ELMO Employee Sentiment Index – Australia (Period: Jul-Sep ’21)

Economic security 

COVID-19 lockdowns may be behind a drastic change in perceived economic security among Australian workers, with 30% rating the economy as ‘not secure’ – the largest figure recorded so far this year.

ELMO Employee Sentiment Index

That’s according to the ELMO Employee Sentiment Index – a nationwide poll commissioned by ELMO Software. This index provides a quarterly update of sentiment among more than 1,000 Australian workers about their attitudes, actions and concerns in the workplace over the past three months, in addition to their plans and expectations for the future. The July to September report offers a unique insight into how these factors have changed over a period of great uncertainty and ambiguity.

Employee benchmarking

The benchmarking research found that Australian workers’ confidence in the economy has plummeted to its lowest level this year with just 16% believing it is secure. Meanwhile their support for employer-mandated COVID-19 vaccinations and vaccination tracking has soared to 70%.

Australians are also working fewer hours than at any other point this year with more than one in five Australian workers feeling they are not working enough hours.

Return to work

In a looming challenge for employers preparing to welcome back employees, the proportion of workers uncomfortable working alongside unvaccinated colleagues has climbed to 58% from 43% in the June quarter. Vaccination passports have also been welcomed by four in five Australian workers (79%).

The insights and statistics from this report can be a helpful tool for organisations considering how best to support their workforce through times of great disruption.

You can also read the New Zealand report containing insights from New Zealand workers here.