In this roundup of new industry and research reports, we turn our lens on two critical participants in every CX journey: the employee and the consumer. The first three summaries relate to current concerns affecting employees in their wellbeing and productivity, while the second and final group of three summaries focuses attention on a range of consumer and customer-focused interests.

Qualtrics: Majority of Workers Worldwide Feel Employers Should Do More

A new global survey of nearly 16,500 workers in 24 countries reveals that the majority of workers around the world desire better treatment from their employers.

In a blog discussing the findings from the survey, experience management firm Qualtrics said employees were asked if they agreed with two statements. For the first statement, “My primary employer needs to do a better job of listening to my feedback,” 61% were in agreement, topped by workers in India at 85%, followed by those in Indonesia and Vietnam, both tied at 79%. At the bottom of the list, 45% or less, were employees in the Netherlands, Germany, and New Zealand. The US ranked 16^th, at 56%.

For the second statement, “I would work harder if my primary employer treated me better,” 62% were in accord. Workers in India once again topped the list here, with 88% in agreement, followed by four countries or territories that each rated higher than 80%: China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. At the bottom of the list, falling below 45% were Germany and the Netherlands. The US tied with Brazil on the list, ranking 17^th at 48%.

“With 6 out of 10 employees feeling like they’re not being listened to and aren’t being treated well, is it a surprise that so many are looking for new jobs?” Qualtrics said in its blog.

Vantage Circle: Digital Employee Engagement Tools Can Prove Helpful in Hybrid Work Culture

A survey from Vantage Circle, the Texas-based provider of an employee engagement platform, reveals that global business leaders believe the greatest challenge in today’s hybrid work culture lies in keeping employees engaged.

Employee burnout and isolation ranked as the second most pressing problem, according to the managers, human resources (HR) professionals, and executives canvassed by the survey. The third most significant concern was that of rebuilding trust among peer groups and teams.

Anjan Pathak, chief technical offer (CTO) and co-founder of Vantage Circle, noted that the focus among business leaders has shifted since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic from one of managing business to that of supporting employees. To this end, Pathak said digital employee engagement tools and platforms can become essential solutions.

Based on the survey’s findings, the report concludes that what could help mitigate challenges to employee engagement in a hybrid work culture could be rewards and recognition tools, feedback platforms, survey tools, and the implementation of interactive wellness platforms.

Nexthink: IT Needs Tools to Measure and Create Positive Digital Employee Experience

A new industry report on the spending priorities of information technology (IT) leaders for 2022 and beyond shows that poor IT experiences are contributing to the Great Resignation, with the overwhelming majority of organizations lacking the appropriate tools to create a positive digital employee experience (EX).

The report, titled Growing Pains from Switzerland-based Nexthink, reveals that while 75% of IT leaders believe they can offer a consistent end-user experience for workers both in the office and offsite, 84% of respondents say they do not have a comprehensive measurement tool to track such an experience. The results point to a “clear disconnect” between spending among IT leaders and the impact of spending on EX, the report notes.

And while IT teams universally plan to increase their budget and spending in 2022, 56% of respondents say the budget for EX tools will take up just 1% to 10% of their total financial outlay. With research showing that unreliable IT service and equipment plays a major role in the Great Resignation, finding a way to track EX will be valuable to overall employee retention, the report notes.

Overall, IT leaders need to find proactive ways of monitoring for digital disruption before EX is impacted, and IT leaders need complete visibility across applications, systems, and devices to create positive digital EX, the report added.

BrightLocal: Fake Reviews Damage Consumer Trust in Google, Amazon, and Facebook

Fresh research from UK search engine optimization (SEO) platform BrightLocal finds that the prominence of fake consumer reviews on popular sites like Google, Amazon, and Facebook significantly damages trust in those companies and the reviews that they host.

Among consumers, between 45% and 70% said they were “very” or “fairly suspicious” of reviews on Google, Amazon, or Facebook. More than two-thirds of consumers say the existence of fake reviews makes them distrustful of online reviews in general.

The research also reveals that more consumers than ever use reviews to evaluate local businesses. Nearly all, or 98%, of consumers looked at reviews for local businesses in 2021, compared to 87% in 2020, said Jamie Pitman, head of content at BrightLocal and author of the research.

“It’s clear that more needs to be done by the large companies that house fake reviews to stamp them out and regain consumer trust, especially during such a long period of uncertainty being felt the world over, Pitman said.

Sorted: Consumers Say Returns Process is Top Consideration in Online Shopping

An overwhelming majority of consumers, or 89%, identify ease of returns as their most important factor when purchasing online, according to new data from UK delivery experience platform Sorted, which found that retailers offering an appropriate returns process stand to reap the highest level of consumer loyalty.

The survey of 2,000 UK respondents also found that 61% of British shoppers would be more likely to exchange a product that had been bought online than to get a refund if the exchange process were simpler.

Conversely, 81% said they would avoid ordering from an online retailer if they perceived issues with the returns process—a concern for retailers when 29% of consumers claim to have had an unsatisfactory returns experience in the last 12 months. In a related finding, the data also revealed that 44% would not reorder from an online retailer after experiencing issues with the returns process, and that 36% would be reluctant to reorder from retailers that failed to provide clear details on the returns process.

“Retailers must learn that they can’t simply stop the brand experience the very moment an order reaches the customer’s door, but ensure a seamless process is carried right through the customer journey, “ said Carmen Carey, CEO of Sorted.