Which countries feel best about their workplace culture? 

Some people think their workplace culture is amazing. Others... not so much. It turns out the same is true of countries. While every nation has its own nuances, there’s no doubt that professionals working in some regions tend to have a higher opinion of their workplace culture than those working in others. The question is: Why? 

This was something we wanted to learn more about in our global report, The 15th Annual Pulse of Talent: Calibrating culture in the age of agility. To better understand how people feel about their workplace culture, we asked 9,489 people from nine countries a single question:   

Thinking only about your employer’s culture, how likely are you to recommend your current employer to your family and friends as a potential employer? 

Then, we used their answers (a number from 1 to 10, with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest) to break these people into three groups: 
 

• Culture Detractors (scores of 1 to 6) 
• Culture Passives (7 to 8) 
• Culture Promoters (9 to 10) 

Finally, we subtracted the overall percentage of Culture Detractors from Culture Promoters to nail down each country’s overall score according to our Dayforce Workplace Culture Index (WCI).¹  

Let’s look at how each country performed. 

Country scores by Dayforce Workplace Culture Index (WCI) 

• The United States (+25) 
• Malaysia (+24) 
• Singapore (+21) 
• The United Kingdom (+15) 
• Germany (+7)  
• New Zealand (0) 
• Australia (0)  
• Canada (-1)  
• Japan (-66) 

As you can see, there’s a pretty big spread in the scores here. We’re going to go country by country to see why workers in some countries were so keen on workplace culture and others less so.   

The United States 

WCI Score: +25 

Like its fellow highest-performing WCI countries, Malaysia and Singapore, the U.S. was at the top of the pack for nearly every question linked to strong company culture. But there were a few standout areas that help explain its unique success.  

Best in benefits: Respondents from the U.S. were more likely than those from any other WCI country to agree the benefits offered by their company met their needs (69% compared to the global average of 55%). 

Dynamic internal mobility: The U.S. had the highest reported level of opportunity for professionals to move into a new role on another team or department, with 44% of respondents saying they had these opportunities at least once a year.  

Exceptional promotion incentives: U.S. respondents reported the highest level of access to promotions at work, with an incredible four in 10 saying they were offered a promotion opportunity at least once a year.  

Malaysia 

WCI Score: +24 

Like the U.S., Malaysia ranked at the top of nearly every survey question correlated with strong company culture. But there were a few places where it stood alone among the countries we studied.  

Uncompromising on culture: Respondents based in Malaysia were more likely than those from any other country to say they would or have turned down a job because the company’s culture didn’t seem like the right fit (78% compared to a strong WCI peer like Singapore at 62%). 

Confidence in skills: Malaysia-based respondents reported the highest level of confidence in their skills, with more than eight in 10 respondents either somewhat or strongly agreeing they have in-demand skills.  

Strong access to learning: Malaysia had the highest reported access to professional learning opportunities, with 85% of respondents saying they’ve had learning/training opportunities in the past year compared to its WCI peer the U.S., which had a rate of only 72%.   

Deep connection between coworkers: Malaysia reported the highest level of connection between coworkers, with an inspiring seven out of 10 respondents saying they felt very or extremely connected with their peers.  

Singapore 

WCI Score: +21 

Like Malaysia and the U.S., Singapore performed well for nearly every question correlated with a high WCI score. Here were some areas where it really stood out. 

Bullish on technology: Singapore had the highest confidence among countries studied when it came to using AI in the workplace, with three in four respondents saying the technology would have a somewhat or extremely positive impact on workplace culture. This same trust also spanned other AI-related questions covering areas like “AI is used responsibly in my company” (69% agreement) and “We use AI at my company to help us make better decisions” (68%).  

With results like these, it’s little wonder that Singapore also had the highest reported rate of respondents having “All the technology I need at work to be efficient in my job,” with three in four somewhat or strongly agreeing. This question was highly correlated with positive workplace culture experiences among all countries studied.  

Strong trust for employers: Singapore’s trust toward technology might be due in part to its trust for employers. In this category, Singapore also had the highest rating among countries studied, with 76% of respondents somewhat or strongly agreeing that they trust their employer.  

The United Kingdom 

WCI Score: +15 

With a strong WCI score of +15, the United Kingdom missed the study’s top group by only a few points. This small gap revealed unique strengths for the country’s workplace culture, along with some areas where it might still move the needle in a positive direction.  

There’s more to life than money: The U.K. was the only studied country where respondents rated two job attributes more highly than compensation. These were flexibility/work-life balance and job security. When looking for a new job, U.K. respondents were also less likely to cite compensation as a major motivator, with only 35% mentioning it compared to the global average of 45%.  

Keen on employer values: Within the U.K., employees who loved their company’s culture most (the Culture Promoters) were an incredible 4.6x more likely than Culture Detractors to stay in their current job because their values aligned with their employer’s. The strength of this correlation was unique among the countries studied. 

Opportunities for improved benefits: Compared to a best-in-class WCI performer like the U.S., U.K. respondents were less likely to agree that the benefits offered by their employer met their needs (57% vs. 69%). Boosting benefits could be a powerful way for U.K. employers to drive better culture and performance.  

Germany  

WCI Score: +7 

Germany is in the unique position of being above average in its WCI score, but also in a position to do significantly better, especially if organisations in the country can improve managers’ connection with their teams and executives.   

Strong on flexibility and skills: Overall, German respondents reported very strong levels of flexibility offered by their employers. Similarly, 78% of respondents agreed that they possessed in-demand skills, which was very robust among the countries studied and a potentially important driver for Germany’s above-average WCI score.  

Excellent connection to higher levels of the company: Germany was uniquely strong for respondents’ sense of connection to the higher levels of their company, coming first globally for their sense of connection to their organisation’s mission and very near the top for their connection to executives and coworkers.  

A huge opportunity to connect with managers: Despite a very strong sense of connection to all other levels of their organisation, Germany ranked uniquely low for respondents’ sense of connection to their managers, with just over one in three reporting they felt very or extremely connected. Since managers play such a critical role in workplace culture, strengthening this connection could significantly improve Germany’s WCI score.  

New Zealand  

WCI Score: 0 

Like its WCI peers Australia and Canada, New Zealand effectively has the same number of Culture Promoters as it does Culture Detractors. Here’s a look at where workplace culture is thriving in New Zealand and where it has the biggest opportunities for improvement.  

Big emphasis on culture, growth, and innovation: Overall, New Zealand-based respondents believed strongly in the importance of workplace culture, with seven in 10 rating it as very important – well above the global average of 59%. The country was also more likely than others to value growth and innovation as the most important attributes of a company, and less likely to value empathetic leadership. As we’ll see in the next section, this interest in growth and innovation marks a potential place where the highest levels of a company and the broader workforce could forge a deeper sense of connection. 

Organisational challenges: Like their counterparts in Australia and Canada, New Zealand respondents were bearish on the potential impact of AI on workplace culture, with only 45% thinking it’ll have a positive impact compared to the 51% global average. They were a further 10% lower than the global average to say their company uses AI to make better decisions. They also expressed a below-average sense of connection to their organisation’s mission and executives.  

Strength from the middle out: New Zealand possesses much of the foundation necessary to build stronger workplace cultures. While respondents reported low levels of connection to executives and organisational missions, they were well above the global average for connection to managers. They also reported the strongest access to on-the-job learning among the countries studied at 53% of respondents. Better yet, improved communication on the organisation’s vision for growth and innovation could have a uniquely powerful impact in New Zealand compared to the other countries studied, helping to bridge the gap between executives, the workforce, and organisational mission through a shared passion for growth and innovation.   

Australia  

WCI Score: 0 

Lack of connection to executives: Compared to other countries studied, respondents based in Australia reported a low sense of connection to their executives, with only 27% agreeing that they felt very or extremely connected to these leaders. This contrasts with a country like Germany, where 43% of respondents expressed this feeling of connection. Improved communication from the executive level could have a significant positive impact on workplace culture in Australia.   

Looking to their managers: Compared to other countries, respondents in Australia were much more likely to feel that managers were most responsible for creating a strong workplace culture (48% vs. 37%). In response to these findings, Australian companies might consider adopting technologies that free up more of their managers’ time to engage more deeply with workers.  

A unique blend of work-life priorities: When it came to respondents’ basic work-life values, Australia diverged from the other countries studied in several interesting ways. They were significantly more likely to say an improved culture would help them feel more engaged (59%), and equally more likely to say it would help their mental health and/or burnout (55%). They were also more likely to cite “Sense of purpose” among their three most important job attributes. Companies in the country can use this information to tailor their HCM strategies to speak to this unique blend of priorities and boost workplace culture in the process.  

Canada 

WCI Score: -1 

With the second-lowest WCI score among countries studied, Canada might look like it has a lot of work to do. But the findings suggest that Canada has a strong foundation for improving workplace culture, and that targeted investments could bring significant benefits.   

Getting down to business: When we asked Canada-based respondents “What makes a company great?”, they were significantly more likely than the global average to cite “high performance against goals” and “innovation,” and less likely to cite “empathetic leadership.” They were also more likely than the global average to agree that “increased productivity” and “reduced absenteeism” were among the top three things a strong culture can achieve. This commitment to performance and innovation marks an important place where the right corporate communication strategy can help Canada’s workforce find deeper connection with managers, executives, and their organisational mission.  

Lagging professional growth: If you’re wondering why Canada’s WCI score was lower than some of its peer countries, the first place to look would be opportunities for professional development. Canada tied New Zealand as the highest among western countries for citing “Don’t have opportunities for growth” as a main reason for seeking a new job, with one in three respondents saying so. They were also the most likely among all countries other than Japan to report never having access to job rotations, opportunities to move into a new role, job shadowing, or promotions. In these areas, they were at the opposite end of the spectrum as their high-performing southern neighbor, the U.S.  

Taking flight: The lack of access to professional growth might be a main driver behind Canada’s elevated flight risk numbers, as it ranked highest of all studied countries for respondents saying they were actively seeking a new job. The likelihood of leaving one job for another might also be fueled by the fact that Canada-based respondents were more likely than the global average to agree that they had in-demand skills and that they weren’t paid fairly for the work they do. Companies that focus on enhanced communication and career development might see these efforts having an outsized impact in Canada, where the foundation of skills and passion can be unlocked by targeted HCM efforts.  

Japan 

WCI Score: -66 

With a WCI score of -66, Japan saw its respondents give the lowest range of ratings to virtually all questions we asked about workplace culture. But it’s worth highlighting how these gaps speak to the unique opportunities facing this country.  

The murky path forward: When we reviewed the study’s results, we found that Japan’s low WCI score stemmed mostly from respondents’ view of the future, specifically when it came to opportunities for growth. Only one in four respondents agreed they could see a path forward in their current organisation that aligned with their career goals. Compared to the rest of the countries studied, Japan respondents were also 2.5x more likely to say their employer offered no professional development or learning opportunities at all.  

Staying put: Next, we wanted to know why so many respondents from Japan planned on staying in their current role if their satisfaction levels were so low. We found that respondents in Japan were 2.5x more likely than the global average to say they’d remain in their current role due to lack of other job opportunities. This lack of planned mobility was also correlated with respondents’ low confidence in their own skills, with Japan-based respondents being less than half as likely as the global average to agree they possessed in-demand skills (30% vs 64%).  

Significant opportunities: When looking to the future of workplace culture in Japan, it’s worth considering where the country is uniquely strong and where it has the biggest opportunity to improve.  

Two areas where Japanese employers might have the biggest impact on workplace culture are performance evaluations and technology. In these two critical areas, Japan saw some of its biggest gaps with the rest of the WCI countries. Only 17% of respondents in Japan agreed that their company used performance evaluations effectively compared to the 65% global average. And only one in four said they had all the technology they needed to be efficient in their job, a significantly low answer to a question that was highly correlated with strong WCI scores.

It’s worth noting that respondents in Japan were more likely than the global average to report that improved culture would motivate them to work harder. So, any investment that employers make in technology and enhanced performance evaluations, combined with better opportunities for career pathing and growth, could have a really positive impact on their organisation’s workplace culture – and the business benefits that flow from it. 

1. Readers familiar with brand research will likely recognise this question’s similarity with the one used to assess an Employee Net Promoter Score. We used this same research question, structure, and methodology with a culture-focused approach to create our Workplace Culture Index (WCI). The WCI scores you see cited in this studied represent the overall percentage of a country’s respondents who replied to the question with scores of nine or 10 – Culture Promoters – minus the percentage of respondents who replied to the question with scores of six or lower.