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A series of studies on employee attitudes and opinions
Watson Wyatt conducts a series of periodic in-depth studies on employee attitudes around the globe. Since 1987, our
WorkUSA® study has included one of the largest and most current statistically representative surveys on the attitudes
of U.S. workers. We expanded our research in 1991 to include WorkCanada™, a study of employee attitudes in Canada.
Most recently, we launched WorkAsia™, a comprehensive report of employee attitudes in 11 Asia-Pacific countries.
The findings of these studies help employers measure how well they are aligning employees’ performance with business goals. The
results also provide insight into the strategies and practices that can increase employee effectiveness.
Employee attitudes reflect the effectiveness of an organization’s human capital practices. Organizations rated highly in the areas
of human capital practices and culture have workforces that are effective at achieving the organization’s objectives. And, by
building productivity and customer satisfaction, effective employees enhance organizations’ financial results.
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A Comparison of Attitudes Around the Globe
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How do the attitudes of employees in the United States, Canada and Asia-Pacific compare? While
attitudes vary around the world, there are some similarities. Here are 11 key areas of comparison.
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Commitment – Asia-Pacific employees are more likely to report high levels of commitment (64 percent) than are U.S. (57 percent) or Canadian (54 percent) employees. |
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Job Satisfaction – Canadian and Asia-Pacific workers have higher job satisfaction (60 percent and 61 percent of employees, respectively) than do U.S. employees (53 percent). |
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Communication – Fifty-one percent of Asia-Pacific employees report high levels of communication at their organization, compared with 46 percent of Canadian employees and 41 percent of U.S. employees. |
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Teamwork – Asia-Pacific and Canadian workers give teamwork relatively similar ratings. Fifty-one percent of workers in Asia-Pacific and 48 percent of Canadian employees report high levels of teamwork. But only about one-third (32 percent) of U.S. employees say their organization has a high level of teamwork. |
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Compensation and Benefits – Wide differences exist in the area of compensation and benefits. Sixty-five percent of U.S. employees report high satisfaction levels with their compensation and benefits, compared with 32 percent of Canadian and 28 percent of Asia-Pacific workers. |
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Performance Management – Sixty-nine percent of U.S. employees rate their performance management processes favorably, compared with 55 percent in Asia-Pacific. And only 34 percent of Canadian employees view their performance management processes positively. |
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Training and Development – Sixty-two percent of U.S. employees give their company training and development programs favorable ratings. In both Canada and Asia-Pacific, only 42 percent of employees perceive these programs favorably -- a substantially smaller percentage than in the United States. |
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Leadership – Forty-eight percent of U.S. employees rate their leadership positively, compared with 40 percent of Canadian employees and 35 percent of Asia-Pacific employees. |
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Supervision – More Canadian workers perceive their supervisors positively than do employees elsewhere. Fifty-six percent of Canadian workers give supervision favorable ratings, compared with 47 percent of U.S. employees and 42 percent of Asia-Pacific employees. |
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Enablement – Fifty-two percent of Canadian workers feel they have the tools they need to do their job, compared with 47 percent of Asia-Pacific employees and only 40 percent of U.S. employees. |
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Alignment – Organizational alignment levels are lowest in the United States. Employees are considered aligned with organizational goals when they know what to do to make their organization successful. Sixty-five percent of Asia-Pacific employees report high levels of alignment, compared with 63 percent in Canada and 53 percent in the United States. |
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Regardless of the global variations in employee attitudes, one factor is universal: Employees play a critical role in helping organizations achieve success and improving their bottom line.
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Reports by Region:
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