Bosses overrate workforce morale, survey says

It hardly seems a news flash that a recession could result in lower morale among employees, but a new survey suggests that bosses are having a hard time grasping that concept.

The survey is from the Human Capital Institute and Monster.com, an online career and recruitment company with much of its operations in Maynard.

According to the survey, there is a disconnect between the way that employers and employees view the recession. Case in point: "Employers are vastly overrating the morale of their employees as 84 percent of those surveyed indicated a belief that their workforce is content to simply to have a job while only 58 percent of workers feel that way," the survey said.

The survey also found that 57 percent of workers "believe employers are exploiting the recession to drive longer hours and lower pay from their workforces."

In other words, many bosses think that hard times have so beaten their workforces into submission that employees will do almost anything to hang on to a job. But resentment among the minions is kindling, the survey suggests, and some employees plan to bolt to a new company when the recovery kicks in - we're talking a true recovery here, not a jobless one. In any case, the wily boss would be well advised to throw a puppy treat or two to the help now and then. (Memo to the chief: Free cookies are generally welcome.)

Employers "need to better understand the mindset of their employees," Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster, said in a statement. "As the economy rebounds, those workplaces that have not invested in their people could face a mass exodus of employees, potentially crippling the business.”

Monster and the Human Capital Institute said their survey of 700 companies and 5,000 US workers was conducted in May and June.

Monster has relationships with many media organizations including The Boston Globe and Boston.com. (Globe Staff)