Pay freezes higher among EMEA-based organisations

The research, Clear direction in a complex world, surveyed 604 international organisations.

It also found that only a third of organisations in EMEA create an integrated communication and change-management strategy, compared to half globally.

Globally, two-thirds of organisations provide clear direction to employees when managing change, compared to only half in EMEA.

Nicola Cull, director of communications and change management at Towers Watson, said: “Organisations need to communicate a clear story about the business and the changes that occur.

“Creating greater certainty, confidence and engagement with employees has a significant impact on employee motivation, engagement and retention, and this in turn is shown to be fundamental to better financial performance

“The best organisations are not afraid of change. The most effective communication and change management relies on the hard work of creating clear, relevant, measurable programmes that drive results.”