CONCLUSION
Our research highlights some crucial themes for UK employers.
Here are some key takeways from the report:
One is that younger workers appear to be highly adaptable, often feeling more welcome in the working environment than their older peers Younger workers show to be more demanding in terms of EDI Here, the research highlights that there’s still challenges around diversity, with a higher proportion of workers identifying as having disabilities, or being neurodivergent, feeling uncomfortable discussing issues relating to their condition in their workplace
While the aim of this report is not to rank workplace culture types, it does highlight some key differences and how perceptions can differ across the same organisation depending on different characteristics. Nor does this research link employee attitudes, EDI and culture add directly to measures of success. Culture is something that can evolve and be nurtured, it is also often a reflection of an organisation’s mission.
We encourage leaders to consider this research in the light of their current organisational circumstances and strategy. For those seeking to delve deeper into these findings through expert insights, we highly recommend listening to the Newton Talks podcast. The latest season is dedicated to expanding on the topic of workplace culture. The show asks, how can you shape workplace culture to effectively serve the needs of your organisation? How do you lead a truly multi-generational workforce? And how do you prioritise care without sacrificing performance?
Awareness of the importance of culture is strongly related to corporate ethos. We asked respondents to classify their workplace cultures (explained further on pages 6 and 7), and only 35% of workers from hierarchical organisations stated they feel everyone is recognised fairly for their contributions, compared to 54% overall and 72% from collaborative or dynamic environments. Most respondents feel there is acceptance of gender and ethnic diversity in UK workplaces. Only 9% of respondents from ethnic minorities feel uncomfortable discussing ethnicity in the workplace and 50% of respondents say their workplace acknowledges intersectionality (or that some experiences of discrimination and oppression 6 overlap and intersect).
Despite this, almost a fifth of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual and non-heterosexual/non-binary (LGBTQ+) respondents claim to have been frequently treated less favourably than their peers.
Most older workers appear to feel disconnected from modern company cultures, with 62% of 18-to-34-year-olds saying their cultural interests were accepted and encouraged in the workplace, compared to 54% among 35-to-54-year-olds and just 47% for those aged 55 and over.
SCAN THE CODE TO LISTEN TO ALL EPISODES
The top three things that employees are looking for at work are linked to flexibility and work-life balance. One of the top changes that employees want to see in the workplace, cited by 28% of respondents, is a four-day week.
Although there is a growing move to introduce culture change initiatives in organisations, a culture-add mindset has yet to transition to recruitment, with only 12% of employers looking for employees who can bring a different life experience to the workplace.
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