
2022 Global Culture ReportO.C. Tanner Institute HOW TO USE THE 2022 GLOBAL CULTURE REPORT More than ever, executive teams are focused on building workplace culturesthat help their people and businesses adapt and thrive. We hope the insightsin this report will inform and support your efforts as they have ours. To ensureyou get the most out of them, here are a few suggestions. First, highlight the findings that catch your attention and spark your thinking.Three points that will be hard to miss: •Remote work worked during months of social distancing, but hybridmodels provide better employee experiences•Recognition is more than a “feel-good” exercise; we can now prove itimpacts the strength of connection between employees•Employee engagement is not the best metric to predict individual(or organizational) performance Next, weigh the implications and discuss them with your team. Focus on twoor three themes or insights that can help shape your HR and culture strategiesfor the coming year. Then find the natural connection points between your strategies and yourorganization’s 2022 business plans. Try to integrate and align rather thanadding new layers or more initiatives. And finally, consider which insights could help you tap into the strength ofyour culture so your best people feel a sense of connectedness and belonging,and you’re better able to attract new teammates to join you in fulfilling thepurpose of your organization. As architects and nurturers of our cultures, let’s lean in to what each of uscan do to make the evolving workplace a place where everyone can thrive. Dave PetersenPresident & CEOO.C. Tanner TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword1 Introduction3 Hybrid Workplace12 Engagement Revisited Peak Experiences 64 Recognition 88 114 Connection Conclusion 138 Methodology 143 Global Appendix144 Last year at this time, the world wasrapidly changing before our eyes. Peopleeverywhere carved out socially distantroutines that, for many, blurred the linebetween personal and professional life.Likewise, employers accepted new levelsof flexibility and trusted that businesscould still get done. Amidst the tumult,organizations had an opportunity toco-create better cultures with theiremployees. Those who chose to seizeit took steps to elevate the employeeexperience, align technology initiativesto culture, deepen their inclusion efforts,and transition leadership from outdatedphilosophies to modern, proven principles.HR became a hero on the field instead of acheerleader on the sidelines. Regrettably, many other organizations did not take the same steps.And to one degree or another, most companies continue to face teststhat force them to question their futures: employees are resigningin droves, markets are wavering, and consumers are still wary—all asinvestors demand greater performance and higher returns. No matter how tempting it may be to revert back to pre-pandemicmodes of thinking and working, they have less to offer now. Fororganizations to be successful, their employees need to feel moreuplifted and connected. Peak experiences need to happen morefrequently. Recognition needs to be more personalized. Hybridwork models need support and fine tuning. And the metrics weuse to define and predict success need a deep and dispassionateassessment. Simply put, we need to thoroughly rethink long-heldbeliefs about the employee experience and our approaches tobuilding workplace culture. To do this, the O.C. Tanner Institute assembled and analyzed theperspectives of over 38,000 employees, leaders, HR practitioners,and executives from 21 countries around the world. The resultsindicate that the Great Resignation is only beginning. The majorityof employers have a long road to repair the damaged aspects oftheir workplace cultures and it will not be easy. However, there arealso many reasons to be hopeful with excellent data and insightsto pave the way. This year we learned more than we expected to, and we’re excited toshare our findings with thousands of organizations to help millions ofpeople thrive at work. When normalcy left the building with millionsof employees in March 2020, we all had afeeling it wouldn’t be coming back. Now, a newlandscape of work and business is emergingfrom the pandemic, and it has clearly,drastically changed. The days when employersseemed to hold all the cards, dictating workingconditions and benefits, are gone. In manyindustries, employees now call more shots,insisting on flexible work environmentsand leaving jobs if necessary. But after ayear and a half of remote or hybrid work andsocial distancing, the need for connectionis nearly universal. Helping employees feelconnected to purpose, accomplishment, andone another—no matter where or when theywork—is more important than ever. As we enter a post-pandemic era, the greatest challenges includecreating meaningful employee experiences and connectingpeople across the organization. Generic, top-down programs forcollaboration, recognition, and