NEW YORK, July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a new study by
global communications consultancy Ketchum, nearly two-thirds of
American workers (63%) say the COVID-19 pandemic has caused them to
dramatically reevaluate their professional priorities. Reflecting
significant shifts from just a few months ago, employees say they
now favor such criteria as personal health, workplace safety and
company values over traditional benchmarks like salary and career
advancement.
Ketchum's study, Work Shift 2020: How Crisis Culture is
Changing the Priorities of the American Workforce, shows that
more than half of American workers today (52%) believe feeling safe
at work is more important than being promoted, and one-third (33%)
agree feeling safe is more important than either salary or career
advancement. Company values continue to rise in prominence, as 79%
of American workers say an employer's values are more important to
them now than pre-COVID, and three-quarters (74%) believe their
company's diversity and inclusion values are more important now
than they were before the pandemic. Additionally, nearly half of
American workers (42%) say their company's values are more
important to them than being promoted, and one-quarter (25%)
believe their employer's values are more important than their own
career development. Nearly half (42%) report that having the
ability to work flexible hours is more important than receiving a
promotion.
"Our study shows value shifts across the spectrum as Americans
adapt to a coronavirus landscape and crisis culture, and it's
especially interesting how Americans are reevaluating the very
concept of employment," said Tamara
Norman, partner and managing director of Ketchum's Employee
Communications & Engagement specialty. "More than ever,
employees are a company's No. 1 stakeholder and their most
influential ambassador. If employers can redefine their
reengagement strategies more precisely for diverse employee needs,
it can be a powerful tool for advancing the future of the
workplace."
Ketchum's study indicates employees are fairly evenly split on
their comfort level in going to their workplaces (55%
comfortable, 45% uncomfortable) and in their level of engagement
with their work since lockdowns began (50% are more engaged, 50%
are less engaged). Fifty-eight percent say they are more likely to
request to work remotely more often as a result of COVID-19. The
survey also explores topics related to employment in the COVID-19
economy. Seventy percent of employees concede they are torn between
the desire to progress in their careers and feeling grateful to
have a job, potentially suggesting a feeling of guilt given the
sharp increase in unemployment rates.
The attitudinal and behavioral differences between office
workers and non-office workers are also explored in the study.
Office workers are more than twice as likely to be working fully
remotely as a result of COVID-19 (57%) compared to non-office
workers (27%). Somewhat surprisingly, working remotely correlates
with discomfort about returning to on-site working, as office
workers are 14% less likely to feel comfortable going to their
workplace compared to non-office workers. The pandemic also has
caused office workers in particular to reassess what they value at
work, as they are significantly more likely than non-office workers
to report that sick and vacation time benefits (89% for office
workers vs. 76% for non-office workers) and flexible hours (86% for
office workers vs. 80% for non-office workers) are now more
important to them as a result of COVID-19.
By analyzing the data points and grouping similar responses,
Ketchum was able to categorize COVID-era American workers into four
distinct employee personas. Each group has key attitudinal
differences that employers will need to address as the workforce
reassembles in the coming months:
- Ready Resumers are prepared to pick up where things left
off and have not shifted their values as a result of COVID-19. They
are most likely to feel comfortable in shared spaces today and
least interested in wearing masks in the workplace. They are least
likely to lobby for remote work arrangements. Ready Resumers are
most consistent in their priorities and have changed little since
the outbreak of the pandemic.
- Values-Conscious Advancers are ready to reengage and are
open to exploring their new normal in the physical workplace. Since
the pandemic began, their values have shifted dramatically: they
have grown to care more deeply about health, safety, job security
and corporate purpose, as well as diversity and inclusion.
- Static Sustainers are content to watch and wait as the
COVID-19 crisis plays out. Satisfied with working remotely, these
employees place less value on feeling connected to coworkers and
earning promotions than the average American worker. While their
satisfaction with remote work and relative lack of value disruption
suggests their needs are easier to manage, employers should be
aware that Static Sustainers are also distracted and less engaged
with work.
- Anxious Evaluators are the least engaged at work today
and most worried about the effects of COVID-19. On average, Anxious
Evaluators have seen many of their professional priorities become
dramatically more or less important as a result of COVID-19, and
they have come to place a higher value on health and safety. They
are still evaluating the situation and are not ready to return to
the workplace just yet, though their engagement is not dependent on
physical presence in the office.
"We are seeing new drivers of employee engagement emerge with
our clients in North America and
around the globe. An employee's need to feel heard is magnified
like never before, and they are craving more human, frequent,
transparent, two-way communications with their company and its
leaders," said Lauren Butler, senior
vice president in Ketchum's Employee Communications &
Engagement specialty. "Given employees' diverse attitudinal changes
over the last few months due to COVID-19 and social unrest,
messages must be tailored to benefit all types of employee personas
versus a one-size-fits-all approach."
Employee Personas Diagnostic Tool
As part of its
employee engagement services, Ketchum has created a new diagnostic
tool to help companies understand how these personas match their
employee base and dimensionalize how employee priorities have
shifted as a result of COVID-19, coupled with social injustice
issues. The short survey compares employees against the existing
data of general population responses and provides needed context
for organizations looking to realign with their teams. The
quantitative outputs of the diagnostic are paired with specific
recommendations for internal communications and strategies for
increasing engagement.
The four employee personas are based on whether respondents fall
above or below average on two metrics:
- Employee openness to reengage: How comfortable American
employees feel going to their workplace. The further along on the
axis, the more comfortable the personas are with the idea of
working in a physical workplace.
- Employee redefinition of values: How much the importance
of various personal values has changed in response to COVID-19
(e.g., importance of health, salary level, feeling intellectually
challenged at work). The further along on the axis, the greater the
change in values (and the greater the magnitude of change).
"Companies must prepare now to reinvent the future workplace,
because that reinvention is already underway among their employee
base," said Butler.
To download the Work Shift 2020: How Crisis Culture is
Changing the Priorities of the American Workforce infographic
and learn more about how Ketchum is helping companies with employee
engagement, visit
https://www.ketchum.com/covid-employee-survey/.
About the Work Shift 2020 Study
The Work Shift 2020
Study is based on the results of a nationally representative online
survey of 3,883 Americans aged 18+, conducted by Ketchum Analytics
and fielded June 14 to 23, 2020. Base
sizes vary for specific questions; the most common reduced base
sizes are n=1,054 Americans in the workforce (margin of error ±
3.0%) and n=811 currently employed Americans (margin of error ±
3.4%). Margins of error are calculated at the 95% confidence
level.
About Ketchum
The winner of 105 Cannes Lions and
PRovoke's Global Creative Agency of the Year, Ketchum is the
most creatively awarded firm in our industry. We're equal parts
human-centered and business-focused, empathetic and intelligent. As
a global communications consultancy, we combine the deep industry
and specialty expertise of boutique firms with global reach to find
unexpected connections that lead to lasting relationships and work
that matters. For more information on Ketchum, a part of Omnicom
Public Relations Group, visit www.ketchum.com.
About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public
Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top
global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies
in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global
health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses
more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370
offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies,
government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of
industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients
through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of
innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom
Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a
division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more
than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines
including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer
relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding
and research.
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SOURCE Ketchum