A new Slack survey revealed that millions of employees are "misaligned," putting them at odds with their organization's strategy, vision, and operating principles.
To compile its new "Status of Work Report," the company behind the popular online collaboration tool collaborated with market research firm GlobalWebIndex (GWI). to survey 17,000 knowledge workers, managers and leaders from around the world.
Slack wanted to know more about their experiences within the modern workforce. He asked them what aligned workers looked like, why it was important to have aligned workers, and how companies could attract and retain aligned workers.
The report found that one in 10 global knowledge workers think they are "misaligned", while 15% of UK workers feel they are totally misaligned with their organization's mission.
Aligned vs Not Aligned
Slack research found that only 34% of non-aligned workers think their company teams are working toward a common vision. Of the non-aligned workers interviewed, 70% said they "strongly agree" or "strongly agree" that they would like to feel more in tune with the vision, values and operating principles of their businesses.
Aligned workers, on the other hand, are more connected to a company's vision and strategy, leading them to approach their work with optimism and to focus more on high-value business activities.
According to the report, the difference between aligned and non-aligned workers has a significant impact on business prospects. Aligned workers in the UK are nearly twice as likely as non-aligned workers to expect "significant growth" in their company's earnings and workforce. However, in the UK, non-aligned workers are three times more likely to expect a "significant drop" in their company's profits and growth.
Slack suggests that organizations can help strengthen alignment by implementing a clear, frequently communicated strategy with a thoughtful approach to information overload.