Employees want a 'family feel' in the workplace

Regardless of an organisations size, the bulk of employees crave a company that has a “family feel, held together by loyalty and tradition”.

A new survey asked 2,226 employees to summarise the ‘feel’ of the firm they currently work for, with nearly half describing company culture as “a formalised and structured place to work, where procedures govern what people do and hold people together.” This sentiment was highest in the public sector (74%), in large organisations with over 250 employees (59%), and in the voluntary sector (43%).

Comparatively, only 26% described their current employer as having a ‘family feel’, but over half specified their preference for an atmosphere that has a “family feel, held together by loyalty and tradition.” This mood was higher in women than men (60% compared with 50%), but was consistent across all age groups.

The survey also found that over two thirds of employees are very satisfied or satisfied with the relationship with their line manager (64%), and a similar figure (62%) either agree or strongly agree that they have achieved a work-life balance. 18% of respondents said that they never receive performance feedback, be it formally or informally.