July 2006

Higher stress costing job satisfaction

The signs of a stressed workforce are showing in the United States, according to Randstad’s “2006 Employee Review,” conducted by Harris Interactive.

Pressures at work are escalating, thereby decreasing employees’ job satisfaction while increasing their expectations of employer leadership. Employees want opportunities for career development, an improved work/life balance, and to feel valued — and they expect employers to facilitate improvements.

Yet despite concerns about job strains and the desire for a healthier work/life balance, a majority of employees of all ages said they would endure more stress for more income.

If you’ve hired members of Gen Y (1980-1987) or Gen X (1965-1979), here are some results you may find interesting:

• Gen Y (58 percent) and Gen X (52 percent) want pathways to personal growth.

• Gen Y employees are the least likely to be interested in pay increases and most likely to be interested in learning new skills (31 percent), and

• They are more likely to value a career path (19 percent) than any other generation.

• Gen Y and Gen X take the most number of sick days. One in five (21 percent) employees reports taking a sick day to relieve stress. Compared to Matures (1900-1945), Gen Y is almost twice as likely (40 percent vs. 26 percent) to take a sick day to relieve stress, almost three times more likely (33 percent vs. 12 percent) to attribute working too many hours to absenteeism, and almost four times as likely (23 percent vs. 6 percent) to use a sick day for personal errands.

Another interesting finding is that small companies (41 percent) are more likely to be concerned with hiring the right person with the right skills; while large companies (31 percent) regard retaining and motivating employees as the most important business issue.

Two of the top employment issues from 2005, hiring the right people with the right skills and employee retention and motivation, again were named the top issues by employers in 2006.

Sources: Randstad USA, www.us.randstad.com; Harris Interactive, www.harrisinteractive.com

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