Singapore employees least satisfied with jobs

A multinational survey of 14 countries recently ranked Singapore employees as the least happy and least loyal to their employers. Upon learning of this, AYP Associates Pte Ltd wanted to find out what could be done to help address these issues of employee dissatisfaction and turnover rates. We sought the opinions of Singaporean workers from various age groups and diverse sectors ranging from accounting to engineering in order to better encapsulate and reflect the viewpoint of Singaporean workers.

Indeed, when surveyed with more than 500 respondents, workers here were found to be generally ambivalent with their jobs, with nearly 42% of those surveyed indicating that they were dissatisfied or more than dissatisfied with their job. 48.99% of those surveyed furthermore said that they would be likely to leave their job in the next 12 months. These statistics suggest that employers should focus not only on hiring quality talent, but retaining existing employees. Having an open door policy, an anonymous feedback program and other such methods could help employers assess the level of satisfaction of their staff on a regular basis, as well as gain ideas as to how to improve their situation.

In terms of employees seeking to hire talented workers, AYP Associates found local workers to be a pragmatic lot. When asked what would attract them most to a job, they cited financial considerations including salary amount, issues of compensation and benefits and career advancement opportunities. Competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package would thus help companies looking to hire new workers. But given the premium locals place on monetary remuneration, employers might want to be mindful to screen out candidates who merely seek to glean money from the company.  Despite the importance of money, however, it can only go so far. Approximately half of those surveyed indicated that having both a good work-life balance and a good work culture were important to them, suggesting that a significant number of employees would not necessarily be willing to sacrifice personal well-being in spite of the financial attractiveness of a job.

As for what would engage the Singaporean worker, employer trust and confidence were shown to be important for employee morale. Many cited that they felt it was important to be valued by their employer and recognised for their achievements, indicating the value of employer feedback and employee appreciation. Singaporeans want to feel like they are a part of the company and part of a team working in a collaborative work environment. They also want to be delegated autonomy to take on challenging tasks and make decisions where appropriate. Such constant challenge and stimulation is important to the Singaporean worker. Employees could also look giving them opportunities to enhance their knowledge to facilitate their personal growth.

In terms of employee retention, financial incentives again proved to be the most significant consideration for employers. To prevent high turnover rates and subsequent loss of productivity and company knowledge, employers could offer competitive compensation and benefits packages and ensure that there are ample opportunities for high-performing workers to be rewarded with career advancements and salary increases.  An uninspiring work environment could still drive employers away though. Singapore workers value employee-employer relationships as well as their relationships with their colleagues, and would more likely continue on in a workplace that fosters trust and collaboration, with superiors who valued not just their work but who took time to acquaint themselves with their workers on a more personal level.

Contributed by:

Annie Yap

Managing Director

Annie.yap@aypassociates.com

AYP Associates Pte Ltd