"In the past year, we saw major shifts in organizational structures as employers sought to accommodate and support employees who were suddenly working in remote, hybrid or vastly different in-person environments," said Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of SHRM. "The pandemic has certainly changed where and how we work, leaving it up to business leaders and HR professionals to create more seamless threads of positive culture that boost employee satisfaction and productivity."

Among the other key findings:

Almost all HR professionals (99%) agree that they encourage a culture of open and transparent communication, but 27% of employees disagree.

• More than one-third of working Americans indicated that their manager does not know how to lead a team, and 26% of people managers said their workplace does not provide leadership training.
• More than half of employees who have left a job in the past five years because of workplace culture indicated it was because of a relationship with their manager.
• Only 22% of workers who stayed at a job it was because of a relationship with their manager.

One-third of working Americans indicated that their organization's culture makes it difficult to balance their work and home commitments.

• Many employees (45%) put off important things in their personal life because of work demands.
• Nearly three in five employees leave work feeling exhausted.
• Workplace culture makes 30% of employees irritable at home.
• 14% of employees do not feel engaged with their work tasks, and 30% dread going to work.

Forty-four percent of surveyed employees who worked remotely at least some of the time reported feeling isolated or disconnected.

• 43% indicated that they worry other people don't think they are working hard enough while being remote.
• Women overall were more likely than men to indicate negative effects of poor workplace culture than men.

Although workplace culture plays a big role in overall job satisfaction, it is not the only reason organizations have experienced decreased morale and increased talent losses during the pandemic. According to HR professionals surveyed by SHRM, the top three reasons people voluntarily leave their jobs are lack of career growth opportunities, negative relationships with managers and salary concerns.

Read more: 

• Despite best of intentions, DEI strategies often fall short
• Flexibility, remote work and DEI focus key to tackling today's hiring challenges
• The difference between DEI words and actions