FACTS
- The American Psychological Association study found that a third of U.S. workers believed management had a hidden agenda when it came to changes, that their motives and intentions were different from what they said and that they tried to cover up the real reasons for the changes.
- The study found that adults who have been affected by changes at work are more likely to report chronic work stress, are less likely to trust their employers and are more likely to say they plan to leave their organization within the next year.
- Multiple studies over the years have shown that the majority of change programs in the workplace fail to achieve their goals.
- Mergers and acquisitions (M&A’s) have a 50/50 chance of reaching their intended results. Study after study puts the failure rate closer to 70-90%. Research cites the human factor as the leading reason why mergers and acquisitions fail.
STATS
- The U.S. population, and therefore the nation’s workforce, is becoming increasingly diverse. In the 40 years between 1980 and 2020, the white working-age population will have declined from 83% of the nation’s total to 63% while the number of minority workers will have doubled.
- The millennial and Gen Z generations are the most diverse in history: only 56% of the 87 million millennials in the country are white, as compared to 72% of the 76 million members of the baby boomer generation.
- 67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor when considering employment opportunities, and more than 50% of current employees want their workplace to do more to increase diversity.
- A diverse workplace is important to a majority of white workers, but it was of paramount importance to minority job seekers: 72% of women (v. 62% of men), 89% of African Americans, 80% of Asians, and 70% of Latinos ranked workforce diversity as important in their job search.
- Beyond changing national demographics, workers are seeking more diverse and inclusive workplaces. Because 45% of American workers experienced discrimination and/or harassment in the past year. (Gallup)
- The number of preventable work deaths increased in 2019, totaling 4,572. Since 2010, the number of preventable work deaths have increased 17%, while the death rate per 100,000 workers has increased 3%. In addition to preventable fatal work injuries, 761 homicides and suicides occurred in the workplace in 2019.
- Preventable work deaths increased 2% from 2018 to 2019, following a 2% increase in 2018, and no change in 2017. The preventable death rate of 3.1 per 100,000 workers has not changed since 2016. Work-related medically consulted injuries totaled 4.64 million in 2019.