RISMEDIA, August 31, 2007–(MCT)–Maybe the griping is as bad as ever where you work, but a survey of employees done for Adecco, the staffing company whose U.S. headquarters is in Melville, finds that most American workers feel appreciated by their employers.
Adecco concludes from the online survey done last month of 2,469 adults, done by pollster Harris Interactive and pegged to Labor Day, that “corporate America is getting better at nurturing its workforce.”
If you’re still feeling unappreciated, however, it might be a matter of age. While 56 percent of workers overall in the poll said they feel very appreciated or appreciated, 21 percent of workers 65 and older claim their company is not at all loyal to them, versus only 13 percent of workers ages 30 to 42.
“The results of our Labor Day research indicate that companies are improving retention efforts and showing employees they are appreciated and a valuable asset,” Bernadette Kenny, chief career officer at Adecco, is quoted as saying in a statement announcing the survey results. “The response regarding employee loyalty was surprisingly strong, showing us that American workers are committed to their employers.”
With a tight labor market, employers know that workers have less concern over finding other opportunities. Indeed, the survey also reported the concerns that workers do have — and at the bottom of that list are outsourcing and the job market.
Bosses may be further motivated to dole out the warm and fuzzies because the youngest generation of workers, known as Generation Y, expect feedback and are a lot more vocal about getting it, says Barbara DeMatteo, director of human resources consulting with Portnoy Messinger Pearl & Associates Inc., a human resources consulting company in Syosset. She says she’s seeing employers enhance their appreciation efforts, such as doling out tickets to Mets and Yankees games and adding an appreciation component to the company picnic — using the event as “an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ instead of it just being a free meal.”
Several large companies she knows are offering “onboarding” training for new employees, including team activities that send the message that they’re expected to work hard but can also have fun.
Employers, too, are conducting training in how to create a more respectful workplace, as well as professional development sessions for younger employees in skills such as how to make a good first impression.
Of course, if employers want to find further ways to show their care for employees, they might take a look at the issues that survey respondents said they are most worried about:
For Generations Y and X, the top worries are work-life balance and stagnant paychecks. And for baby boomers and those who preceded them, the Silent Generation, the No. 1 concern is the rising cost of health care.
Copyright © 2007, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
