Measuring employee perceptions

Employee engagement supports workforce retention and performance. An annual employee survey assesses UBS's corporate culture and levels of employee engagement. A core set of questions across all divisions provides a comprehensive view of employee opinions.

48,205 employees, or 60% of UBS's employee population, participated in the survey conducted in June / July 2008. Most measures declined compared with earlier years. For example, 67% of respondents were very satisfied with UBS as a place to work (compared with 80% in 2007) and 77% reported high motivation to contribute beyond what is expected of them (versus 83% in 2007). These overall satisfaction ratings covering the period between June 2007 and June 2008 show the continued dedication of UBS employees despite the challenges. However, the survey results also clearly revealed a perceived lack of communication from senior management.

UBS and its business divisions take these results seriously. The GEB committed to increasing employee communication through employee events, intranet and e-mail. Additionally, dialogue with managing directors across UBS increased to ensure they had accurate, updated information about UBS to share with their teams.