“A telephone survey says that 51% of college students drink until they pass out at least once a month. The other 49% didn’t answer the phone.â€
Craig Kilborn
I’ve been interested in employee and organizational surveys for a long time. I have to share with you that I am often puzzled interpreting and understanding what the results from recent popular surveys are actually telling us ((Nowack, K. (1990). Getting Them Out and Getting Them Back. Training and Development, 44, 82-85)). They sure seem to be the latest PR vehicle of consulting firms looking to create some “buzz” in the market.
I really do like surveys but so often I really can’t interpret what is being reported because the “fine print” about them (things look closer than they really are in the mirror) is often hard to access or even find. I sure wish it was easy to find the answers to these questions I often have about published survey results:
1. What questions were actually asked?
2. Who actually were asked?
3. Are the people being asked like anyone else?
4. What’s the motivation of the company conducting the survey?
5. Is the sampling adequate to ensure statistical confidence in the results?
6. How many responded compared to how many were asked to reply?
7. Were differences by demographic groups statistically significant or is the gap just interesting?
8. Are the survey findings cross-sectional or longitudinal?
9. What was the survey response scale that was used?
10. Where did the questions come from?
I really like surveys but it seems that just about every business and psychology magazine I subscribe to now has a “special section” devoted to survey results. Just because mind readers charge me half-price ((Bradley Revised Neuropsychology Personality Inventory)) doesn’t totally explain how often I am left totally confused by the results from all the recent polls, surveys and best selling books based on their own questionnaires that appear in the press each day.
OK, I’m confused–What Motivates Employees?
In a recent survey by my colleague Beverly Kaye of Career Systems International on retention drivers, she found in an analysis of over 15,000 employees in diverse industries that the most critical factors included: 1) Challenging work (48%); 2) Career Growth (43%); and 3) Relationships (38%). Pay was up there as well but these findings really hammer home the shift from “job security” to the new paradigm of “employability security.” Or so I thought until I read a recent survey from the Sociey for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
The SHRM survey listed what employees said they want most of all from work: 1) Salary; 2) Benefits; 3) Job Security; 4) Work/Life Balance and 5) Better Communication to Employees from Management. These findings didn’t even seem to match what human resources practioners thought employees would say was most satisfying to them. The practitioners polled believed that the “top five” motivators would be: 1) Relationship with One’s Manager; 2) Pay; 3) Recognition; 4) Company Benefits; and 5) Better Communication to Employees from Management.
SHRM did try to explain the surprising finding of “job security” rated as high as the third most important job satisfaction driver by saying that “this aspect was less important for employees with two years or less of job tenure compared with employees having six to 10 years of tenure.” If things aren’t still clear about these survey results, maybe Paul Simon’s lyrics to his song “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” will be a good explanation.
OK, I’m confused–Do employees leave companies or bad bosses?
In a recent World of Work survey by Randstad, one-third (33%) of employees thought it was a good time to look for new job opportunities in 2003 and more than half (55%) feel it’s a good time to start looking in the most recent analysis.
In another poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 78% of employees reported they were likely to start a new job search. Approximately 65 percent of senior executives reported currently seeking new employment versus 45% of middle managers. Good to see executives leaving their own leadership!
OK, I’m confused–Just how Stressed are Employees?
The same Randstad Work Survey suggested that slightly more than one-quarter of all employers work fewer than 40 hours a week with 65% averaging between 41 to 60 hours. If you ask supervisors and managers, 9% said they definitely work more than 61 hours per week.
Our own research at Envisia Learning suggests that it might depend on just how you ask the work stress question ((Nowack, K. (2006). Optimising Employee Resilience: Coaching to Help Individuals Modify Lifestyle. Stress News, International Journal of Stress Management, Volume 18, 9-12)). In an earlier set of engagement surveys with diverse clients we consistently found that approximately 65% of all employees reported “I often feel pressure and stress on my job” and 40% reported they disagree or strongly disagree with the statement “The amount of pressure and stress on my job is reasonable and rarely excessive.” Finally, a recent national survey by the UK based Health and Safety Executive reported that 20% of all employees there report their “job is very or extremely stressful.”
OK, I’m confused–I think I will create a survey to see how many others agree with me…..Be well….
[tags]surveys, Envisia, Envisia leanring, retention, talent management, engagement surveys, job satisfaction, worklife balance, job stress, kenneth nowack, surveys, ken nowack, nowack[/tags]
Ken Nowack
Kenneth Nowack, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist (PSY13758) and President & Chief Research Officer/Co-Founder of Envisia Learning, is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Ken also serves as the Associate Editor of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. His recent book Clueless: Coaching People Who Just Don’t Get It is available for free for a limited time by signing up for free blog updates (Learn more at our website)
