PETALING JAYA: Employees of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in the country are happy with their companies despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nine out of 10 Malaysian SME employees believe in their company’s purpose, mission, and vision, according to a regional study jointly conducted by Business Media International, the organiser of the SME100 Awards, and Willis Towers Watson, a leading global HR advisory firm.
They trust their leaders and supervisors, are provided the opportunity for growth, and feel they are adequately recognised for their contributions, the study showed.
The study was done to provide SMEs with insight on their employees amid the current pandemic and to raise awareness around the importance of developing strong employee experience. Besides Malaysia, the study was conducted and completed earlier this year across Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam.
According to the survey, 92% of respondents are proud to be part of their companies. As a result, two out of three have indicated that they are happy to stay in their current roles, while three out of five are willing to recommend their company to their friends.
However, the same study discovered that two out of three Malaysian employees are reporting high levels of stress.
These include concerns around their financial situation, less than ideal working arrangements and not having the right enablement and support on a daily basis.
“Our data shows that the ability to build trust and belief within a company is largely driven by how connected employees feel towards their leaders,” Yeo Ooi Keong, practice leader at Willis Towers Watson said.
“A leader’s ability to communicate a clear direction, walk the talk and empathise are all critical factors that impact an employee’s willingness to trust and believe in the company. This in turn, impacts their motivation to do better for your customers and the company as a whole.”
Meanwhile, Datuk William Ng, the group publisher of Business Media International and editor-in-chief of SME Magazine said: “Identifying challenges early are especially crucial for SMEs as it allows owners to strategize areas of improvement to their business operations and to be more effective in attracting and retaining talents for their businesses.
“It is enlightening to dispel the notion that our SMEs are not up to par when it comes to employee experience. In fact, Malaysia scored higher than our regional peers. However, we do need to emphathise more with employees during this pandemic; including watching out for signs of ‘burnt out’, help employees balance their work and personal commitments and perhaps even provide employees with financial education resources”.
