81% of Australian Employees Report Working Environment Lacks Fairness: Gartner

Just 19% of Australian employees said they work in a high fairness environment and have an employee experience that is characterised as fair, compared to the global average of 18%, according to a survey from Gartner, Inc.

Gartner defines a high fairness environment as one where employees perceive that their manager and organisation treat them fairly. The Gartner survey of 3,500 employees conducted globally in 3Q21 found that employees who work in a high fairness environment perform at a level that is 26% higher than those who don’t and are 27% less likely to quit.

“The rise of Omicron has yet again disrupted our working environment, and for those left covering for their colleagues who are sick or caring for family members – life at work already feels unfair,” said Neal Woolrich, Director HR Advisory at Gartner.

“Creating a balanced and shared employee experience will be the most important initiative for HR executives in 2022. To do this, organisations need to go beyond policies and develop philosophies,” he said.

Four Factors That Help Employees Feel Fairness 

According to Woolrich, there are four areas that employers can develop strategies around to increase employee perceptions of fairness at work:

Being Informed

The Gartner 3Q21 survey showed that only 37% of Australian organisations practice true information transparency. According to the research, most companies disseminate information unevenly regarding their workforce talent processes, including recruiting and compensation. This opens the door to back-channel conversations and distrust among employees.

Concern regarding the future of work, workload planning and opportunities for career progression should be clearly and consistently communicated. Transparency will lead to trust.

Feeling supported

When employees feel supported at work, they are more likely to indicate that they work in a high fairness environment. Organisations have tried to support employees by investing in well-being programs. 

A Gartner survey of 53 Gartner HR leader clients between September and November 2020 found that 64% of respondents added or expanded well-being programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these investments, most employees still don’t feel like they’re getting the support they need and deserve.

Feeling considered

The Gartner 3Q21 survey revealed that only 21% of qualified employees in Australia are considered for the next opportunity when it emerges at their organisation. This compares to the global average of 18%.

Most organisations have created referral programs that give access to opportunities for qualified external candidates based on a current employee’s referral, but they have not done this for internal candidates. Instead, organisations typically rely on managers, who are asked to consider more qualified candidates, or employees, who are encouraged to take initiative to raise their profile and build their own brand.

Receiving acknowledgement

Accurate employee evaluation and recognition boosts employee perceptions of fairness, however the Gartner 3Q21 survey found only 19% of Australian employees feel acknowledged for their contributions, compared to a global average of 24%. 

Managers are typically called on to create this feeling of acknowledgement, but Gartner research reveals that in a hybrid environment, managers tend to favour on-site employees over remote employees. According to a November 2020 global Gartner survey of nearly 3,000 managers, 64% said that on-site employees are higher performers, while 75% say that on-site employees are more likely to be promoted.

The Way Forward

Progressive organisations are increasing their employees’ feelings of fairness by addressing the four factors above in the following ways:

• Dramatically increase the amount of information given to all employees and candidates and provide guidance on what actions they can take if they have concerns or questions.
• Expand support programs to all employees. Frame assistance as an effort to create a more successful organisation with a better work environment and employee experience for everyone; help employees understand why different people are getting different support.
• Use peer networks to provide more equitable access to opportunities between those outside the organisation and those within.
• Use technology to acknowledge the employees making the most important contributions. This includes ensuring employees are comfortable and consulted with the privacy implications of these technologies and, helping employees understand what behaviour changes will result in changes to their performance.

“Organisations that employ strategies to address these four factors can create a significant shift in the number of employees who feel like they have a fair experience at work – from fewer than in 1 in 5 employees to more than 4 in 5 employees,” said Mr. Woolrich.

Additional information is available in the Gartner webinar ‘The Equity Imperative: How Fairness Improves Performance and Employee Experience.’

About the Gartner HR Practice

The Gartner HR practice brings together the best relevant content approaches across Gartner to offer individual decision makers strategic business advice on the mission-critical priorities that cut across the HR function. Additional information is available at http://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/human-resources-leaders. Follow news and updates from the Gartner HR practice on Twitter and LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.

About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) delivers actionable, objective insight to executives and their teams. Our expert guidance and tools enable faster, smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organisation’s most critical priorities. To learn more, visit gartner.com.

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