Executive Briefings

Published December 2009

Now's the Time to Leverage Workforce Confidence

Agatha Gilmore

According to surprising new research from strategic communications firm APCO Worldwide, there is a strong undercurrent of loyalty, confidence and trust running through workforces today.

Of the employees surveyed, 82 percent said they are completely loyal to their companies, 80 percent are personally motivated to do all they can to help their companies succeed, and nearly 70 percent firmly believe the companies they work for are ethical.

“One of the things that stood out for me is both the breadth and the depth of satisfaction and loyalty that employees talked about,” said Bill Dalbec, senior vice president for APCO Insight, the company’s global opinion research arm.

Indeed, 78 percent of survey participants said they are extremely or somewhat satisfied with their current jobs, and 88 percent said that given the choice, they would be at their current jobs six months from now.

While apparently sure of their own feelings, employees seemed a little less confident in their companies’ commitments to them. Forty-two percent said they completely agree with the statement, “My company is loyal to me,” and 48 percent said they believe their employers value their workforces.

“Loyalty is a two-way street,” explained Kirk Stewart, executive vice president for APCO. “While they seem to have a high degree of loyalty for the organization they work for, they’re not quite so sure that that loyalty’s being reciprocated by the company.”

This is in part due to poor leadership communication, Stewart said.

“Where companies aren’t performing so well is around this whole notion of the company’s executive team clearly explaining the direction the company is heading,” he said.

The majority of respondents — 79 percent — said it is extremely or somewhat important to receive communication directly from their CEOs. The good news is that roughly three-quarters said they are confident in their CEOs’ abilities to effectively lead their organizations, and 81 percent feel their companies are headed in the right direction.

To solidify these reservoirs of positive workforce attitude and ultimately leverage them for competitive advantage, leaders should engage in some specific communication behaviors, said Patricia Bayerlein, a consultant with Gagen MacDonald, a strategy execution firm.

“There were three qualities that people mentioned that distinguished good communications: ‘I have all the information necessary to do my job,’ ‘My supervisor takes the time to listen,’ and ‘The supervisor provides clear direction of priorities for the work group,’” Bayerlein said. “Open, authentic, honest communication, clearly explaining reasons behind decisions — we’re really seeing those as drivers of engagement.”

Maril MacDonald, CEO of Gagen MacDonald, said oftentimes during a crisis, companies disseminate information in a methodical, highly stylized way that is “very crafted by lawyers, and ultimately very inauthentic,” she said. “What happens is companies make the mistake of missing the opportunity in a time like this to connect and build relationships. People are looking for a way to connect and talk to their supervisors and really think through, ‘What do I need to do, and how do I need to do it?’”

Agatha Gilmore is a senior editor for Chief Learning Officer magazine. She can be reached at agilmore@clomedia.com .

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