Workers Give Employers Mixed Reviews on Pandemic Navigation

Although most workers (66%) believe their employer has made substantial improvements in offering flexibility, most also have limited confidence in their organization’s leadership entering the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new national survey of working Americans from Eagle Hill Consulting.

The survey, conducted by Ipsos in January 2022 among 1,001 employees across the United States, found only 29% believe their organization has trusted leaders and managers to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, down from 32% in 2020. Few workers (20%) say their organization has a culture that fosters innovation and collaboration to deal with this global pandemic, down from 24% in 2020.

“These are difficult issues to address, without quick fixes, and they require rebuilding trust and improving employee engagement,” said Melissa Jezior, Eagle Hill Consulting president and CEO.

When asked about employer improvements in response to the pandemic, survey respondents reported the following:

• 66% said employee flexibility has improved, with GenXers agreeing at a higher level (70%)
• 57% said that remote work has improved, a sentiment that was higher among GenX (62%)
• 52% agree that workplace efficiency has resulted in improvements
• Half (50%) said they have noticed improvements in innovation and productivity
• Less than half (47%) have seen revenue improvements
• 46% agree that employee satisfaction has improved.
• 42% agree that there been have improvements to the organization’s culture, with this sentiment lowest among Baby Boomers (38%).

“The pandemic forced employers to pivot their business and workforce strategies almost overnight, and some of those changes are resonating well with employees,” Jezior said. “Employees long have been advocating for more flexibility and remote work, and the pandemic forced the issue for employers.”

The survey also found:

• Less than one-quarter (20%) said their organization has a culture that fosters employee innovation and collaboration to deal with a crisis, down from 24% in 2020.
• 46% said their organizations were quick to make changes, about the same as in 2020 (45%)
• 28% said their organization is proactive about addressing concerns about the economic health of the organization, down from 31% in 2020.
• About one-third (33%) of workers believe their organization has the resilience to withstand this crisis, down from 35% in 2020
• Few (21%) said their organizations are providing customers with regular updates, but 42% said their companies are providing employees with updates, down from 27% and 50%, respectively, in 2020.