There is a concerning disconnect in how senior and executive leaders in Hong Kong rate their own employee experience compared to the teams they lead. Against the backdrop of a talent shortage in Hong Kong and expected economic headwinds in 2023, this gap is directly impacting the ability to retain, attract, and enable talent according to new research released by Qualtrics.
The disconnect is not exclusive to Hong Kong as other markets in the Asia-Pacific region reveal similar trends. The recommendation is the same, however: to address this disconnect by understanding just what employees want — and how to deliver on those expectations.
By the numbers
Based on 1,001 workers surveyed in Hong Kong, the Qualtrics 2023 Employee Experience Trends Report revealed 49% of senior and executive leaders say their expectations at work are being met compared to 28% of middle-managers and junior employees. Middle managers and junior employees report lower levels of well-being, engagement, inclusion and intent to stay than their leaders.
Satisfaction with pay also varies between the two groups - and the gap is increasing year on year - with only 48% of middle-managers and junior employees saying they're paid fairly for the work that they do, compared to 65% of senior and executive leaders.
The issue is compounded by a reduction in the volume of middle managers and junior employees who feel as though their career goals can be met with their current employer (48%, down from 58% in last year’s study), with growth and development a top driver for engagement and intent to stay. Around 73% of senior and executive level respondents say their career goals can be met with their current employer.
In contrast, findings from the Qualtrics study reveal how closing the experience gap can help employers increase retention and productivity. Across all levels of the workforce, workers whose expectations are met at work are 2.6 times more likely to stay with their employer for more than three years, and 4.8 times more likely to go above and beyond.
“Against the backdrop of increasing rates of burnout, financial stresses caused by inflationary pressures, and evolving employee needs, the Qualtrics findings must serve as a wake-up call for business and HR leaders across the region,” said Lauren Huntington, employee experience solution strategist, Southeast Asia and Greater China, Qualtrics.
“There is a clear gap in the experience organisations think they’re delivering to their teams and what’s actually being provided, and failure to address it can have serious implications - from struggling to retain top talent, cultivating employee wellbeing, and maintaining productivity and performance.”
Lauren Huntington
The EX Trends organisations must prioritise in 2023
In addition to closing the employee experience gap between leaders and their teams, the Qualtrics 2023 Employee Experience Trends Report pinpoints key trends employers need to focus on next year to ensure employee expectations are met:
- Improving onboarding and enablement for new employees - Compared to other markets, in Hong Kong, well-being and meeting expectations is lowest among employees who have been with their current employer for less than 12 months, with this group also returning the second lowest intent to stay score.
These findings demonstrate the challenges organisations face onboarding employees in rapidly changing environments, and the need to adapt systems and processes accordingly. - Having company values employees believe in and regularly see demonstrated - Employees’ belief in organisational values is in the top 5 drivers of nearly all the key EX metrics - including intent to stay, inclusion well-being, and engagement - reflecting a need to understand what employees care about most and acting accordingly.
- Helping employees adapt to organisational changes - Two of the most pervasive drivers across all experience metrics - including the top drivers of engagement and meeting expectations - in Hong Kong are communicating changes behind important changes and helping employees understand how they will be impacted by them. This means regular and transparent employee communication is essential in Hong Kong.
- Evolving workplace technologies, processes, and resources to improve employee well-being and productivity - Employee satisfaction with workplace technology and processes have dropped over the last 12 months, highlighting the critical need for employers to continue evolving and refreshing their approaches and tools for the new ways of working being adopted. This is significant as working with inefficient systems is a significant driver of lower levels of well-being and burnout risk.
“What we’ve seen through our research is that in Hong Kong and across the globe, employee expectations continue to evolve at a rapid rate. As employers work to address the EX gaps that remain and emerge in their organisations, it is critical they are focused on understanding what obstacles and friction points their teams are running into so that they can be removed for the entire workforce,” said Georgie McIntyre, lead author for the Qualtrics 2023 Employee Experience Trends Report and employee experience scientist, Qualtrics.
She concluded that for organisations that do this well the rewards will be significant.
