- Auxilion survey of 1,000 workers found that almost a fifth cited a lack of innovation as a reason for leaving their job
- Almost half of companies undertook a transformation programme in past year
- 49% of workers find this type of large-scale change in work disruptive
- Job security was the most cited fear when it comes to organisational change
The survey – conducted by Censuswide and involving 1,000 office workers – showed that almost a fifth (19%) of workers cited a lack of innovation as a reason for leaving their job. However, the top factors influencing this decision were poor salary (54%), lack of career progression (40%), and lack of opportunity (35%).
Overall, 33% of respondents do not consider their organisation to be innovative. However, well over half (57%) of office workers said their company asks staff for feedback on innovation projects.
Furthermore, 62% revealed that innovation by employees is encouraged in their workplace, with the same proportion (62%) describing theirs as forward thinking when it comes to technology. In fact, almost two thirds (65%) said their company regularly updates or adopts new technologies.
Speaking of change, almost half (49%) of organisations undertook a transformation programme (e.g., restructure, technology rollouts) in the past year. Meanwhile, some 41% are currently undertaking such a programme. Worryingly, 49% of workers in Ireland find this type of large-scale change in work disruptive.
The survey also revealed that over a third (34%) of respondents said their company had announced redundancies in the last year, with job security the most cited fear when it comes to organisational change (40%). This was followed by increased workload (29%) and loss of autonomy (13%).
Just half (50%) of respondents feel involved in decisions that lead to change in their company, as 31% admitted they do not have trust in senior leadership to manage change effectively.
In terms of the biggest leadership mistakes during times of change, poor communication ranked highest (30%). Failing to involve staff (20%) and rushing decisions (19%) finished off the top three.
Speaking about the findings, Eleanor Dempsey, Director of Strategy, Innovation and Transformation, Auxilion, said: “To thrive, companies should embrace and empower change. That means investing in technologies to support automation and business process innovation.
“It also means focusing on the change management piece and implementing processes around cost optimisation, demand management and digital capability. In turn, companies can better navigate transformation and support innovation while retaining talent and driving success.”
