The Kenexa Research Institute Finds that Employeesí Confidence in Their Employers Varies by Country

A new study conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), evaluated employeesí confidence with their organizations. The results from a randomly selected group of more than 16,000 workers, from 12 countries, indicate that employees in India (82%) have the highest overall level of organizational confidence, followed by those in the United States, Russia and Brazil (all 74%). Employees in Japan have the lowest levels of confidence (48%).

Organizational confidence has two contributing factors: internal and external. Internal organizational confidence is defined as employees having confidence in their organizationís future, believing their organizations are managed effectively and feeling that the products/services are of high quality. External organizational confidence is defined as employees believing their organizationsí products are sought after, that the organization is viewed as competitive and the industry in which the organization is operating in considered robust and healthy.

When compared to internal factors, external factors received higher, more favorable scores in most countries with the exception of Germany and India; they were equally rated in France. The countries with the largest differences between external factors and internal factors were Spain (7 points), Japan (6 points), Russia (6 points) and Italy (5 points), with each being more positive on external confidence factors.

Jeffrey Saltzman, East Coast Practice Leader for Kenexa (NASDAQ: KNXA), said, ìAn examination of the differences or gaps, and not just the absolute numbers gives us some indication of how employees view the desirability of their employersí products and competitiveness contrasted with how well they feel they are being managed and the future of their organizations. Viewed in this manner, employees in Spain, Japan, Russia and Italy are leaning more strongly toward quality and attractiveness of their products, while employees in Germany and India lean more toward being effectively managed.î

He continued, ìHowever, Japan (44%), Italy (48%), France (57%) and the United Kingdom (58%), more traditional economies, had the greatest concerns about their employersí industries, while three rapidly expanding economies, India (79%), Brazil (73%) and China (70%) reported the most confidence.î

Russia has the largest contrast (24 points) between having sought after products and industry health. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents indicate that their organizationsí products are in demand, but only 64% indicate that their employersí industry is robust and healthy.

Saltzman stated, ìToday, Russia has products that are critical to the worldís economy, but the industries in which these organizations are operating are not necessarily viewed as healthy.î

This study was part of a larger quarterly study that Kenexa undertakes to measure business conditions in major markets. Kenexa has an unequalled database of worldwide employee survey results from workers in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States that allows the company to provide exceptional insights to organizations of all sizes on a global basis. This business-critical information enables international organizations to better maximize their overall performance.