60% of Workers Say Positive Employer Relationship Impacts Focus and Productivity

Sixty percent of employees feel their relationship with their employer positively impacts their focus or productivity at work, and 44 percent say it positively impacts stress levels, according to a survey by Virgin Pulse, which is headquartered in Framingham.

The survey, “Labor of Love: What Employees Love About Work & Ways to Keep the Spark Alive,” features responses from 1,000 participants in the U.S. and Canada (not Virgin Pulse members), and highlights how employees feel about their workplaces and what employers can do to motivate employee engagement, productivity, and loyalty.

“The results of this survey reinforce something we’ve long known true— showing employees some love and making it clear your company cares, boosts their engagement and wins them over for the long haul,” said Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin Pulse, in a statement. “By offering tools, programs and resources that support all areas of employees’ well-being, and helping employees understand and feel their connection to your company, you’ll help your people feel their best so they can be their best.”

The survey results make one thing clear: when it comes to creating an engaged workforce, a supportive manager/employee relationship is key.

So, how else can an employer’s positive support impact employees?

• 53 percent said “interesting and challenging” work is the top reason they love their company.
• 38 percent said “the company’s mission” is a top reason they love their company.

The secret to happy, engaged, high-performing employees might be as simple as having close relationships with colleagues.

• Nearly 40 percent of respondents identified their co-workers as the top reason they love their company.
• 66 percent said these relationships positively impact their focus or productivity at work.
• 55 percent said these relationships positively impact stress levels on the job.

When it comes to how to make the organizations they work for even better, employees expressed the following sentiments:

• Supporting work/life balance was ranked as the top way companies can show employees they care.
• Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they wished their employer cared more about their work-life balance.
• 44 percent indicated flexible work arrangements were the number one benefit they’d love to have.
• 30 percent of employees chose “free programs and resources supporting my well-being” as the number one benefit they’d like their employer to offer.

The key to employee happiness might not be what many employers think (hint, it’s not money).

• 28 percent of respondents ranked “maintaining good health, including physical, mental and social” as the number one aspect driving their overall well-being and happiness, compared to 22 percent for “financial stability.”

For a breakdown of this year’s findings and tips on ways to show employees you care and support their well-being, download the full survey report.

Virgin Pulse, part of Sir Richard Branson’s famed Virgin Group, helps employers create a workforce with the energy, focus, and drive necessary to fully engage at work and in life. It has its world-wide headquarters in Framingham.