7 in 10 Australians ‘Proud’ of Where They Work; 4 in 10 are Planning Their Exit

Nearly seven in 10 employees across Australia are proud to work for their organisation, as a new Ipsos Survey revealed they’re enjoying a positive workplace culture.

This survey of 1,000 Australians revealed that 69% feel proud to work for their organisation and 67% would recommend their employer as a great place to work.

This comes as 72% of Australians said they have a positive workplace culture, with 34% describing their employers as “friendly.” Other said their employers are:

• Customer or client focused (29%)
• Respectful (27%)
• Supportive (26%)
• Caring (21%)
• Always looking to improve (21%)
• Another 22% also said their employers are offering healthy work-life balance.

However, departure plans persist…

Forty-three percent of employees in Australia say they are actively looking for another job or watching for job opportunities.

Gallup data consistently show that engaging employees can create a moat of protection around them – e.g. a recent Gallup analysis found engaged employees require a 31% pay increase to consider taking a job with a different organization while employees who are not engaged or are actively disengaged, on average, only need a 22% pay increase to change jobs.

Other factors include:

• Not feeling valued, appreciated, or recognised,
• Workload or work-life balance challenges,
• Feeling ready for a change,
• Manager behaviours,
• Not feeling motivated in their jobs.

Contributors to job satisfaction

Fifty-one percent of respondents to the Arbinger Institute survey said work-life balance is the biggest contributor to job satisfaction, beating out salary at 47%. Other factors include:

• Meaningful work (38%)
• Recognition and appreciation (34%)
• Opportunities for growth (33%)
• Relationships with employees (31%)
• Relationships with leaders (27%)
• Feeling safe, included (20%)

Today’s professionals are looking for a workplace environment that complements their life outside work and where they can contribute with a purpose. Employers can find it challenging to adapt their work environment to meet evolving expectations.

Improving employee wellness

Given the psychosocial safety legislation now operating in each state, employers need to consider well-being and mental health as part of the employee experience. The Arbinger Institute Survey found that the top factors for burnout include:

• Heavy workload (55%)
• Long hours (42%)
• Feeling unappreciated (36%)
• Lack of recognition (32%)
• Unclear expectations (30%)

Areas where employers might want to consider an investment to assist in enhancing their workplace environment include flexible working hours, financial wellness and information, and management of individual mental health and stress.  

Employee engagement is more about empowering individuals in the workforce so they can use their energy to do their work in way that is focused on being the best they can be; no matter what their role is within the business.

Next steps

The information from these two pieces of research indicate very clearly that Australian workplaces still have some work to do if they want to become an employer of choice. What does being an employer of choice actually mean:

• your employees are fully engaged with the business and actively work to ensure success;
• there is less employee turnover, so retention is much higher;
• your customers/clients are more likely to be satisfied because their product/service is consistently good; and
• as a result, your profit margin improves.

What is there not to like? Contact Akyra today to see how we can assist you by linking compliance with best practice to identify the best fit for your business operations.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Akyra for a free 30-minute consultation.