New report reveals New Zealanders' 'low tolerance' for being ignored
Listening has emerged as a strong driver of positive outcomes for employers in New Zealand in the wake of widespread organisational change, according to a new study from Qualtrics.
The report, which included 934 respondents in New Zealand, revealed that 81% of workplaces in the country are navigating the highest levels of organisational change.
In response, employers are investing heavily in employee listening. According to the findings, 39% of organisations in New Zealand increased their listening frequency over the past year.
This is higher than the 25% global average, which came despite 72% of organisations worldwide experiencing organisational change.
Employers who increased listening frequency have reported major gains from the move, saying engagement went up 90%.
Employees from these organisations also reported that their employers have exceeded expectations (74%), as well as improved inclusion (91%) and wellbeing (90%) at work.
No change in listening frequency
On the other hand, employers who did not change their listening frequency reported lower engagement (68%), inclusion (78%), as well as wellbeing (71%).
Some employers were also penalised by retention challenges, with intent to stay just at 54% for organisations who did not increase their listening frequency.
"The data signals are clear, employees in New Zealand have a lower tolerance for being ignored," said Steve Bennetts, Head of Growth & Strategy, Employee Experience at Qualtrics, in a statement.
"New Zealand organisations are investing in listening, and the ones doing it well are seeing exceptional results with customer-facing workers. But the gap between organisations that prioritise listening and those that don't, is more severe here than almost anywhere else."
The impact of listening gaps is most evident among part-time workers in New Zealand, according to the report.
The findings show that engagement among these part-time employees is just 61%, 11 percentage points lower year-on-year.
Bennetts said this is a "red flag" for organisations in New Zealand.
"Part-time workers are often among the more vulnerable employees as it is, and when an overwhelming majority don't believe their organisation exceeds expectations, that translates directly to turnover, productivity loss, and inconsistent customer experiences," Bennetts said. "Our data suggests that listening and support systems that work for full-time customer-facing employees simply aren't reaching part-time workers."
