Improving employee experience 'impactful step' to boost productivity, innovation, says expert
As Singapore strives to become a global innovation hub, the need for organisations to prioritise employee experience (EX) is critical.
But after three years of continuous improvement, EX indicators in Singapore have stagnated over the past year, according to the Qualtrics 2024 Employee Experience Trends Report.
The fifth annual study reveals that employees in Singapore have reported minimal improvement in key factors associated with a positive EX. These factors include engagement, exceeding expectations, intent to stay, inclusion, and wellbeing.
“At a time when Singapore is trying to lift productivity, cement its position as a major global and regional innovation hub, and operate through uncertainty and tight labour markets, improving employee experience is one of the most important and impactful steps towards achieving these goals,” said Dr. Cecelia Herbert, Principal XM Catalyst, Qualtrics XM Institute.
Cost efficiencies and EX
As HR leaders are asked to balance the fine line between achieving cost efficiency and optimising employee experience, mere assumptions are no longer sufficient, Herbert explained.
“We know for a fact that HR leaders have been asked to show the value of their work and if they're going to invest further in employee experience, if they're going to be bringing in new HR technology, there has to be a really good business case behind it,” she said.
In trying to save money by pulling back on EX programs, employers end up making decisions with no data, said Herbert, and “you end up making really costly investments in areas that may seem like the right thing to do but actually aren’t the best use of your money and the best use of your resources.”
Onboarding: A neglected priority
The report also revealed that the onboarding experience in organisations in Singapore has been neglected despite talent acquisition being a top priority.
Data revealed that only 38% of people who had been in an organisation for six months or less intended to stay more than three years.
“We saw this trend emerging last year, we've seen it over the last couple of years dropping, dropping, dropping, but this year, it hit a whole new level where that new starter experience really needs to be focused on because it is in serious decline,” said Herbert.
The surprising acceptance of artificial intelligence
A surprising finding from the research was the general acceptance of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into work processes. Singapore is home to one of the greatest volumes of workers open to embracing AI in the workplace globally, with 49% of respondents saying they are open to having AI help them at work (compared to 42% globally).
“This trust in AI is rooted in the intention behind its use, where employees prefer AI to assist in their tasks rather than manage them,” she said.
Roughly two-thirds (69% and 63% respectively) were favourable to using AI for writing and personal assistant tasks, but when asked if they would be happy to be interviewed for a new job by an AI bot, 42% found the idea unfavourable.
Office, hybrid or remote?
The COVID-19 pandemic forced a reconsideration of working arrangements, leading to the debate around time spent in the office. The research emphasises the importance of flexible working arrangements, suggesting that the ideal balance may vary between two and four days in the office.
“We found that there wasn't much difference between two, three and four days, but we found that there was a dramatic difference between zero and five. Five was the worst outcomes, fully remote was the next worst option, and then there was everything else in between,” said Herbert.
“So, the messaging is that all in the office or all at home, neither one of those are great, but somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot.”
Using email and Slack data for insights
Another surprising piece of data was survey respondents’ acceptance of sharing work emails and chats for an improved employee experience.
“If you’re send 30 or 40 emails back and forth to make something happen, that’s a pretty good indicator of a process that could use improvement, and how to improve that process is probably in that email thread somewhere. So, if you’re listening with the intention of improving employee experience or work processes, than that’s okay,” she said.
“They're not saying that they're enthusiastic about it, there’s still a little bit of trepidation. But they are way more comfortable with that than they are with going to their private social media, even if it's anonymous, and taking that information and curating it into insights.”
Frontline employees: Neglected but critical
Finally, the study found that employees with direct customer interactions consistently reported fewer positive experiences compared to non-frontline employees. Herbert emphasised the critical role of these employees, stating, “Neglecting their employee experience can lead to reduced engagement and hinder the organisation’s ability to meet its strategic goals. HR leaders must prioritise the wellbeing of frontline employees.”
Qualtrics’ top 5 trends in employee experience
By addressing these trends and understanding their implications, HR leaders can lead their organisations towards more productive and engaged workforces, ultimately ensuring long-term success and innovation in an ever-changing business environment, says Qualtrics:
- Some time in the office is better than none - unless it’s five days.
- Employees would rather AI assist them than evaluate them.
- Frontline employees are unhappy, poorly supported and least trusting.
- The new job honeymoon phase has vanished.
- Employees are comfortable sharing work emails and chats for an improved employee experience, but more ambivalent about social media posts being used.
