[SINGAPORE] Money does not count for everything, a survey of employees has found. Respect, type of work and career potential are more important than variable pay and bonuses in Singapore when it comes to getting employees to give their best.

Getting respect from the boss comes close to matching basic pay as the single most important driver in motivating Singapore workers, according to the poll taken by global consulting firm Mercer in 22 countries including China, South Korea, India, Japan, the UK and US.

In fact, in Asia as a whole, respect is a bigger carrot than basic pay for workers, the poll found.

"Generally speaking, Asian employees want respect in the workplace," says Rajan Srikanth, Mercer Asia Pacific's head of human capital.

"What this means for employers is that if they become better listeners, showing employees that they are valued and that their role in the success of the business is crucial, and recognising individual differences in how they tailor rewards, they could be offering the employee a value proposition that cannot be easily refused."

While Chinese workers seem most driven by base pay and perks, Indian employees appear to be more keen on opportunities for personal growth, type of work, promotion prospects and long-term career potential, he said.

"Employees in Singapore and (South) Korea show a blend of the two profiles, while Japanese employees place great emphasis on work-life balance and the people they work for."

The poll results also give insights into how culture can affect engagement at work. "Even when workplace characteristics are shared - such as English as a first language - differences in national culture, the state of economic development and market conditions can have a significant influence on employee expectations and perceptions of the workplace and, subsequently, on employee engagement," says Patrick Gilbert, a Mercer principal and employee research expert. While overall respect was identified as having the biggest impact on engagement with employees, Japanese workers consider it much less significant. Base pay means much more to them.

French and Indian employees single out the type of work as the strongest driver of engagement, while perks top the list for Chinese workers. German employees are more concerned about the people they work with.

A healthy work-life balance is well-regarded by employees everywhere, except for the Chinese and Indians who attach less importance to it.

Is this article useful to you?