SHRM Issues New Global Workplace Culture Report

​New Orleans—A new report released today by SHRM (the Society for Human Resource Management) Strengthening Workplace Culture: A Tool for Retaining and Empowering Employees Globally explores the impact of workplace culture on the well-being of workers and organizations. SHRM found that 89 percent of workers said their workplace culture has improved or stayed the same since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new report demonstrates that workplace culture is still the glue that holds the workplace together.  

Eighty-six percent of employees globally indicated that they feel physically safe at work, with 91 percent of employees who rate their culture as good saying they can trust their supervisor. But despite positive culture, the workplace still needs work. SHRM's research uncovered a critical skills gap at the management level and found that managers play a critical role in shaping culture, with 81 percent of employees globally who rated their culture as poor indicating that their manager allows employees to get away with bad behavior.

"To meet the challenges of 2022, organizations must continue to remain engaged on workplace culture," said SHRM president and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP.  "Now is the time to focus on communication, transparency, trust and all other tenets of a strong work environment—one that puts workers first. By making workers feel safe, physically and psychologically, and by opening the lines of communication at work, people managers and other leaders can improve work environments in ways that produce positive feelings and prevent turnover.  Done the right way, people management can be the difference between employee empowerment and a talent drain."

Key findings from the report include:

• Most workers who have thought about leaving their current organization work in organizations with poor cultures. Ninety percent of workers who rate their organizational culture as poor have thought about quitting; 72 percent of workers who rate their organizational culture as average have thought about quitting; and 32 percent of workers who rate their organizational culture as good have thought about quitting.

• Nearly 1 in 3 workers (32 percent) indicated that they dread going into work, potentially due to a poor workplace culture.
• 50 percent of the U.S workforce have indicated that their manager allows workers to get away with bad behavior.
• 42 percent of workers globally have witnessed inconsiderate or insensitive treatment of a coworker by a manager in the past year.
• Only 69 percent of workers claimed their direct supervisor is empathetic
• Six in 10 workers (60 percent) actively searching for a job claimed their organization's culture makes it difficult to balance their work and home commitments
  
  Methodology:
  A sample of 9,464 workers were surveyed using a third-party online panel. For the purpose of this study, we refer to "workers" as those who are working as paid employees. Respondents were from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. The survey was administered in September and October 2021.
  

The "Strengthening Workplace Culture: A Tool for Retaining and Empowering Employees Globally" report is being released during SHRM's Annual Conference & Exposition in New Orleans. For more information on SHRM's 2022 Workplace Culture, visit here

Media: To request an interview, contact Eddie Burke of SHRM Media Relations at Edward.burke@shrm.org and (202) 321 5026 or Mallory Flynn at  Mallory.Flynn@shrm.org and (828) 925 0387.

About SHRM

SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today's evolving workplaces. More than 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies rely on SHRM to be their go-to resource for all things work and their business partner in creating next-generation workplaces. With 300,000+ HR and business executive members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 115 million workers and families globally. Learn more at SHRM.org and on Twitter @SHRM.