E-Mail This Article

View Archive Articles

1/9/05

ON THE JOB
Task/satisfaction link may hold some truth

	More from BostonWorks
		Featured Articles: There are other ways to save Balancing Acts Welcome home, dear Climb Have a plan to fight workplace harassment The Corporate Curmudgeon Is anyone really listening? Job Doc Prove that you've changed Transitions Focusing inward View from the Cube Making a case for naps Who's, What, Where This week's promotions The Job Blog Keep up to date with career news from around the web RSS XML Feed (What's this?)

There appears to be some truth to the old adage that the more you work, the more satisfied you're likely to be.

At least that's what Sirota Consulting, the attitude research firm, is reporting.

The company says that an ongoing longitudinal survey of 800,000 employees at 61 firms worldwide, two-thirds of them in the United States, suggests that job satisfaction is closely tied to how many tasks one has. In other words, people with too little to do aren't very happy. By contrast, those who must do the work of two or three feel overburdened, but are more satisfied with their jobs than employees with fewer responsibilities.

The most satisfied employees of all in the survey were those who say they have just the right amount of work. They rated their overall satisfaction with their jobs at 73 on a 100-point scale. Those with the second highest satisfaction were those who have ''too much work.''

When Sirota analyzed the results of the study, it found that workers with much too little to do ranked their job satisfaction at 32 on a 100-point scale, the lowest measurement calculated. By contrast, workers with too much work said their overall job satisfaction was 57 out of 100, significantly higher than their less challenged peers.

Jeffrey Saltzman, the chief executive of Sirota, said most workers are not content with simply getting by. They'd rather be real contributors, even if it means carrying a heavier workload, he said

Could that kind of reasoning provide employers with an excuse to heap more work on beleaguered employees?

Saltzman said employers really don't need an excuse. In an era of mergers, layoffs, and rightsizing, many US workers have been forced to take on jobs that their laid off coworkers used to have. Still, Saltzman said, many companies are not aware of the consequences of heaping too much work on employees for long periods of time.

''It is doable to load people up with extra work for a few years,'' he said. ''They will put their shoulders to the wheel and they will get things done. They can also keep up the super workload for a period of one to three years, but it is not sustainable.'' After that employees burn out, absenteeism goes up, unhappy workers quit, and morale suffers.

STRATEGY
Firms look internally to improve performance

Companies that want to improve performance pay attention to much more than the bottom line, according to a study published by the University of Michigan. The report, titled the Leadership Pulse Study, is based on a survey of 456 executives. They were asked, ''What are you doing to improve your company's performance beyond cutting costs?''

Of those polled, 27 percent said they are undertaking companywide initiatives to improve performance. Seventeen percent said they are focusing on strategies such as partnerships that can help grow business opportunities and sales. Thirteen percent are providing their employees with more training, seminars and educational opportunities and resources. And 11 percent are trying to motivate and encourage their employees to improve their work and interactions with clients or customers. Eight percent are counting on new products and services to boost sales performance in the US marketplace.

The study also revealed that:

• Seven percent are implementing new technology to streamline operations.
   
• Seven percent are boosting recruitment.
   
• Six percent are trying to improve internal communications.
   
• Four percent have decided to improve customer service.

Theresa Welbourne, author of the study and a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, said the results suggest that corporate leaders are primarily focusing on internal practices in their push to improve performance.

''Reading through the comments you realize how much senior executives are looking to their workforce for ideas and help in improving firm performance,'' she said.

LAWSUIT
EEOC, Northwest settle disability case

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Northwest Airlines Inc. have settled a lawsuit alleging that the airline excluded disabled applicants with epilepsy or diabetes from working as cleaners or as ramp equipment service workers.

Northwest denied the allegations, but said it decided to voluntarily enter into a settlement to avoid a protracted lawsuit. The company agreed to settle the three-year-old case by paying $510,000 to the 28 workers who filed complaints with the EEOC charging the airline with violating a federal law barring employers from discriminating against disabled workers.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, employers must make reasonable efforts to hire people with disabilities.

The law also says that disabled workers must be paid the same amount as other workers, and must be given the same opportunity to advance.

''This lawsuit was an important reminder to employers that the ADA requires that they give individualized assessments to their employees with disabilities to determine whether they can perform their jobs with or without reasonable accommodations,'' said Chester V. Bailey, district director of the EEOC's Milwaukee office.

WORKPLACE
Many in dark over employer's strategy

Even though managers talk about business strategy, more than 30 percent of American workers do not know where their employers are headed, according to Novations, an international consulting and training company.

Novations based its findings on data it gathered from 90 US firms over the last five years. Of those polled, 64 percent of the workers said they were certain their employers have developed a strategy for future business. Sixty-two percent reported they know what the strategy is.

Typically, corporate leaders fail to reach about one-third of the workforce when they send out memos or hold meetings about their company's business strategy, said Joseph Kaplan, director of Novations' measurement practice.

Workers who did not receive the communication are more likely to say that they mistrust corporate leaders or feel dissatisfied with top management.

''We have abundant findings to reinforce that point,'' Kaplan said. ''Only 52 percent of employees are satisfied with their company's management, only 48 percent say management keeps its commitments to employees and just 42 percent say management reports information honestly to its employees.''

Kaplan advises top managers spend more time communicating directly with frontline workers rather than only through supervisory staff.

--Diane E. Lewis

E-Mail This Article

View Archive Articles