Recent Employee Survey Reveals Change in Honeymoon Phase 

Sarasota, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – Employees are expecting employers to find a balance in priorities, and to be heard, according a recent worker survey from Qualtrics. 

Polling over 37,000 workers worldwide, Qualtrics asked workers about their job expectations in the coming year. Overall, the survey revealed several trends among workers related to engagement, remote work, AI, and front line experiences. 

Historically the “honeymoon” phase of being new on the job, worker satisfaction and engagement were generally the highest for at least a year. However, the Qualtrics survey found new employee satisfaction and engagement are not what they were previously. 

Employees on the job 6 months or less reported the lowest levels of engagement, well-being and inclusion, as well as intent to stay. In fact, 39 percent of new workers reported they intended to leave their job within the next 12 months. The results represent a 6 point increase from the previous year. 

The report speculates that employers are not meeting new hire expectations and are not allocating as many resources to the hiring process. Additionally, researchers found that employees are desiring growth and development, which are lacking in their jobs.

Working remotely 1 to 3 days from home was reported as the ideal schedule, according to the results of the survey. Seventy-nine percent of remote workers reported feeling included, and had a 76 percent engagement rate. Comparatively, 5 days a week in office was ranked the worse schedule, with a 60 percent engagement rate. 

The researchers found that the more engaged employees were, the more open they were to AI in the workplace. Sixty-five percent of C-suite workers were favorable towards AI, compared to only 46 percent of managers. 

According to the report, AI has had a volatile effect on workers, especially in cases where employees are told or feel as though their jobs are replaceable. In a previous survey, Qualrics had found that 68 percent of employees believed that at least some jobs were at risk of being replaced due to AI, and 23 percent felt their own jobs would be replaced. 

When asked about being comfortable with AI in the workplace, 53 percent were engaged and 30 percent were disengaged. While most workers were accepting of AI in the workplace, they were critical of the way it was to be used. Most workers reported they preferred AI assist them with certain tasks, as opposed to monitoring their performance. Employees were more open to AI that they could control and direct, but they were less open to AI that evaluated them or had a bigger impact on their career. 

The top type of tasks that workers reported they would use AI for included writing at 61 percent, personal assistance at 51 percent, and internal workplace routing at 46 percent. Only 36 percent stated they would use AI for performance appraisals, and 29 percent reported they would use AI for interviews. 

Front line workers are critical in any organization, and are often the lowest paid. The survey found several concerning trends reported by front line workers. Only 50 percent of front line workers reported being happy with their pay and benefits, the results were 14 points less than non-frontline employees. Sixty percent reported being satisfied with their career development, and 61 percent felt they were sufficiently recognized, both 9 points lower than non-frontline worker responses. 

Sixty percent of frontline workers reported trusting leadership, which was 10 points lower than results reported by non-frontline workers. Fifty-three percent of frontline workers reported feeling as though they could challenge traditional ways of doing things in the best interest of serving customers or patients, which was 9 points lower than their non-frontline peers. 

The report includes several takeaways for managing employees. While 83 percent of C-suite executive believe their company responds to and communicates employee feedback, only 43 percent of employees would agree. The report also advises leaders to make the effort to hear and genuinely understand employees. Communication that includes changes with the rationale and context behind it, is also another critical step that the survey states employers need to take.  

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