UK employee wellbeing scores are among the worst in the world.
The Workforce Quality of Life Index by Kenexa ranks the country in the bottom ten of 27 nations surveyed. In order to complete the ranking process, six indicators were used: income, health, education, institutions, resources and personal security.
According to HR Magazine, India was ranked number one in five of the six indicators – it came second to Switzerland for institutions. Perhaps surprisingly, a mix of developing and developed economies took the top places.
Vernon Bryce, managing partner of Kenexa’s operations in the Middle East, said the reason behind the poor placing of UK employees is the lack of “faith, confidence and trust” they have in their employer.
“There’s something phenomenal going on in India at the moment – consistently they’re coming out high on engagement and wellbeing scores. If you compare it with larger countries such as China, Japan, France and the UK, these massive economies do not enjoy the other side of the coin,” he added.
In order to improve wellbeing, companies that use London office space can introduce a range of measures to make staff members feel more valued. These include flexible working, annual bonus schemes and better holiday packages.
The report points to the fact that standard country-level measures of wellbeing are not necessarily reflective of how employees perceive this issue. Ultimately, organisations need to encourage people to seek a better work-life balance.
Recent research by Hays found that 64 per cent of employers think flexible working helps to boost staff engagement and motivation, while 23 per cent believe offering the measure makes it easier to encourage staff members to remain with the company.
Pam Lindsay-Dunn, regional managing director at Hays, stated there has been a “clear shift in employer attitudes to flexible working” in the past few years, as firms are now turning to the measure in an effort to “motivate and engage their workforce”.
