Professionals based in Toronto are facing a “disengagement crisis”, according to findings by UK-based recruitment agency, Robert Walters.
Three thousand working professionals (taken from Robert Walters’ candidate database) living/working in Toronto were surveyed in early October. Forty-five per cent are feeling disengaged from work and find the workplace ‘unrecognizable’.
“What is apparent here is the traditional tactics used to build a lively, inclusive, and social workplace culture are simply not cutting it. The hybrid-working world and subsequent decline in office attendance is having a detrimental impact on employee engagement, and companies must act fast to keep employees engaged and attract the best professionals.” said Martin Fox, managing director of Robert Walters Canada.
High staff turnover (51 per cent), low office attendance (49 per cent), and a decline in team socials (45 per cent), are the main factors driving this disconnect, the report stated.
It noted that the dreary economic outlook is also affecting employees (39 per cent) as they choose to invest less of their personal selves and opt to simply ‘get their head down’ and ‘get the work done’.
As workers are unhappy, the workplace and the economy, are, in turn, affected. Research by Gallup shows that disengaged employees are costing the North American business economy over C$350 billion per year in lost productivity.
Companies, in addition, have to pay over C$5 billion in annual recruitment costs to replace disengaged workers who have left their jobs, a report by Ceridian showed.
With rising inflation and cost of living, offering high wages as a retention tactic is a short-term remedy, said Fox. He explained that greater focus needs to be given to employees’ wellbeing and engagement.
“Developing a culture where engagement is a workplace ritual rather than a tick-box for employers has never been more critical. Employee engagement is a key driver of motivation, commitment and productivity in the workplace – in a business sense employers need to appreciate that it really does impact the bottom line.” Fox concluded.