14 January 2008
UK companies fail staff during change
Research reveals that only 30% of UK employees surveyed believe their organization manages change successfully.
Employee research specialist, ORC International, has recently announced that UK firms are failing their staff when it comes to organizational change.
The findings, published in the company's report "Putting it in Perspective", released at the beginning of this month, are based on benchmarking data from over 300 employee surveys and focus on employee engagement during change.
The survey shows that companies going through a period of major change are performing inadequately across all areas of employee engagement. This applies to the private as well as the public sector.
Company pride dented
According to the report, the section of engagement most affected by change is that of organizational pride. This was 20% lower than the average UK rate.
Dealing with change incorrectly can seriously affect employee engagement levels.
Kate Pritchard, head of employee research at ORC International, says that firms who deal with change wrongly can have a very negative impact on their staff.
"Clearly, from an employee's perspective change is a 'bad thing'. Our data suggests that dealing with change incorrectly can seriously affect employee engagement levels," says Pritchard.
Involvement equals trust
When staff are kept abreast of change and feel involved, they're generally more trusting of what's happening around them, the research reveals. However, only 42% of staff say they've been given the opportunity to voice their views.
Pritchard comments: "There's a clear link between employee satisfaction during times of change and the quality of information they receive from management. It's vital that during times of change, employers maintain open channels of communication. Managers should remember that organizations that manage change best are those that thrive."
The findings
Some more of the research findings are as follows:
Managers should remember that organizations that manage change best are those that thrive.
- Around 30% of those surveyed say their organization manages change effectively – a 4% drop since 2003.
- Organizational pride is greatly impacted by change having a rate 20% beneath the UK average.
- During change, overall satisfaction is 16% lower than the UK average.
- Only 10% of employees express a desire to stay with the company during a period of change.
Have your say
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