| What
Makes Employees Happy? - November
2004
"Does HR Know What Employees Value
Most?"
What do workers say will make them happy?
The answer varies depending on whom you ask.
Job Security
Employees say job security. Employees say "job security"
is very important to their satisfaction levels. The top three
aspects that are "very important" to worker satisfaction:
Job security (65%);
Benefits (64%); and
Communication between employees and management (62%).
Communication
HR professionals say communication. But what do HR professionals
think workers need to be satisfied on the job? HR professionals
ranked the following as "very important" to workers'
happiness:
Communication between employees and
management (77%);
Recognition by management (62%);
Relationship with immediate supervisor (61%).
Considering the differences in responses,
the question raised is whether HR professionals are in tune
with employees. The survey indicates that HR professionals
believe that employees place a significant emphasis on workplace
relationships. Employees, however, are focused more toward
the tangible items like benefits and job security, possibly
due to the current economic environment.
Demographics define differences. Opinions
also differed by employees' age and gender. Workers age 35
and younger rated communication and work/life balance as equally
important (66%), while older workers age 35 to 55 ranked job
security first (71%). Women ranked flexibility to balance
life and work issues (72%) and communication (71%) as their
top concerns, while men placed benefits (62%) and job security
(61%) as their highest priorities.
In terms of overall satisfaction with
their current job, only 11 percent of employees responding
said they were dissatisfied. The majority, a total of 77 percent,
said they are either satisfied or very satisfied with their
current job.
"Remembering the turnover that many
companies experienced in the recent past when the labor market
was very tight for skilled workers," says SHRM Vice President
of Knowledge Development, Debra Cohen, Ph.D., SPHR, "it
is interesting to note that most employees currently report
the extreme importance of job security and a high level of
job satisfaction."
The study surveyed more than 1,000 workers
and human resource professionals.
Source: The Society for Human Resource
Management (SHRM) press release.
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