Levels of engagement amongst the UK workforce trail behind other European countries

Employers in the UK need to improve working conditions, as the UK’s workforce pride is trailing behind other European countries, a new report claims. The survey from Cornerstone OnDemand and IDC found just a 48 percent approval rating by UK workers, with just 52 percent of respondents “completely agreeing” that they are proud to work for their organisation – a steep drop compared to countries such as Italy (59 percent) and Norway (66 percent). While UK work satisfaction is falling behind the rest of Europe, it is however ranking higher for employer recommendations. Almost half (47 percent) of Brits “completely agree” that they would recommend their current employer to others, versus 43 percent in Sweden and 41 percent of respondents in the Benelux regions. When it comes to employer attractiveness, only 47 percent of UK respondents “completely agree” that their organisation is an attractive place to work, in comparison to 51 percent of Spanish respondents and 56 percent of Finnish respondents. So while the UK is ahead in some criteria, the findings suggest there’s work to be done if British employers want an improved result.

Peter Gold, principal consultant, thought leadership and advisory services, Cornerstone OnDemand said, “A key factor for job satisfaction is a balance between work life and home life. In the UK, we’ve seen an increase in flexible work rules and working from home policies over the years, which have been in place far longer than our European counterparts.

“However, there is still a sense of dissatisfaction amongst UK workers, suggesting other factors may be impacting the result. One cause of this low satisfaction rate could be the impact of Brexit and the uncertainty many roles and industries face because of it, creating an unstable environment. As we move on with Brexit negotiations, British companies need to reassure their workers and focus on employee happiness and their learning and development, particularly if they want a productive and engaged workforce.”

The “Future Culture 2018: Building a Culture of Innovation in the Age of Digital Transformation” white paper measured workplace satisfaction at 48 percent by averaging the ‘completely agree’ responses to questions on whether respondents are proud to work for their organisation, would recommend their current employer to others, and whether their organisation is an attractive workplace/employer.