Are employees unhappy at work? My take is that a lot are, and there’s been a lot written in the past year (much of it by me) to support both that thinking as well as the notion that all of those unhappy employees are poised and ready to jump to a new job whenever the getting seems good.
Well, just when you thought that was the case, here comes another survey by Accenture, the global management and consulting company, that puts a little different spin on all of that.
Yes, employees may be unhappy and dissatisfied with their work, but guess what? Dissatisfied or not, “a majority of professionals say they plan to stay with their current employers.”
According to new global research from Accenture titled “The Path Forward,” more than half of both the women and men surveyed (57 percent and 59 percent, respectively) are dissatisfied with their jobs. Despite that job dissatisfaction, however, more than two-thirds (69 percent) of all respondents said they don’t plan to leave their current employers, with nearly the same number (64 percent) citing flexible work arrangements as the reason for wanting to stay put.
If you’re surprised by all of this, well, count me in on that, too, because this is a brand new twist on what has been a growing sense (backed by all sorts of research) that workers were not only unhappy but ready to bolt once the economy improved enough to do so. But why the change — now — after years of growing unhappiness and dissatisfaction?
“We’re looking at a new normal in the workplace,” said Nellie Borrero, Inclusion & Diversity lead at Accenture, in a press release about the survey. “Employees are defining success in a variety of ways, customizing their own approaches and balancing personal demands with their desire to succeed. The challenge for employers is to help employees fully integrate the whole spectrum of work and life needs over the course of their careers.”
I’m sure that’s all a big part of the answer, but I wonder: could it be that the sluggish economic recovery has also slowed the hopes of workers who were ready to go but now are reconsidering that desire? My guess is yes, that has something to do with this change-of-heart that Accenture’s research seems to have tapped into.
Perhaps these two findings put a stronger spotlight on that:
“Despite current challenges, employees are still striving for success — and energized, engaged employees remain a competitive advantage,” said Adrian Lajtha, Accenture’s chief leadership officer. “Since the majority of today’s professionals are not job hunting, leading companies must capitalize on this moment in time to equip their people with clearly defined career paths that include innovative training, leadership development and opportunities for advancement.”
Some of the other areas the Accenture research focused on include:
Accenture conducted the online survey of 3,900 business executives from medium to large organizations in 31 countries during November/December 2011. the countries included Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
A minimum of 100 respondents from each country participated, with the exception of Norway/Sweden/Denmark/Finland, where the combined number of respondents totaled 200. Respondents were split evenly by gender and were balanced by age and level in their organizations. The margin of error for the total sample was approximately +/-2 percent.
“The Path Forward” is an interesting piece of research (and pegged to International Women’s Day on March 8) because it offers a different conclusion to the notion that unhappy employees simply leave for greener pastures when they get a chance. Yes, maybe they would if the economy would cooperate, but when it doesn’t (for a considerable period of time), pragmatic instincts start to kick in and they find reasons to justify staying put.
That’s my take anyway. Maybe you have a different spin or analysis. If that’s the case, I’d love to hear what your conclusion might be in the comments here.
