Employees in Asia Pacific want individual recognition and reward

Employees in the Asia-Pacific want to be recognised and rewarded for their individual skills and contributions, not just team performance, according to PERSOLKELLY’s latest Workforce Insights report for the region.

The survey featured responses from more than 9,000 hiring managers and candidates from nine countries in the Asia-Pacific.

More than half of all respondents preferred to be treated as individuals rather than collectively with other team members (51%).

Six out of 10 respondents agreed that this preference for individual treatment stems from the desire to be rewarded for their personal contributions in the workplace. This motivation is most evident in employees from Singapore (67%) and India (66%).

“Employees are increasingly seeking greater ownership of their careers and more flexibility and autonomy in working styles, and these trends are fueling demand for a bespoke work experience,” said Jessica Ang, Regional Head of Corporate Brands Management, APAC at PERSOLKELLY.

“Employees will naturally feel more valued in roles which are tailored to their individual goals, abilities, and motivations.”

Team leaders are key to balancing individual employee needs while maintaining collaboration and team success.

According to respondents, the onus is on managers to understand what motivates each of their team members, so they can personalise their work experiences (52%) and manage individual needs effectively without sacrificing the objectives of the team (51%).

Striking this balance is vital to ensure continued teamwork, with 41% of respondents recognising that collaboration and teamwork could be impacted if there is too much focus on the individual over the team.

The majority of respondents agree that employees prefer roles that are tailored to the employee’s goals. Employees from India (59%), Thailand (57%) and Indonesia (56%) place the greatest value on individuality. In contrast, respondents from Malaysia (48%), Australia (48%), and Hong Kong (49%) place the least value on individuality.

Employees in the Legal (56%), Arts/Entertainment (55%), and Education (55%) industries are most likely to agree that employees prefer to be treated as individuals rather than as part of a team.

“Industries where individualistic roles are more commonplace will naturally record a higher employee preference for individual treatment,” said Ang.

“Organisations, particularly those which are in these industries, must map out the employee journey and identify key touchpoints, such as the physical environment or through digital tools, so that they can customise roles to meet individual employee needs and motivations.”