As all businesses know, the workplace is an ever-changing environment. Staying on top of the latest trends is essential for maintaining a happy and productive workforce.
With that in mind, we’ve put together some of the most surprising workplace statistics. We’ll also be talking about the best ways to respond to these changes.
So, let’s jump in!
As many as six in ten employees are ‘quiet quitting’
Quiet quitting doesn’t literally involve employees quitting their jobs furtively. It’s a term used to describe staff who become extremely disengaged from their roles. Instead of firing on all cylinders and working towards goals, they put in minimum effort.
A recent Gallup survey underlines the extent of the problem. Low engagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion, or 9% of global GDP.
The most common explanation for quiet quitting is that employees are unhappy with some aspects of their job. Perhaps they don’t feel challenged, are overworked, or don’t see a route forward.
But what’s the solution? Below are some ways that you can combat quiet quitting.
- Listen – It’s rarely the case that employees simply can’t be bothered. If something is causing an employee to quiet quit, it’s important you find out what it is.
- Offer more opportunities – If employees don’t have a clear sense of progression, it may lead them to quiet quit.
- Make life easier – Running on older outdated systems will only make life harder for employees. For example, if you run lots of containers you may need to utilize container networking. If you’re wondering ‘what is container networking?’, it’s a form of operating system virtualization.
- Keep an eye on workloads – There is a fine line between working hard and overworking. Make sure you aren’t asking too much of some employees.
Employees choose workplace flexibility over promotions
In recent years, there has been a transition toward remote work. Today, many employees prefer working from home over working in the office. This was made clear in workplace statistics from Invanti, which spoke to employees in the US, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Brussels, Spain, Sweden, and Australia. It found that no fewer than 71% of employees prefer flexibility in their jobs to the more traditional considerations of pay and prestige.
Employees want workplace flexibility, but is it the right choice for your business? The evidence seems to be a resounding ‘yes’. A separate workplace statistics survey shows that employees working virtually can be up to 43% more productive than their in-office counterparts.
There are other benefits to a remote workforce. You can tap into a worldwide talent pool and diversify your workforce. When hiring in new markets, consider how you can make your organization more accessible to overseas applicants. For example, if you are hiring employees in Hong Kong, you might purchase a .hk domain from Only Domains.
Remember, if an entirely remote workforce isn’t an option for you, you could go down the hybrid route. This is where employees work part-time in the office, and partly remotely.
More employees are reporting stress in their jobs
Stress at work isn’t a new problem, but it does seem to be increasing. This is evidenced in Gallup’s workplace statistics report. The survey asked ‘Did you experience (stress) during A LOT OF THE DAY yesterday?’. Since 2010, the number of respondents answering ‘yes’ has climbed from 32% to 44%.
There’s no denying that work-related stress is a problem. But how should employers respond? Below are some tactics that can help reduce stress in the workplace.
- Know the signs – Stress can reveal itself in a number of ways. These might include arguments, increased sick leave, and reduced productivity. Stress can also have physical effects, such as headaches and tiredness.
- Offer support – Employees need to know that you’re on hand to help. Encourage staff to be open about how they’re feeling. See what resources you can offer to help.
- Set an example – Unhealthy work habits can often bring on stress. For instance, instead of taking a break, people might have lunch at their desks. Leadership can set an example by modeling better behaviors.
More organizations are concerned about employee retention
We’re currently in the midst of ‘The Great Resignation’. People are quitting their jobs in record numbers in search of new pastures. This represents a problem for many employers, 93% of whom report concerns about employee retention. If you have a talented workforce, you’ll want to retain staff.
The problem is underlined in the 2023 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report. The report lists the top five reasons that employees are leaving their roles:
- Compensation and benefits
- Flexibility to work when and where they want
- Doing challenging and impactful work
- Opportunities for career growth within the company
- Opportunities to learn and develop new skills
This research sets out that there is no one answer to workplace retention. But focusing on the areas listed above should make staff more inclined to stay put.
More organizations than ever are building a more people-centric culture
This is another interesting finding from the 2023 LinkedIn Workplace Report. A people-centric culture helps ensure more employee connectivity and fosters a greater sense of openness. Crucially, it ensures leadership knows what teams need and always attends to what is being said.
Although challenging to accomplish, building this form of culture clearly has benefits. If you decide to down this route, you’ll need to take some of the following steps:
- Encourage employees’ voices – A people-centric culture means that employees are the company. Employees should know they are being listened to, and feel free to voice their opinions.
- Encourage learning – Employees are eager to develop their skills. A people-centric culture should acknowledge this by providing learning opportunities. Consider how you can make learning accessible. If, for example, let’s imagine you are involved in app development. you may provide an article about how to develop a cloud friendly application from Platform.sh.
- Diversify your workforce – Diversity brings many benefits to a workforce. Most importantly, it introduces different viewpoints and backgrounds, supporting innovation.
Modernize your workplace
The workplace is an ever-changing place. But by understanding the latest developments, you can be better placed to respond to them. Familiarize yourself with the workplace statistics points listed here, and consider the changes you might make.
Bear in mind your organization’s particular character, so that you can institute changes that will embed naturally into the framework. Then see to it that everybody buys in.
