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George Herrmann is executive vice president of Right Management, part of work force solutions firm Manpower. He offers some solutions to growing worker frustrations.
Give details on your survey that shows job dissatisfaction is low in the West.
Numerous surveys and studies this year have revealed employee uneasiness and discontent. Right Management has conducted a number of surveys in the Western region and elsewhere in order to probe employee attitudes, productivity, retention and other workplace issues.
The findings?
Only 44 percent of employees in the West say they are fully committed to their job or employer. The region's employee engagement level lags the Middle Atlantic and Midwest regions, which are 48 percent and 45 percent, respectively. Nationally, 79 percent of workers report that their workloads have increased because of layoffs, and 57 percent say by "a lot." Three out of four employees now work more than 40 hours per week, and two out of three failed to take all their allotted vacation time last year.
Where does the frustration come from?
Even though employees may have a job while so many people are out of work, they're disgruntled weary of heavy workloads, cost-cutting, scant opportunity for advancement and skimpy raises or bonuses, if any. The frustration is largely tied to the hard realities of the economy from the poor job market to the reluctance by employers to invest, which has gone on for two years. At first, people with jobs might have been relieved just to have them. But it's no longer good enough for the boss to say, "You're lucky to have a job." What we're entering is new territory, where old assurances or excuses don't work.
How can managers change the negative attitudes?
Be realistic. Help employees by setting realistic expectations so they are more likely to be successful in completing tasks in reasonable time frames. Nurture self-management skills, such as adaptability, decisiveness, dependability, tolerance for stress and resourcefulness. Communicate frequently and consistently, and with authenticity. Be aware of workloads. Create flexible structures to accommodate different lifestyles. Employees want control over where, when and how they work, as well as the career choices they make. Don't focus on rewarding individuals for the time they put in at work, but rather reward them for what they achieve and accomplish. Recognize and promote effectiveness in accomplishing goals. And, finally, prioritize. Equip employees with decision rules to be able to identify what is important so they can focus their time appropriately. But remember that empowerment turns to abandonment if leaders aren't providing road maps for people to use in the decision process.
Give tips for employees to have a more positive outlook.
Start with yourself. Check your language and behaviors; smile choose not to react. Don't validate or encourage negativity. Don't collude with negative employees, nor validate nor encourage pessimistic thinking and beliefs. And be part of the solution. Recognize positive behaviors in others, emulate them in yourself, and come up with solutions to help balance complaints.
Dawn House George Herrmann, executive