Human Resources: Executive Summary:Work Ethic and Attitudes

U.S. workers log more hours than most other workers around the globe. In fact, nearly 40% of workers report they work about 50 hours weekly, but most won't complain. Joe Robinson, founder of the Work to Live Web site, told CNN, "People have been traumatized by the last 15 years of downsizing and the last few years of recession. Everyone's afraid they'll be next." Yet based on tenure data, these hard workers appear to be loyal to their employers and pretty happy with their immediate supervisors. On the other hand, some research shows that job satisfaction is the lowest it's been in years and, once the job market improves, many are ready to find new jobs.

Many employees feel anxious about today's world and are often cynical about corporate practices and business leaders in general. Job satisfaction is at an eight-year low, according to a survey of 5,000 U.S. households in July 2003 by the research group The Conference Board. It found that slightly fewer than half (49%) of U.S. employees are satisfied with their jobs, the lowest level since the firm began to survey on this subject in 1995. "The level of job satisfaction has been steadily on the decline since reaching nearly 59% in 1995," according to Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board's Consumer Research Center. Franco links such dissatisfaction to technological advances that blur the line between work and home life, increasing stress, causing health problems and straining family relationships.

Terrorism, war and economic slowdowns have also had an impact on work attitudes. Nearly 40% of employees report feeling anxious and distracted by national and international events, according to a survey conducted by the employee-recognition specialists O.C. Tanner Company and market research company Wirthlin Worldwide. In addition, business scandals have made workers wary of corporate leaders in general, with 53% of U.S. workers responding to an Employment Law Alliance survey saying they have little trust in corporate executives to solve problems. So far, though, employees certainly haven't been voting with their feet. Quit rates are the lowest they've been in decades.

In fact, staffing service Randstad conducted a poll that found fully 87% of workers said they're either very (56%) or somewhat (31%) satisfied with their supervisor/manager. It's hard to say how much of this "loyalty" is driven by economic security and a feeling of "job lock" versus how much is actual organizational commitment. A recent survey from the Society for Human Resource Professionals found fully 83% of employees plan to look for new work once the job market improves.

A spike in voluntary turnover would prove costly. Turnover already costs the nation billions annually, and 56% of employees don't stay for more than two years in a job. That's one reason that some experts think it's critical for employers to quickly bring down rates of dissatisfaction.

Making workers feel better about their jobs isn't just a matter of raising compensation levels. In fact, as long as they're compensated fairly, employees value being appreciated and having an interesting job more highly than they value wages or even employment security. Managers can boost workers' satisfaction and loyalty by cultivating good relationships with them, according to research conducted by the Gallup Organization. This means making sure employees have the right tools for their jobs, explaining what's expected of them, encouraging their professional development, and providing recognition and praise for good work.

To have full access to this report, become a member of i4cp today at www.i4cp.com.

The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp, inc.) improves corporate productivity through a combination of research, community, tools and technology focused on the management of human capital. With more than 100 leading organizations as members, including many of the best-known companies in the world, i4cp draws upon one of the industry’s largest and most-experienced research teams and Executives-in-Residence to produce more than 10,000 pages annually of rapid, reliable and respected research and analysis surrounding all facets of the management of people in organizations. Additionally, i4cp identifies and analyzes the upcoming major issues and future trends that are expected to influence workforce productivity and provides member clients with tools and technology to execute leading-edge strategies and "next" practices on these issues and trends. i4cp is a for-profit company with offices in St. Petersburg, Florida.