Respondents to a survey by software company Asana said their confusion came down to lack of company guidance.
A further 39% said they lacked motivation because of it, and 31% said it had negatively affected teamwork.
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Only 18% of UK employees said that their company was effective at setting and communicating company-wide goals, despite the majority of employees (56%) saying they measure their success against how much their work contributes to these objectives.
For 56% of UK respondents, goals had seemingly been deprioritised since moving to remote work, although 44% of employees said that goals had changed in this time.
Anna Binder, head of people at Asana, told HR magazine that the lack of clarity for employees was concerning
She said: “Having a clear roadmap and clarity on what teams are trying to achieve is more important than ever. Particularly when 45% of organisations have had to pivot strategies and set new goals quickly as a result of COVID-19. "
Part of the solution, she added, is employing the right technology strategy.
She added: “Workplaces need a strategy that empowers employees to stay connected to your organisation’s mission and links actual work with core goals. That way teams move forward and stay engaged, no matter where they’re located.”
The survey’s findings add to other research from Hays recruitment found that leaders had been failing to communicate with employees during coronavirus.
The Asana Goals survey was conducted by Censuswide and is based on the view of 6,387 knowledge workers from Australia, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US. The survey was conducted from June 3rd - 15th, 2020 and includes data from 1,158 UK respondents.
