A recent survey on workplace engagement has found that only one in five employees is truly engaged with their workplace. A large part of this is due to modern workplaces being too complex.

Complex workplaces make it harder for employees to understand how their work fits into the big picture, and thus leads to lowered levels of employee satisfaction. Most complex workplaces are over 50 years old, and follow pre-established and inflexible processes, rely heavily on ‘historical thinking’ and legacy infrastructure’.

In contrast, simpler organisations are those with fewer layers of management. They can streamline the approvals process and encourage communication between employees at all levels.

In these simple workplaces, employees can get their work done more easily, feel more productive and fulfilled which in turn creates ‘brand champions’ who tell anyone who cares to listen about the benefits of working for their organisation.

According to Phillip Davies, EMEA president of Siegel + Gale, “If a company invests in simplifying their workplace, they will benefit from greater levels of trust, advocacy, innovation and retention among employee. At simple organisations, employees are more likely to become brand champions because they understand and are committed to what their company stands for. Building company culture through simple experiences at work is critical. Simplicity is a topic moving rapidly up the boardroom agenda – the stakes are too high to overlook this opportunity.”

You can download the full report from brand strategy, design and experience firm Sigel + Gale here.