November 12, 2012

Perception Gap: Between HR and Reality [Infographics]

How do your HR personnel keep a pulse on the organization? Kenexa asked HR professionals and employees about attitudes and commitment.

Unfortunately, gaps still exist between employers and employees—in almost every area—from engagement to benefits administration.

ENGAGED

69 percent of employers say their employees are engaged, compared to the 34 percent of employees who feel that way. However, engagement means different things to different people. For employers, participation is seen as employee productivity, attendance and progress. For employees, engagement is more emotional—how they feel about a job.

RECOMMEND

81 percent of human resources personnel state employees will recommend their company to others. Only 38 percent of employees say they would recommend a friend. Without engagement, employees could consider leaving the company. People are reluctant to turn a friend on to a company that they do not seem quite happy about—and risk sacrificing the friendship.

FAIR BENEFITS

71 percent human resources personnel think their business is fair with benefits; only 48 percent of employees agree. This is a breakdown in communications about the benefits package and the amount a company spends on benefits, especially health care. Employees usually consider the issue only when it is out-of-pocket. The truth is both employees and employers share costs.

COMPENSATION

53 percent of HR pros believe their compensation is reasonable; only 30 percent of employees think so. With tough economic times and tighter budgets, companies are loosening the purse strings. Recently, there have been modest increases, but not to pre-recession levels. Review your compensations, with a focus on competitive pay for top-producers.

RETENTION

83 percent of HR professionals believe employees will remain through the next 12 months, but only 41 percent of employees agree. With little involvement levels and non-competitive pay scales, it is not surprising employees aren’t totally loyal to the organization. Employees will stay when times are tough, for a sense of security, but when things are better—they will look for greener pastures.

The way to bridge this gap? Communication and supervisor training can help both sides understand each other. Rarely are employees fully aware of the extent the company works for them and the total amounts spent by an organization on programs.

This infographic from Kenexa outlines the difference between what HR thinks about how a company and its employees perceive the same organization differently:

Perception versus Reality