Almost half (46 per cent) of employers say their organizations currently lack clear benefits, recognition and rewards strategies, according to a new survey by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
The survey — which polled more than 1,300 employers globally, including almost 600 in North America and around 100 in Canada — found, while 54 per cent said they have a clear benefits, recognition and rewards strategy, 36 per cent said it’s in development and 10 per cent said their organization has no strategy.
Meanwhile, 53 per cent of respondents said their organizations need to re-engage their teams around purpose, strategy and values. Almost one in four (39 per cent) said there’s a need to adapt communications channels to engage the workforce better as a result of newly-implemented hybrid work models and 31 per cent said people manager communications need to be enhanced.
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In response to the shift to hybrid work, 19 per cent said internal communication teams have completed an in-depth review of their channel and employee engagement strategies, while 34 per cent have reviews currently underway. In addition, changes in communicating with employees are already happening, with 31 per cent of employers using mobile apps (up from 24 per cent in the previous year). However, almost half (44 per cent) are still also using older employee communications methods, including banners, posters and noticeboards (down significantly from 63 per cent in the previous year).
Whether communications strategies were physical or virtual, respondents said employee disengagement is the biggest barrier to internal communications success, with 37 per cent citing it as a major challenge. And with concerns about disengagement and the “Great Resignation,” 59 per cent of employers said the employee experience and internal communications is a way to retain talent in this competitive labour market.
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Additionally, while 77 per cent of employers said their people cared about the company’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint, only 50 per cent of employers said they believe their organization has a compelling environmental, social and governance narrative in place. And about three in five (61 per cent) respondents said their organization has a credible diversity, equity and inclusion narrative in place to share internally with employees and 65 per cent are confident the organization features diverse voices in communications.