Management techniques that drive increased corporate revenues identified in study.
US workers are putting in longer hours than ever before,
resulting in increased stress, poor work-life balance and less confidence in
corporate leadership, according to results of a new ISR employee opinion study.
The latest ISR employee opinion study polled more than 50,000 US employees at
financially high-performing companies from a variety of markets, including the
consumer goods, financial services, manufacturing and professional services sectors.
Employees reporting high levels of stress and poor work-personal life balance
also reported their leaders as doing a less adequate job of setting clear
direction (63% favorable) and communicating to employees about important matters
(68% favorable) and encouraging cooperation (79% favorable). Alternatively, the
employee opinion study shows that employees reporting low levels of stress and
strong work-personal life balance scored 74% favorable on their leaders’
abilities to set direction, 75% favorable on communicating important matters and
89% favorable on encouraging cooperation.
“One of the more interesting findings that this study confirmed was the direct
connection between good management practices and an improved bottom line,” says
Dr. Rebecca Masson, Research Director at ISR.
ISR compared the current study’s results to similar recent employee satisfaction
studies linking workplace culture to key business outcomes and found managers
that sufficiently staff their departments to handle the workload, avoid
excessive workload and distribute work fairly, allow flexibility in scheduling,
and are considerate of employees’ lives outside the workplace will yield more
satisfied customers, lower rates of absenteeism and safety incidents, and
increased revenue.
Among industrialized economies, the US ranks as one of the highest in average
annual hours worked per person, and that ranking has remained virtually
unchanged since 1990, according to an International Labor Organization report.
US workers are working long hours and those hours will grow even longer as baby
boomers retire. The US labor force annual growth rate is projected to decline
from an average rate of 1.6 percent over the last 50 years to .6 percent over
the next half century (US Dept. of Labor).
How can companies maintain a productive balance between work-personal lives for
their employees in an age where the competition for talent is fierce?
“Recruiting the right people to promote your brand is vital,” says Dr. Kim
Morris, Project Director at ISR, “but employers need to invoke workplace
strategies to thwart excessive workload from labor shortages by empowering
employees from the bottom up. This can be accomplished through a variety of
ways, such as training and development opportunities, encouraging and
recognizing good performance, building team effectiveness and cooperation to
distribute and share the load, leading with a clear sense of direction, and
communicating important matters and decisions throughout the ranks.”
Other methods for maintaining a productive work-life balance, according to the
ISR findings, include the ability to promote a strong workplace management
culture. This environment is found to promote effective leadership (especially
communication and direction), strong integrity, and clear career opportunities
up and down the organization, said Dr. Morris.
ABOUT ISR
ISR is an international employee research and consulting firm. Founded in 1974,
ISR’s solutions, including employee satisfaction surveys, help organizations to
improve employee engagement, retain key talent, increase productivity, enhance
customer satisfaction, and increase shareholder value. ISR has surveyed more
than 35 million employees from more than 3,000 companies in 106 countries. For
more information, visit ISR’s website, www.isrinsight.com.
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