'Flat growth': Employee experience stalls in New Zealand

Managers crucial in reversing declining employee experience: report

BY Dexter Tilo 08 Nov 2023

Employee experience in New Zealand became stagnant over the past 12 months, according to a new report, putting managers under pressure to reverse the concerning trend.

In a survey among over 1,000 New Zealand employees, Qualtrics found that the country stalled in terms of the five key indicators of a positive employee experience, including:

Engagement (65%, down from 66%)
Experience Exceeds Expectations (33%, down from 34%)
Intent to Stay for 3+ Years (51%, down from 50%)
Inclusion (71%, down from 72%)
Well-being (66%, down from 69%)

These results were also behind the global average registered on Qualtrics, which showed:

Engagement (68%)
Experience Exceeds Expectations (38%)
Intent to Stay for 3 + years (65%)
Inclusion (73%)
Well-being (72%)

Managers to reverse the 'flat growth'

Dr. Crissa Sumner, Senior Manager - XM Advisory Services, Asia Pacific & Japan, Qualtrics, said the "flat growth" is concerning especially at a time when organisations in New Zealand are trying to lift productivity.

"When you consider great employee experiences are linked to positive business outcomes - including profitability, productivity, retention, and customer satisfaction - employers need to act now or they'll be missing out," Sumner said in a statement.

"And one of the most important actions they can take to reverse this trend is ensuring managers have the insights, tools, and support they need to lead teams through the current period of continued change at work."

Hybrid workers report better experiences

Meanwhile, the report also found that employees under hybrid work arrangement reported the highest employee experience among New Zealand workers.

According to the survey, employees who spend an average of two to four days in the office have the following scores in the five key indicators of positive employee experience: