S’pore workers among those in region who are least satisfied with employers: Mercer report

SINGAPORE — Unlike workers in the region and worldwide who are more satisfied with their employers, satisfaction levels among employees here have declined consistently for the last three years, human resources consulting firm Mercer said in its report on Monday (Oct 15).

This is in stark contrast to the upward trend observed in employee engagement worldwide, Mercer's 2018 Singapore Employee Engagement Index stated.

Slightly more than 70 per cent of Singaporeans reported that they are satisfied with the companies they work for, placing Singapore second from bottom for the Asia-Pacific region.

Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam top the region for employee engagement at 82 per cent, while India and China are joint-fourth at 81 per cent. Singapore is 13th out of 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, just ahead of Japan (69 per cent).

The report also found that 67 per cent of employees in Singapore would recommend their companies as good places to work, compared with 75 per cent of workers from the Asia-Pacific, and 76 per cent globally. 

One-third of the employees said that they are uncertain about their opportunity for growth, and they are less positive about their workload as compared with their peers in the region.

Aside from the lower employee engagement, the report highlighted two other insights into Singaporean workers. Many employees said that the culture of their organisation is limiting as they feel they are unable to speak their mind openly, and there is a struggle to get decisions made in a timely fashion. However, despite the concerns, many feel that they are involved in decisions that impact their work, and are proud to work for their company.

Even among engaged employees, the report showed that only a small percentage of Singaporean workers are enthusiastic about their organisations.

Out of the 79 per cent of respondents here who said that they are motivated to “go beyond” what they do to help their companies succeed, only 25 per cent indicated that they are strongly in favour of doing this ("strongly favourable"), while 54 per cent chose “favourable”.

In comparison, figures for the Asia-Pacific region are pegged at 32 and 51 per cent for  “strongly favourable” and “favourable” respectively, while the global percentage is 38 and 44 per cent.

The report is based on responses from more than 45,000 employees here who represented various industries and jobs from global firms and Singapore multinational companies. Employee engagement was assessed by measuring the level of pride, motivation and commitment that employees felt towards their companies.  

Ms Peta Latimer, chief executive officer of Mercer in Singapore, said: “Improving employee engagement continues to represent a significant opportunity — not just for businesses but for the economy as a whole, as we prepare for the future of work."

Ms Latimer noted from the findings that many workers find the culture of their organisations limiting, and they are unable to fully express themselves even though they may feel a sense of pride in working there.

Based on the survey, 66 per cent of Singaporeans workers said that they can express their ideas or views without fear of negative consequences, which is lower than the 70 and 67 per cent indicated for the region and worldwide respectively.

“Companies must foster a culture of empowerment, one where every employee feels included and appreciated. Engagement represents the best opportunity for Singapore to optimise the human capital it has," Ms Latimer said.

Mr Mayank Parekh, who is the chief executive officer of the Institute for Human Resource Professionals in Singapore, noted that the country’s employee engagement scores in the report “are close to OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries in the Asia Pacific region”. 

Nevertheless, he said the findings are a “useful reminder that it is in our employers’ interest to implement strong human capital practices that help attract, develop and retain employees that contribute to business growth”. These include adopting the tripartite standards developed by the various stakeholders, he said. “Human resource practitioners are also instrumental in this effort,” he added. 

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