
O.C. Tanner Releases 2021 Global Culture Report at Annual Influence Greatness Conference
O.C. Tanner, the global leader in employee
recognition and workplace culture, announced the release of its 2021 Global
Culture Report. In its third year, the report provides an in-depth look at
timely workplace culture and employee experience issues based on data gathered
from over 40,000 employees and leaders in 20 countries around the world. The
report was announced at O.C. Tanner’s annual culture conference, Influence
Greatness, which took place virtually this year.
“2020 has brought a series
of health, economic and social crises that have shined a
light on organizational cultures in a way that has exposed both strengths and
weaknesses,” said Gary Beckstrand, Vice President of the O.C. Tanner Institute.
“Organizations with thriving cultures have weathered the storm far better than
others, but there’s an
impetus right now for organizations everywhere to stay agile as the current era
of uncertainty continues. The 2021 Global Culture Report provides insights that
will inform organizations as they make the necessary adjustments to
successfully move forward as they create or maintain a great place to work for
employees.”
As a reflection of 2020,
the report identifies the need for organizations to shed the current “normal”
in favor of a more aspirational future. The research highlights how superficial
diversity and inclusion programs merely mitigate legal risk, rather than uplift
employees and leverage their unique perspectives. It illustrates how stale and
impersonal recognition programs fail to achieve their desired effect on
experience and culture, and how generational initiatives backfire by
highlighting the differences of each group instead of the similarities.
Additionally, the report breaks down how traditional leadership is out and
modern leadership is in; autocratic managers cling to dead philosophies that
hurt culture and business outcomes. Ultimately, corporate lip service won’t cut
it – to be successful, organizations must put the right action behind their
words and implement modern technology that helps employees thrive.
“This past year, we
continued to examine the effect of how outdated and disconnected technologies,
programs, strategies and leadership philosophies have, and will continue to,
hinder individual and organizational performance,” said Dr. Alexander Lovell,
Director of Research and Data Science at the O.C. Tanner Institute. “The 2021
Global Culture Report is a clear call for action; employees expect a workplace
that is rich in vibrant experiences and one where all employees can thrive at
work and feel included. It is time for organizations to heed this call or risk
falling behind.”
"We are excited as this research fuels our products and services,”
said Zubin Zack, Managing Director for South Asia, Middle East and Africa at
O.C. Tanner. “When our research goes deeper into new markets, it builds
relevance across them and we’re able to hone our efforts locally in a way
that’s best suited for each one. And with this year’s Global Culture Report
being one of the largest studies of its kind, it gives more data points for our
global, as well as local, customers as even our global customers need locally
relevant applications for each of their markets."
Sample key findings
include:
● Impact of COVID-19 on
company culture outcomes:
○ Engagement: 11% decrease
○ Employee net promoter
score: 6% decrease
○ Burnout: 15% increase
○ Intention to leave: 5%
decrease
● Eighty-seven percent of
employees say their organization’s recognition program is stale, outdated or
used as disguised compensation.
● Only 44% of employees say
their organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts feel sincere, while even
fewer (34%) feel they are effective.
● Over a third of
respondents (35%) report their organization is not doing enough to address
discrimination internally.
● Organizations with healthy
cultures are 16x more likely to retain their Generation Z employees.
● Millennials are the most
likely (53%) to project a sense of superiority and admit that they approach
things differently than other generations, but they also feel their approach is
better (52%). Likewise, they acknowledge they have difficulty relating to
coworkers of other generations (37%), but believe stereotypes of other
generations are accurate (47%).
● Nearly a third of
respondents (29%) report that their organization has stopped investing in
cutting-edge technology, while another 31% report that existing technology is
difficult to use.
● Only 17% of today’s leaders are considered modern leaders.
This
comprehensive report, which serves up actionable data for business leaders
seeking change, can be accessed at O.C. Tanner’s website here: https://www.octanner.com/global-culture-report.html
About O.C. Tanner
O.C. Tanner is the global leader
in software and services that improve workplace culture by creating powerful
employee experiences. Its Culture Cloud suite of applications and solutions
— including recognition, service awards,
wellbeing, leadership and celebrations — helps people thrive at work. O.C.
Tanner provides these and other services for thousands of the most respected
companies in the world. For more information visit www.octanner.com/in/.
Research Methodology
The O.C. Tanner Institute uses
multiple research methods to support the global culture report, including
interviews, focus groups, cross-sectional surveys, and a longitudinal survey.
Qualitative findings came from 12
focus groups and 77 interviews among employees and leaders of larger
organizations. Each group represented various types of employers, including
both private and public entities.
Quantitative findings came from
online survey interviews administered to employees across Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, the
Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South
Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The
total sample size is 40,175 workers at companies with 500+ employees.
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