COVID Had Little Impact on Employee Motivation, According To Trakstar Survey Of 500+ HR Leaders

Trakstar’s human resources survey found that most HR leaders saw little to no impact on employee motivation and engagement during and after the COVID pandemic.

Trakstar, industry-leading talent development software including Trakstar Hire, Learn, Perform, and Insights, released its 2023 Outlook Survey of over 500 industry professionals today. The survey touched on the impact of COVID and remote work on the workforce, employee engagement, professional skills, development, and more amid the push to return to work in 2022 and looking into 2023.

All organizations are in a state of flux, with complications arising amid the push to return to work by some and the desire to stay remote from others. With budget cuts looking, layoffs likely, and a shift in how people feel about their jobs, human resources departments are more critical than ever to the success of an organization and how its culture forms.

As we move into the new year, Trakstar’s survey report highlights how human resources leaders focus on attracting, retaining, and engaging employees and where they will get new ideas.

Key findings in Trakstar’s report include:

Only 19% Of Respondents Call Themselves Fully Remote

Of the respondents, only 19% said they were “fully remote” throughout their workforces. A large majority still work in a hybrid environment, with one or more days in the office.

Only 22% of respondents said they were fully back in the office.
12% left the decision up to the employees

Interestingly enough, many respondents who said that their employees were working fully in-office were among those who saw less employee satisfaction and a more significant shift in employee engagement.

Human Resources Is Seeing An Increase in Autonomy

The importance of human resources has been highlighted over the last few years, with an increased focus on providing a better working environment for employees. As such, we are seeing an increase in human resources’ autonomy to make decisions about the talent development process.

43% of respondents have the autonomy to manage their talent development process
37% of respondents run the process but only influence the decision-makers
20% of respondents only run the processes

This puts more pressure on HR leaders to make smarter decisions to keep this autonomy.

Hiring Managers Think They Are “Average” At Hiring

Most of the respondents to Trakstar’s survey feel they hire at an “average” speed. Overwhelmingly, recruiters and hiring managers rated themselves a 3 on the 1-5 scale. Time-to-hire will be one of the biggest differentiators moving into the next phase of the war for talent.

You can download the full report and access additional insights here.

About The Survey

Our 2022 Human Resources Leadership Survey is based on our online survey that took place between October 28, 2022, and November 4, 2022. During that time, we received responses from 565 people leaders working in different industries and roles, ranging from Talent and HR Directors to Learning and Development Managers.

We posed questions surrounding their companies, how they gain knowledge and best practices, the problems they’re facing, what they’re excited about, and more.

About Trakstar

Trakstar believes people are happier and healthier when they know their work matters. Trusted by over 3,000 customers like Dyson, Ben & Jerry’s, and Make A Wish, the Trakstar platform provides a powerful suite of solutions that equip HR teams with next-generation talent acquisition, training, and performance management technology. Trakstar has spent 20 years architecting data-backed tools to provide custom insights for every stage of the employee lifecycle.