Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Tweet[IWS] Mercer (UK): "UNREASONABLE" WORKLOADS for EMPLOYEES SURVEY [12 December 2005]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Mercer
Survey shows employees have 'unreasonable' workloads
UK
London, 12 December 2005
http://www.mercerhr.com/pressrelease/details.jhtml/dynamic/idContent/1204230;jsessionid=FRYJ1N21L2BKUCTGOUFCIIQKMZ0QUI2C
Many employees are now expected to take on the workload of more than one person, according to a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Only 55% of the people surveyed say there are enough people in their department to handle the workload. Furthermore, less than two-thirds (62%) believe the amount of work they are asked to do is reasonable. The survey covered a cross-section of over 1,000 British workers.
"It is hardly surprising that stress is now one of the major causes of long-term sickness absence in the UK," said David Tong, Principal at Mercer. "As companies continue to cut back costs, there is an increasing expectation that employees will take on additional responsibilities. Young professionals have always felt the need to work much longer than the traditional 35-hour week to prove themselves and claw their way up the career ladder - now other employees are expected to follow suit."
He added: "It is concerning that, while the UK is seeking to increase productivity, almost 4 in 10 employees believe the department they work in is not run efficiently. Many employees are under pressure from their workloads because they are compensating for poor processes and work organisation."
Under two-thirds of the employees surveyed (65%) say they are able to maintain a healthy balance between their work and personal lives. "Many organisations claim they offer flexible working arrangements, but most of these schemes are available to only a select group of employees," said Mr Tong. "By being more adaptable to people's personal circumstances, companies can help to retain a healthier and more engaged workforce."
According to the survey, just half the respondents (50%) believe managers in their organisation understand the problems employees experience in their jobs. "Often managers are too caught up in day-to-day pressures to listen to their employees. But if staff do not feel their managers support or empathise with them, they are likely to become frustrated and disaffected," Mr Tong commented.
"Employee attitude surveys can help uncover problem areas and show line managers where they should be focusing their efforts to improve morale and productivity," he added.
Notes to Editors:
The results are from Mercer's What's Working Survey and are based on data collected from a survey of 1,119 working adults in Britain representing a broad cross-section of industries. Respondents completed an employee opinion survey about their perceptions of their job, organisation, work environment, compensation, benefits and the management of their organisation. The weighted survey results are representative of the entire British workforce and individual industry sectors.
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky *
Director, IWS News Bureau *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor *
New York, NY 10016 *
*
Telephone: (607) 255-2703 *
Fax: (607) 255-9641 *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu *
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_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies
School of Industrial & Labor Relations
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10016
________________________________________________________________________
Mercer
Survey shows employees have 'unreasonable' workloads
UK
London, 12 December 2005
http://www.mercerhr.com/pressrelease/details.jhtml/dynamic/idContent/1204230;jsessionid=FRYJ1N21L2BKUCTGOUFCIIQKMZ0QUI2C
Many employees are now expected to take on the workload of more than one person, according to a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Only 55% of the people surveyed say there are enough people in their department to handle the workload. Furthermore, less than two-thirds (62%) believe the amount of work they are asked to do is reasonable. The survey covered a cross-section of over 1,000 British workers.
"It is hardly surprising that stress is now one of the major causes of long-term sickness absence in the UK," said David Tong, Principal at Mercer. "As companies continue to cut back costs, there is an increasing expectation that employees will take on additional responsibilities. Young professionals have always felt the need to work much longer than the traditional 35-hour week to prove themselves and claw their way up the career ladder - now other employees are expected to follow suit."
He added: "It is concerning that, while the UK is seeking to increase productivity, almost 4 in 10 employees believe the department they work in is not run efficiently. Many employees are under pressure from their workloads because they are compensating for poor processes and work organisation."
Under two-thirds of the employees surveyed (65%) say they are able to maintain a healthy balance between their work and personal lives. "Many organisations claim they offer flexible working arrangements, but most of these schemes are available to only a select group of employees," said Mr Tong. "By being more adaptable to people's personal circumstances, companies can help to retain a healthier and more engaged workforce."
According to the survey, just half the respondents (50%) believe managers in their organisation understand the problems employees experience in their jobs. "Often managers are too caught up in day-to-day pressures to listen to their employees. But if staff do not feel their managers support or empathise with them, they are likely to become frustrated and disaffected," Mr Tong commented.
"Employee attitude surveys can help uncover problem areas and show line managers where they should be focusing their efforts to improve morale and productivity," he added.
Notes to Editors:
The results are from Mercer's What's Working Survey and are based on data collected from a survey of 1,119 working adults in Britain representing a broad cross-section of industries. Respondents completed an employee opinion survey about their perceptions of their job, organisation, work environment, compensation, benefits and the management of their organisation. The weighted survey results are representative of the entire British workforce and individual industry sectors.
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
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# posted by SBasefsky : 9:24 AM
