According to a new national survey of 7,718 employees over 18, 34 percent of workers say they never plan to retire. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive for Age Wave and The Concours Group.
''These people are the most engaged in their work, and the most productive,'' says Tamara Erickson, executive vice president of The Concours Group. ''They love work.''
At the same time, workers plan to be creative with their later work years, with 12 percent of those who plan to keep working that they plan to work full time, 39 percent wanting to work part time, and 49 percent desiring periods of employment, followed by periods of leisure.
This ''periodic'' retirement plan favored by the majority shows that employers will have to rethink retirement, Erickson says.
''Employers will have to find a way to tap into this,'' she says. ''Flexibility and customization are evident as desirable up and down the line.''
While that commitment to work may be good news to employers looking to hang on to experienced and knowledgeable workers, the survey didn't offer such a happy picture for other workers and the attitudes toward employment.
At a time of corporate scandals involving top brass and continuing layoffs, the survey found that more than half of American employees question the basic morality of top leadership and say their managers do not treat them fairly.
In fact, supervisors caught the brunt of the dissatisfaction, with only 29 percent of workers believing management cares about advancing employee skills. One-third of all workers said they felt they have reached a dead end in their jobs.
Only 20 percent of workers feel passionate about their jobs, which Erickson found ''dismaying.''
She said that while management experts may talk about turning ''satisfied'' customers into ''delighted'' customers, it's time employers found ways to turn ''satisfied'' employees into ''enthusiastic, engaged'' employees.
Interestingly, that lack of engagement starts in the management ranks. The survey showed that managers were only a bit more positive than employees about the companies they are supposed to be leading. Specifically, while 63 percent agree that they care about the organization's future, more than a third do not. Why? It could be because just a little more than one-third of them feels that their organization inspires them to do their best or at least try to promote the organization as a great place to work.
The survey also found:
l Young workers are the unhappiest in their jobs, the most likely to leave their job, and feel the least amount of loyalty to the employer.
l Employees at small companies (those with 49 or fewer employees) are more likely to feel engaged at work than those in large, corporate organizations. About 44 percent at smaller employers said they are ''energized'' by their work, while only 28 percent at large firms reported such a feeling. Those at smaller companies are more likely to care about the fate of the organization and more willing to put in extra work needed to make the venture successful than those at large companies.
l Overall, health care coverage is the No. 1 employee priority, outranking retirement benefits and prescription drug coverage.
l Beyond getting the traditional benefits, more employees are looking for jobs that provide them with a chance to learn and grow.
l Workers are seeking better balance between work and their personal life. Nearly all employees said they wanted more time off, ranking paid vacation time as their single biggest desire - even over paid maternity leave and flex time.
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Anita Bruzzese can be reached c/o Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Va. 22107.
