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Managers don’t notice employee discontent, study finds
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Managers don’t notice employee discontent, study finds

According to a report, more than half of managers do not notice employee dissatisfaction at work.

Research by UKG has found that determinants of company culture, such as staff morale and job satisfaction, are poor, with three in five (60%) frontline workers in the UK unhappy of their current experience as an employee.

The Perspectives from the Frontline Workers report from the global provider of HR, payroll and workforce management solutions found that more than half (54%) are tempted to quit on tough days, while two in three ( 66%) are not passionate about their work and simply see it as a way to make money.

For comparison, among managers surveyed, 57% disagree that their direct reports are dissatisfied with their employee experience, while 63% disagree that staff consider their work as just a way to make money and 62% don’t think staff are tempted to quit. work on difficult days.

According to UKG, its survey, which covered more than 870 frontline employees and managers in the UK, highlighted a disconnect which appears to have played a role in creating a ‘two-speed’ working culture .

The results indicate that more than half (54%) of employees surveyed believe that there is one company culture for frontline staff and another for the rest of the workforce.

Additionally, one in two people (51%) think their employer treats them like a number rather than a person. However, three out of four managers (74%) do not agree with these propositions.

Similarly, while two in five front-line employees believe they are not treated with respect in the workplace, seven in ten (71%) managers deny this is the case.

The study, conducted across industries including manufacturing, logistics, retail and hospitality, found that one of the main causes of poor employee experience and poor workplace culture work was flexibility. While almost two in three people ranked it among the three most important factors when changing jobs, three in 10 (31%) said their current lack of flexibility at work would be the main motivator to quit their job.

Recognition was also cited as a key reason for quitting by one in three (33%), with one in five (20%) saying their manager never recognized their efforts. Additionally, about a third (32%) say the feedback they give to their employer has little or no influence.

Neil Pickering, senior director of people insights at UKG, said: “The debate around workplace culture has reignited over the last five to ten years, and today we hear a lot about flexible working, work-life balance and employee well-being. However, the flexibility and well-being of frontline employees is very different from that of office-based salaried workers, and this is where businesses seem to fall apart.

Two-fifths of front-line workers feel jealous of their salaried counterparts, he explained, saying the emergence of “two-tier” businesses suggests companies may not be fully aware of the real wants and needs of their front-line employees.

Pickering added: “They may also be failing to provide these employees with the resources they need to feel satisfied and motivated at work. As a result, frontline employees may not feel valued or on equal footing with the rest of their organization.

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