Close to two-thirds of employees reportedly feel disengaged from their workplace as companies continue to reconstitute their workplace culture in the post-pandemic world of hybrid working.
A Robert Walters poll of 2,000 Irish workers has found that 63% feel disengaged from work, and almost half said their workplace has become "unrecogniseable" in the past 12 months due to high staff turnover (54%), fewer people coming into the office (49%) and declining team social activities (43%).
Although those are the main drivers of what the firm has termed a "disengagement crisis", white-collar workers also cited the gloomy economic outlook (32%) and the appeal of moving abroad (28%) for their disconnection, ie investing less of their personal selves in their job and opting to simply "get their head down" and "get the work done".
"I was somewhat surprised to see the findings from our research – especially given the investment made by employers into workplace culture over the past three to five years, as well as the more recent focus on luring workers back into the office," said Suzanne Feeney, country manager of Robert Walters Ireland.
“What is apparent here is the traditional tactics used to build a lively, inclusive, and social workplace culture are simply not cutting it. The hybrid-working world and subsequent decline in office attendance is having a detrimental impact on employee engagement and companies must act fast to keep employees engaged and attract the best professionals.”
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Recent statistics from Gallup show disengaged workers are costs the global economy $7.8tn in lost productivity, with global average worker engagement standing at 20%, and 13% in Ireland.
Employment and foreign investment in Ireland are at record highs, but recent announcements from Bank of Ireland that more than half of staff can expect a raise in the next 12 months and results from WTW that show 61% budgeting for higher salary increases show employers remain concerned about losing staff.
"Despite many employers giving midyear pay reviews to increase engagement and retention, this really is a short-term remedy," Feeney continued.
“Much greater focus needs to be given to the wider topic of employee engagement - which should no longer be considered as a ‘buzz word’ or an intangible, immeasurable HR concept that is a ‘nice to have.’
“Employee engagement is a key driver of motivation, commitment and productivity in the workplace – in a business sense employers need to appreciate that it really does impact the bottom line.”
(Pic: Unsplash)
