Almost half of employees say culture has deteriorated since the pandemic

Research by StaffCircle found that 42% of employees think the culture of their organisation has deteriorated since the pandemic.

With more employees working from home than ever before, the pandemic has caused a range of challenges for organisations across the globe.

The growing gap in communication

When it comes to communication, less than half of employees say they have been adequately communicated with during the pandemic.

However, when HR leaders were asked whether they adequately communicated with employees, 97% said they do it well/to some degree.

Are employees more, or less engaged since the beginning of the pandemic?

The pandemic and the shift to remote working has had a huge impact on employee engagement. The research revealed that 43% of HR leaders feel that employee engagement and motivation towards work since the beginning of the pandemic is less engaged, with 34% saying it’s the same as pre-pandemic levels.

From an employee perspective, the majority (44%) feel less engaged, and a fifth feel the same as before the pandemic.

How are leaders engaging with employees?

As it stands, despite the growing need to touch base with employees more with remote/hybrid working, the survey claims leaders are not checking in with their teams regularly. When asked how they are engaging with employees and how frequently they conduct performance reviews, surprisingly just over one in ten (12%) still have 1-2-1 check-ins, once a quarter, and 7% have them annually.

The survey also suggests that HR leaders are also struggling with visibility of performance reviews, as 31% don’t have the systems in place to give them a consolidated view of 1-2-1s and performance reviews.

Likewise, 18% are also still using Word and Excel to log the information from performance reviews, rather than using software and technology to give them insight.

Do employees know their mission statement?

A mission statement is a formal summary of the aims and values of a company, organisation, or individual. Surprisingly, many employees (40%) don’t know what their company’s mission statement is at all. Not only that, but 79% of companies haven’t updated their company mission statement since the pandemic, despite a clear shift in company culture.

Despite this, when asked how many of their employees know it without checking, an astonishing 70% of HR leaders believe that their employees do know their company mission statements.

Commenting on the research, Mark Seemann, CEO and Founder of StaffCircle said: “Communicating with employees has never been more important, with remote working, furlough and hybrid workplaces making it an essential part of the business landscape.”

“Having the right processes in place gives employers and HR leaders visibility and insight into the performance, engagement and communication with employees. This is essential not only for the pandemic, but in the new world of work we live in,” he concludes.