%)
believe communication with their
managers regarding objectives
and expectations to be very or
somewhat effective. However, two
in ten (20%) feel that it is either
somewhat or very ineffective.
When it comes to how achievable
employees believe career
progression is within their
organisations currently, more
employees believe it is unachievable
(32%) rather than achievable
(31%), with a further 31% neutral
on this question. It is actually
employees in the public sector
who are most likely to say that
progression is achievable (33%)
(private sector: 31%; voluntary
sector: 29%).
Pressure at work
The proportion of employees
reporting excessive pressure at
work every day or once or twice
a week in spring 2014 remains
at 41%, the same as spring and
autumn 2013. The difference
between men (45%) and women
(38%) reporting excessive pressure
on a frequent basis has increased
from previous surveys.
41%
V
The proportion of
employees reporting
excessive pressure at work
every day or once or twice
a week in spring 2014
remains at 41%.
There is a statistically significant
link between dissatisfaction
with current jobs and feelings
of excessive frequent pressure.
Employees who are dissatisfied
with their current jobs (66%) are
significantly more likely to feel
under excessive frequent pressure
as opposed to those neither satisfied
nor dissatisfied (46%) or satisfied
(32%) with their current jobs.
Work–life balance
Employees’ satisfaction with their
work–life balance has remained at
the relatively high level of 58% in
this survey. However, it is women
(63%) who are significantly more
likely than men (52%) to enjoy a
better work–life balance.
When it comes to sector differences,
voluntary sector employees are the
most satisfied with their work–life
balance (69%), representing a
substantial increase from autumn
2013 (55%). Public sector
employees’ work–life balance
appears to have dipped since
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 5
15%
V
Spring 2014 sees a slight
drop in the overall
number of employees
saying it is very likely or
likely that they could lose
their job as a result of the
current economic context
(15% compared with
18% in autumn 2013).
autumn 2013 (55% compared
with 60%) and are now the least
satisfied sector, while private sector
employees’ work–life balance has
remained the same (58%).
Employee attitudes to the
current economic context
Spring 2014 sees a slight drop in
the overall number of employees
saying it is very likely or likely
that they could lose their job as
a result of the current economic
context (15% compared with 18%
in autumn 2013). Employees’ fears
over losing their jobs are highest in
the public sector (23% – the same
as autumn 2013) and lowest in
the private sector (13% – a drop
from 18% in autumn 2013). This
survey also sees a slight increase
in the number of employees in the
voluntary sector concerned about
job loss (20% say it is very likely
or likely that they could lose their
job compared with 18% in autumn
2013).
Overall, there has been a decrease
in the number of organisations
making redundancies (30% from
33% in autumn 2013) and a very
slight increase (12% compared
with 11% in autumn 2013) in
organisations planning to make
redundancies. This shows that there
is still some uncertainty about the
future economic climate.
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cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook
In terms of employees’ perceptions
of their personal standard of living,
this survey sees fewer employees
believing that it has worsened in
the last six months. Overall, 11%
say that their personal standard
of living has improved (the same
as autumn 2013), 66% that it
has stayed the same (62% in
autumn 2013) and 24% that it has
worsened (27% in autumn 2013).
Job-seeking
Our last survey in autumn 2013
revealed a two-year high in
employees’ job-seeking intentions at
almost a quarter (24%). This figure
has reduced slightly in spring 2014
(22%) but is still above previous
surveys (spring 2013: 21%; winter
2012–13: 20%; spring 2012: 20%).
This survey sees a rise in employees
in the voluntary sector looking for a
new job (27%, up from 24%) and a
slight drop in the public (20% from
23%) and private sectors (22%
from 24%).
Age differences show that younger
employees (18–24-year-olds) are
significantly more likely to be
looking for a new job than older
employees (55+ years). Employees
feeling under excessive pressure
every day are also most likely to be
looking for a new job (37%) and
the lowest income-earners (earning
less than £15,000) are also most
likely to be looking for a new job
(30%).
Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
Job satisfaction and engagement
The Employee Outlook
Engagement Index comprises a set
of measures which are important
to understanding the level of
engagement an employee feels
towards their organisation. The
index consists of 16 items, weighted
and aggregated together to give an
overall score (see below).
The proportion of engaged
employees this quarter is 35%, a
very slight decrease from previous
surveys (autumn 2013: 36%;
spring 2013: 37%) and still below
the levels of autumn 2012 (38%).
Four per cent of employees are
disengaged and 61% remain
neutral. Voluntary sector employees
remain the most engaged (52%).
Engagement levels have dropped
somewhat in the public sector
(30%) after a trend of previous
increases (autumn 2013: 37%;
spring 2013: 33%; winter 2012–
13: 29%), while private sector
engagement levels (36%) remain
broadly the same as previous
surveys (autumn 2013: 36%; spring
2013: 37%). Engagement tends to
decrease as the size of organisations
increases (see Table 1).
Employee Engagement Index
Mean Score*
Factor
Items included in the factor
Going the extra
mile
I will often take on more work to help relieve my colleagues’ workloads.
I will often work for more hours than those I am paid or contracted to do.
Autumn 2013 Spring 2014
2.5
2.5
Alignment to
organisation
purpose
I know very clearly what the core purpose of my organisation is.
I am highly motivated by my organisation’s core purpose.
2.2
2.2
Work–life
balance
I achieve the right balance between my home and work lives.
Approximately how much of the time do you feel under EXCESSIVE
pressure in your job?
2.9
2.9
Relationships
with colleagues
I have positive relationships with my colleagues.
2.1
2.1
2.6
2.5
3.0
3.0
2.6
2.7
Satisfaction with My job is as challenging as I would like it to be.
role
My organisation gives me the opportunities to learn and grow.
I am satisfied with the content of my job role.
Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied would you say you are with your
current job?
Attitude to
senior managers
I have confidence in the directors/senior management team of my
organisation.
I trust the directors/senior management team of my organisation.
Satisfaction with Overall how satisfied, or dissatisfied, are you with the relationship you
line manager/
have with your immediate supervisor, line manager or boss?
advocacy
How likely or unlikely would you be to recommend your organisation as
an employer?
I don’t think my employer treats me fairly.
*Please note figures shown are mean scores and the range of scores is from 1 (engaged) to 5 (disengaged).
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 7
+42
V
Job satisfaction levels
(+42) are slightly up on
autumn 2013.
Job satisfaction levels (+42) are
slightly up on autumn 2013 (+40).
Employees in the voluntary sector
continue to be the most satisfied
with their jobs (+48), with a slight
decrease from previous surveys
(autumn 2013: +54; spring 2013:
+52). Job satisfaction in the private
sector has shown an increase in this
survey (+42 compared with +39
autumn 2013 and still below spring
2013 and winter 2012–13 levels
(+45 and +48 respectively). While
job satisfaction has decreased in this
survey in the public sector (+37), it
is up on spring 2013 levels (autumn
2013: +41; spring 2013: +25).
Employees in micro businesses (2–9
employees) are by far the most
satisfied with their jobs (+64), with
a slight increase in satisfaction
levels reported by employees in
larger organisations in this survey
(+36 compared with +33 in autumn
2013 and +30 reported in spring
2013). Older employees (55+ years)
at a net satisfaction of +53 are the
most likely to be satisfied with their
jobs and those in the middle age
category (35–44-year-olds: +31) are
least likely to be satisfied.
Table 1: The extent to which employees are engaged at work, by gender, sector
and size of organisation (%)
Engaged
Neutral
Disengaged
All
35
61
4
Men
34
61
4
Women
37
61
3
Voluntary sector
52
47
2
Private sector
36
60
4
Public sector
30
66
4
Micro businesses
61
37
2
Small businesses
39
57
4
Medium businesses
36
58
7
Large businesses
33
62
5
Base: 2,523; men: 1,294; women: 1,229; private: 1,838; public: 479; voluntary: 103; micro: 305;
small: 266; medium: 318; large: 1,204.
Table 2: Employee net satisfaction, by sector and size of organisation (net %
satisfaction)
Spring
2014
Autumn
2013
Spring
2013
Winter
2012–13
Overall
+42
+40
+41
+44
Voluntary sector
+48
+54
+52
+41
Private sector
+42
+39
+45
+48
Public sector
+37
+41
+25
+33
Micro businesses
+64
+63
+53
+67
Small businesses
+34
+36
+38
+45
Medium businesses
+33
+32
+39
+36
Large businesses
+36
+33
+30
+37
Base: for spring 2014: 2,523; private: 1,838; public: 479; voluntary: 103; micro: 305; small: 266; medium:
318; large: 1,204.
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Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
Employee attitudes towards managers
Attitudes to line managers
Attitudes to senior managers
Overall, attitudes towards line
managers remain positive, with
64% of employees strongly satisfied
or satisfied with their relationship
with their line manager. Employees
in the voluntary sector are most
satisfied with their relationship
with their line manager (67%
strongly satisfied or satisfied), while
for employees in both the public
and private sectors the figure is
64%. Younger employees are also
the age group most likely to be
satisfied with their relationship with
their line manager (74% strongly
satisfied or satisfied) while older
employees of 55+ years are least
likely to be satisfied (62% strongly
satisfied or satisfied).
This survey sees a fall in ratings for
senior managers in all areas apart
from ratings of senior managers’
visions for their organisations.
Confidence in particular has fallen
by 5 net percentage points and trust
in senior leaders and perceptions
of consultation have fallen by 4 net
percentage points each. This goes
against a trend seen in previous EO
surveys of general improvements in
perceptions of senior managers.
Employees in the public sector
remain the most negative about their
senior managers and there have been
some substantial decreases in this
survey – the biggest decreases are in
relation to senior managers treating
employees with respect (decrease of
12 net percentage points), trust in
senior leaders (decrease of 11 net
percentage points) and confidence
in senior leaders (decrease of 14 net
percentage points). Respondents
in the voluntary sector remain the
most positive towards their senior
leaders, but scores have dropped
here again across all items apart
from employees’ trust in their senior
leaders, which has increased by 9
net percentage points. In the private
sector there have been decreases in
employees’ perceptions of senior
leaders’ consultation (decrease of 3
net percentage points), trust in senior
leaders (decrease of 4 net percentage
points) and confidence in senior
leaders (decrease of 4 net percentage
points), but an increase in belief in
senior leaders’ vision (increase of 2
net percentage points).
Table 3: Senior manager net agree scores (%)
Spring
2014
Autumn
2013
Spring
2013
They consult employees about important decisions.
–26
–22
–22
They treat employees with respect.
+12
+16
+14
I trust them.
+1
+5
+4
I have confidence in them.
+3
+8
+7
+25
+26
+25
They have a clear vision of where the organisation is going.
Base: spring 2014: 2,193; autumn 2013: 2,488; spring 2013: 1,844.
Table 4: Senior manager net agree scores, by sector (%)
Private sector
Public sector
Voluntary sector
Spring
2014
Autumn
2013
Spring
2014
Autumn
2013
Spring
2014
Autumn
2013
They consult employees about important decisions.
–25
–22
–35
–30
–6
–5
They treat employees with respect.
+17
+18
-8
+4
+28
+29
I trust them.
+8
+12
–25
–14
+15
+6
I have confidence in them.
+11
+15
–27
–13
+7
+11
They have a clear vision of where the organisation is going.
+32
+30
+13
+9
+32
+36
Base: spring 2014: 2,193; autumn 2013: 2,488.
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 9
Performance management
39%
V
Overall, more employees
reported that they believe
their organisation’s
performance management
process is fair (39%).
We started to explore issues
relating to performance
management in autumn 2013. In
this section we look at employees’
perceptions of fairness relating to
their performance management
processes, their communication
with line managers around
objectives, whether employee pay
is linked to performance review
processes and ultimately how
achievable employees perceive
career progression to be.
Overall, more employees
reported that they believe their
organisation’s performance
management process is fair (39%)
rather than unfair (30%). However,
employees in the public sector
were more likely to believe their
performance management process
is unfair (33%) than fair (32%).
Employees in the voluntary sector
were most likely to view their
process as very or somewhat fair
(47%).
Table 5: How fair do you believe your organisation’s performance management
process is? (%)
All
Private
Public
Voluntary
Very fair
14
16
6
15
Somewhat fair
25
25
26
32
Neutral
24
23
27
26
Somewhat unfair
17
18
14
14
Very unfair
13
11
19
5
Don’t know
7
7
9
9
Base: 2,193.
Table 6: How effective do you believe your communication with your line
manager is in being clear on your objectives and expectations? (%)
All
Private
Public
Voluntary
Very effective
19
19
16
27
Somewhat effective
37
35
45
43
Neither effective nor ineffective
21
22
18
15
Somewhat ineffective
13
14
10
11
Very ineffective
7
7
8
5
Don’t know
3
4
3
–
Base: spring 2014: 1,960; private:1,378; public: 465; voluntary: 90.
10
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Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
When it comes to the issue
of whether pay is linked to
performance reviews, just under a
third (30%) of employees say that
it is within their organisations.
Pay is most likely to be linked to
performance in the private sector
(33%) and least likely to be linked
in the voluntary sector (13%), with
the public sector in between the
two (25%).
Over half of employees (56%)
believe communication with their
managers regarding objectives
and expectations is very or
somewhat effective. However, two
in ten (20%) feel that it is either
somewhat or very ineffective. When
it comes to sector differences,
employees in the voluntary
sector are most complimentary
about communication with their
managers, with 70% believing it is
either very effective or somewhat
effective. Employees in the public
sector are also likely to be very
positive about this (61% believe
communication is somewhat or
very effective). Just over half (54%)
believe this to be the case in the
private sector.
When it comes to how achievable
employees believe career
progression is within their
organisations currently, more
employees believe it is unachievable
(32%) than achievable (31%),
with a further 31% neutral on this
question. It is actually employees
in the public sector who are most
likely to say that progression is
achievable (33%) (private sector:
31%; voluntary sector: 29%).
56%
V
Over half of employees
(56%) believe
communication
with their managers
regarding objectives and
expectations is very or
somewhat effective.
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 11
Pressure at work
The proportion of employees
reporting excessive pressure at work
every day or once or twice a week
in spring 2014 remains at 41%,
the same as spring and autumn
2013. The difference between men
(45%) and women (38%) reporting
excessive pressure on a frequent basis
has increased from previous surveys.
Sector differences show that
employees in the public (50%)
sector are most likely to feel
under excessive frequent pressure
(compared with 42% in autumn
2013), while private (40%) and
voluntary (39%) sector employees
share similar levels of feeling under
excessive pressure at work. There
are also differences by size of
organisation. Employees working
in micro (33%) or small (41%)
organisations are least likely to
feel under excessive frequent
pressure, while employees from
medium (49%) and large (46%)
organisations are most likely to feel
under excessive frequent pressure.
under excessive frequent pressure
as opposed to those neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied (46%) or
satisfied (32%) with their current
jobs. There is also a statistically
significant link between perceptions
of senior managers and exposure
to excessive pressure at work.
Employees who strongly disagreed
that senior managers have a clear
vision (60%), that they have
confidence in senior managers
(63%), trust them (62%), feel
respected by them (68%) and feel
consulted by them (60%) were
significantly more likely to be
experiencing excessive pressure
daily or once or twice a week.
There is a statistically significant
link between dissatisfaction
with current jobs and feelings
of excessive frequent pressure.
Employees who are dissatisfied
with their current jobs (66%) are
significantly more likely to feel
Table 7: Proportion of employees saying they are under excessive pressure at work… (%)
Spring
2014
Autumn
2013
Spring
2013
Every day
14
13
13
Once or twice a week
27
28
28
Once or twice a month
25
26
26
Less frequently than once a month
23
22
24
Never
11
12
9
Base: spring 2014: 2,523; autumn 2013: 2,918; spring 2013: 2,067.
Table 8: Proportion of employees saying they are under excessive pressure at work… (%)
All
Men
Women
Private
Public
Voluntary
Every day
14
16
13
14
19
10
Once or twice a week
27
29
25
26
31
29
Once or twice a month
25
23
26
24
24
29
Less frequently than once a month
23
22
24
24
17
26
Never
11
11
12
12
9
7
Base: 2,523; men: 1,294; women: 1,229; private:1,838; public: 479; voluntary: 103.
12
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook
Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
Work–life balance
Employees’ satisfaction with their
work–life balance has remained at
the relatively high level of 58% in
this survey. However, it is women
(63%) who are significantly more
likely than men (52%) to enjoy a
better work–life balance.
When it comes to sector differences,
voluntary sector employees are the
most satisfied with their work–life
balance (69%), representing a
substantial increase from autumn
2013 (55%). Public sector
employees’ work–life balance
appears to have dipped since
autumn 2013 (55% compared with
60%) and they are now the least
satisfied sector, while private sector
employees’ work–life balance has
remained the same (58%).
Employees working part-time (77%)
are significantly more likely than
their full-time (50%) colleagues to
agree that they achieve the right
balance between their work and
their home lives. Further, those
employees who are most engaged
at work (73%) according to our
engagement index are much more
likely to be satisfied with their
work–life balance than those who
are neutral (52%) or not engaged
(12%).
58%
V
Employees’ satisfaction
with their work–life
balance has remained at
the relatively high level of
58% in this survey.
Table 9: Proportion of employees agreeing they achieve the right balance between their work and home lives… (%)
All
Men
Women
Private
Public
Voluntary
Strongly agree
13
11
15
13
12
13
Agree
45
41
48
45
43
56
Neither agree nor disagree
14
16
12
15
12
8
Disagree
20
22
18
20
22
19
7
9
6
7
10
4
Strongly disagree
Base: 2,523; men: 1,294; women: 1,229; private: 1,838; public: 479; voluntary: 103.
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 13
Employee attitudes to the current
economic context
Spring 2014 sees a slight drop in
the overall number of employees
saying it is very likely or likely
that they could lose their job as
a result of the current economic
context (15% compared with 18%
in autumn 2013). Employees’ fears
over losing their jobs are highest in
the public sector (23% – the same
as autumn 2013) and lowest in
the private sector (13% – a drop
from 18% in autumn 2013). This
survey also sees a slight increase
in the number of employees in the
voluntary sector concerned about
job loss (21% say it is very likely
or likely that they could lose their
job compared with 18% in autumn
2013). Those who feel insecure in
their jobs were also less likely to
report higher levels of engagement.
Only 10% of those who think they
are likely or very likely to lose their
job are engaged, compared with
65% of those who believe job loss
is unlikely. A further 37% of those
feeling insecure in their jobs are
disengaged. The age group most
likely to say that it is very likely or
likely that they could lose their jobs
because of the economic climate is
the 55+ category (17%).
Fewer employees overall report
experiencing the consequences of
the economic downturn on their
organisation: 17% believe their
organisation has not been affected,
compared with 15% in autumn
2013, with an increase in the number
of the respondents who say they
are not affected across all sectors.
Private sector (20%) employees are
most likely to say their organisation
has not been affected, while public
sector (6%) employees are the least
likely to say this.
Overall, there has been a decrease in
the number of organisations making
redundancies (30% from 33%
in autumn 2013); however, there
have been slight increases in both
the public and voluntary sectors.
Overall, there has been a very slight
increase (12% compared with 11%
in autumn 2013) in organisations
planning to make redundancies.
This shows that there is still some
uncertainty about the future
economic climate. Overall, there
have also been slight increases in pay
freezes (40% compared with 38%
in autumn 2013) and recruitment
freezes (26% compared with 24% in
autumn 2013). There have also been
slight reductions in organisations
cutting training (19% compared with
20% in autumn 2013), hours (17%
compared with 18% in autumn
2013) and pay (5% compared with
6% in autumn 2013).
Table 10: Proportion of employees saying it is likely or unlikely that they could lose their jobs as a result
of the economic downturn… (%)
All
Private
Public
Voluntary
4
3
6
5
Likely
11
10
17
16
Neither likely nor unlikely
26
27
24
24
Very likely
Unlikely
32
32
32
30
Very unlikely
21
22
17
20
Don’t know
6
6
6
6
Base: 2,523; private: 1,838; public: 479; voluntary: 103.
14
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook
Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
Table 11: In which ways, if at all, has your organisation been affected by the economic climate? (%)
Figures in brackets reflect the change from autumn 2013.
All
Private
Public
Voluntary
It has made redundancies.
30 (–3)
25 (–5)
48 (+2)
34 (+5)
It is planning to make redundancies.
12 (+1)
7 (0)
32 (+7)
9 (+1)
It has cut back on training.
19 (–1)
14 (–2)
38 (+4)
17 (–6)
It has cut back on the number of hours that people work.
17 (–1)
18 (+1)
17 (+1)
9 (–5)
It has increased the number of hours that people work.
6 (0)
5 (0)
9 (+3)
5 (–8)
40 (+2)
32 (+1)
67 (+4)
44 (-8)
It has frozen pay.
It has cut pay.
It has frozen recruitment.
It has reduced the amount contributed to employee pensions.
It has reduced employee benefits/perks.
It has been affected in some other way.
It has not been affected by the economic downturn.
Don’t know
5 (–1)
4 (–2)
11 (+4)
1 (–3)
26 (+2)
22 (+1)
42 (+2)
16 (–2)
6 (0)
4 (0)
12 (0)
6 (0)
16 (0)
15 (+1)
21 (–2)
9 (–3)
17 (0)
15 (+1)
24 (+2)
14 (–11)
17 (+2)
20 (+2)
6 (+1)
14 (+2)
9 (–2)
10 (–2)
5 (–3)
11 (+2)
Base: 2,195; private: 1,581; public: 479; voluntary: 99.
Employees’ personal
standard of living
In terms of employees’ perceptions
of their personal standard of living,
this survey sees fewer employees
believing that it has worsened in the
last six months. Overall, 11% say
that their personal standard of living
has improved (the same as autumn
2013), 66% that it has stayed the
same (62% in autumn 2013) and
24% that it has worsened (27% in
autumn 2013). Women continue to
be less likely to report their personal
standard of living has improved
(only 9% report this compared with
10% in autumn 2013) compared
with men (12%). Employees in the
voluntary sector are most likely
to have seen a drop in the number
reporting improvements in their
standard of living (7% from 16%
in autumn 2013), with private
sector employees seeing the biggest
reduction in employees reporting
their personal standard of living has
worsened (22% compared with 26%
in autumn 2013).
Table 12: Thinking about the LAST SIX MONTHS, has your personal standard of living...? (%)
Figures in brackets reflect the change from autumn 2013.
Improved
All
Male
Female
Full-time
Part-time
Private
Public
Voluntary
11 (0)
12 (0)
9 (–1)
12 (0)
7 (0)
11 (0)
8 (0)
7 (–9)
Stayed the same
66 (+4)
65 (+2)
67 (+5)
65 (+2)
67 (+6)
66 (+3)
64 (+3)
68 (+11)
Worsened
24 (–3)
23 (–2)
24 (–4)
23 (–2)
26 (–2)
22 (–4)
29* (–2)
25 (–2)
Base: 2,523; male: 1,294; female: 1,229; full-time: 1,984; part-time: 539; private: 1,838; public: 479; voluntary: 103.
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 15
Job-seeking
V
Age differences show
that younger employees
(18–24-year-olds) are
significantly more likely to be
looking for a new job than
older employees (55+ years).
Our last survey in autumn 2013
revealed a two-year high in
employees’ job-seeking intentions
at almost a quarter (24%). This
figure has reduced slightly in spring
2014 (22%) but is still above
previous surveys (spring 2013:
21%; winter 2012–13: 20%; spring
2012: 20%). This survey sees a
rise in employees in the voluntary
sector looking for a new job (27%,
up from 24%) and a slight drop in
the public (20% from 23%) and
private (22% from 24%) sectors.
Age differences show that younger
employees (18–24-year-olds) are
significantly more likely to be
looking for a new job than older
employees (55+ years) – see Table
14. Employees feeling under
excessive pressure every day are also
most likely to be looking for a new
job (37%) and the lowest incomeearners (earning less than £15,000)
are also most likely to be looking
for a new job (30%). Finally, as you
might expect, disengaged employees
are much more likely to be looking
for a new job (66%) than engaged
employees (6%).
Table 13: Proportion looking for a new job, by sector (%)
Spring
2014
Autumn
2013
Spring
2013
All
22
24
21
Private sector
22
24
20
Public sector
20
23
22
Voluntary sector
27
24
35
Base: 2,523; private: 1,838; public: 479; voluntary: 103.
Table 14: Proportion looking for a new job, by age (%)
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55+
30
28
29
23
15
Base: 2,523; 18–24: 70; 25–34: 338; 35–44: 500; 45–54: 666; 55+: 949.
Table 15: Proportion looking for a new job, by engagement (%)
Engaged
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook
Disengaged
Yes
6
28
66
No
94
72
34
Base: 2,523.
16
Neutral
Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
Conclusions
More work needed in
building confidence in
senior leaders and providing
progression opportunities to
help retain the best
Interestingly, this spring 2014
survey sees a slight increase in
employees’ job satisfaction levels
but a very slight decrease in their
overall engagement levels, which
have seen a slight downward
trend since autumn 2012. So
while employees are increasingly
enjoying the work that they are
doing in their day jobs, their wider
experience and engagement in the
workplace has reduced somewhat
(our measure of engagement is
made up of seven different factors,
including satisfaction with role,
going the extra mile, alignment to
organisation purpose, relationships
with colleagues, attitude to senior
managers and satisfaction with line
manager/advocacy).
Employees’ perceptions of the
current economic climate also show
that there is still some uncertainty.
While overall employees are less
worried about losing their jobs and
there is a decrease in organisations
currently making redundancies,
there is also a slight increase in
those planning redundancies for the
future. However, when it comes to
employees’ personal standards of
living, fewer employees this spring
believe these are worsening – in line
with recent press reports that the
cost-of-living crisis is reducing or is
indeed over.1
While overall employees are less worried
about losing their jobs and there is a
decrease in organisations currently making
redundancies, there is also a slight increase
in those planning redundancies for the
future.
An increase in negative
perceptions of senior
managers
This spring sees an increase in
negative overall perceptions of
senior managers, with scores for
confidence, trust and consultation
all reducing substantially. While the
economic climate has broadly been
improving, the survey findings show
that there is still some uncertainty
– we are still witnessing corporate
scandals involving senior leaders
in the press which are likely to be
impacting on employees’ overall
confidence and trust propensities.
Employees in the public sector
remain the most negative about their
senior managers, with substantial
decreases in this survey in senior
DOMINICZAK, P. (2014) Pay-rise figures ‘show cost of living crisis is over’. 16 April. Daily Telegraph. p1.
See also: Larry Elliott, Guardian, p23, and Ben Chu, Independent, p54.
1
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 17
managers treating employees with
respect and in employees’ trust and
confidence in them. This is likely
to be related to the current unrest
and strike action going on in the
public sector (NHS and teaching)
in relation to pay, pensions and
performance issues.
This survey sees a very
V
slight drop in job-seeking
intentions compared with
autumn 2013’s two-year
high, but talent is
still planning to be on
the move compared with
figures for spring 2013,
winter 2012–13 and
spring 2012.
Performance management
and progression issues
The spring 2014 survey also reveals
performance management issues for
many employees. Almost a third of
employees believe that their current
performance management systems
are unfair, with a higher proportion
of employees overall in the public
sector believing their systems are
unfair as opposed to fair. Again
this is likely to be linked to the
current unrest in that sector related
to pay, pensions and performance.
Employees are also reporting issues
around progression opportunities,
with more feeling that career
progression is unachievable as
opposed to achievable – this
is particularly the case in the
voluntary sector.
Talent still likely to be on the
move
18
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook
This survey sees a very slight drop
in job-seeking intentions compared
with autumn 2013’s two-year high,
but talent is still planning to be on
the move compared with figures
for spring 2013, winter 2012–13
and spring 2012. Organisations
therefore need to think very
carefully about creative retention
strategies in order to retain their
top talent as the economy picks
up. In particular, this survey’s
results show that much more
work is needed around effective
and motivating performance
management approaches as well as
providing progression opportunities
for the majority of employees, who
will have seen very little movement
in organisations over the last few
years. Clearly more also needs to be
done in order to build confidence
and trust in senior leaders, who are
pivotal to organisations and have
been shown previously through our
Employee Outlook data to have
a relationship with employee job
satisfaction, advocacy and jobseeking intentions.
Employee Outlook
Spring 2014
Background to the survey
The CIPD has commissioned a
twice-yearly survey among UK
employees (including sole traders)
to identify their opinions of and
attitudes towards working life
today, particularly during these
difficult economic times.
YouGov conducted the latest
survey for the CIPD of 2,523
UK employees in March 2014.
This survey was administered
to members of the YouGov Plc
UK panel of more than 350,000
individuals who have agreed to
take part in surveys. The sample
was selected and weighted to
be representative of the UK
workforce in relation to sector and
size (private, public, voluntary),
industry type and full-time/parttime working by gender. Size of
organisation was classified in the
following way: sole trader (oneperson business), micro business
(2–9), small business (10–49),
medium (50–249) and large (more
than 250).
Emails were sent to panellists
selected at random from the base
sample. The email invited them to
take part in a survey and provided
a generic survey link. Once a panel
member clicked on the link, they
were sent to the survey that they
were most required for, according
to the sample definition and quotas.
The sample profile is normally
derived from census data or, if not
available from the census, from
industry-accepted data.
Net scores refer to the proportion
of people agreeing with a statement
minus those disagreeing.
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook 19
CIPD Outlook Series
The Employee Outlook, produced in partnership with Halogen, is part of
the CIPD Outlook series, which also includes the Labour Market Outlook
and the HR Outlook. Drawing on a range of perspectives (and with the
opportunity to compare data across our regular surveys), this triad of
research enables the CIPD to offer unique insight and commentary on
workplace issues in the UK.
Others in the series
Labour Market Outlook
The Labour Market Outlook provides a quarterly update on
key HR, economic and labour market statistics. The aim of
the survey is to produce an industry-valued benchmark of key
HR statistics that can be used by CIPD members, as well as
those in government, policy and wider business circles.
cipd.co.uk/labourmarketoutlook
HR Outlook
The HR Outlook provides valuable insight and expert
commentary on the HR profession. It explores the size and
shape of HR functions, comments on the capabilities of HR
professionals and outlines emerging trends and future priorities.
cipd.co.uk/hroutlook
20
cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
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Tel: +44 (0)20 8612 6200 Fax: +44 (0)20 8612 6201
Email: cipd@cipd.co.uk Website: cipd.co.uk
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Issued: May 2014 Reference: 6582 © Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 2014