No Let Up in Employee Stress
Towers Watson the global human resources consulting firm is out with a new survey today. Its findings won’t surprise any employee who is experiencing stress on the job. It’s a trend that is being noticed by many employers as well and it is continuing unabated.
And employers are having trouble retaining high-potential and top performing employees. Why?
“There appears to be a mismatch between whawt employers are offering and what employees are looking for,” said Laura Sejen, blogal leader of Rewards at Tower Watson. She said employees are more focused on competive base pay and job security, perhaps not surprising considering the lingering effects of the recession. Employers, on the other hand appear to be emphasizing challenging work, their vision and values, she said.
The upshot–employees are experiencing high levels of stress, with over 70% saying that are working more hours and expect to do so over the next three years.
The stress comes from other factors as well. Only about half of employees at U.S. companies believe their salary is linkd to individual performance results, compared to 62% at global companies. And the U.S. employees saw their managers as less effective in setting individual performance goals (37% vs. 52%) giving employees regular coaching and feedback (24% vs 39%) and conducting career development discussions (19% vs 33%.)
Still leadership management programs at U.S. employers received high marks, compared to their international counterparts (95% vs. 84%).
What’s the answer? Ryan Johson, CCP, vice president of Research and Publishing for WorldatWork, says employers need to realize that engagement is a two-way street. Their competitive advantage may depend on it.
Tags: employee attitudes, leadership, management
