The engagement scores of UK workers are remaining stable in the wake of redundancies while those in the US take a dip. This is according to insights gathered from over 350 organisations between 2020 and 2023 by employee engagement platform Culture Amp.
The data show that engagement levels drop by 7% in the US (73% to 66%) post-redundancies but remain virtually the same in the UK with only a 1% drop (66% to 65%).
During the course of 2023, the global employment landscape was materially impacted by a rise in layoff programmes due to a combination of economic uncertainty, technology shifts, supply chain disruptions and changes in work dynamics.
Despite the encouraging figures from the UK, the Culture Amp data also found that it is taking much longer for affected organisations globally to rebound after the 2023 wave of lay-offs than in previous years.
Between 2020 and 2022, it would typically take between 12 and 18 months for employee engagement levels to return to their pre-redundancy levels. However, following the global tide of redundancies at the start of 2023, organisations are now seeing a much longer projected recovery timeline of 18 – 24 months.
The potentially extended recovery cycles could pose longer-term difficulties for HRs/managers tasked with maintaining performance.
Commenting on the findings, Melissa Paris, regional director of People Science, Culture Amp, explains how employment regulations in the UK place a level of accountability on organisations compared to the US, where layoffs can often happen without nearly as much notice or support for those affected. Paris comments:
This could mean that the UK’s regulations are acting as a buffer, safeguarding the engagement and motivation of those left behind. This softening-of-the-blow may be leaving space for a better mutual understanding of the complexities of the business, and why the leaders made the decisions they did. However, managers still need to provide teams with the time and space to process what has happened and understand how they now fit into the streamlined organisation.
Melissa Paris, regional director of People Science, Culture Amp
Ultimately, as companies navigate longer recovery timelines, the importance of understanding and adapting to the nuances of employee engagement becomes increasingly clear, highlighting the need for effective management strategies in sustaining organisational performance.
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.