Business Confidence Descends while Job Satisfaction Rises

A survey of management professionals carried out by Benchpoint for executive recruitment consultants Archer Mathieson (http://www.archermat.com) shows that, although enormous job satisfaction and motivation exist, business confidence is lower than last year. A third of respondents expect to change jobs in the next year while bureaucracy, recruitment and personnel quality are seen as major issues affecting organisations. The public sector received criticism on several fronts.

The survey* asked respondents to rate their business confidence, job satisfaction and the employment climate in general.

While 57% of respondents rate their business confidence as fairly high, only 3.3% rate it as very high and 33% are uncertain. Meanwhile, 52% rate it as lower than last year and 9.4% much lower. Only senior managers and self-employed specialists have above average business confidence, while executive board directors and general employees are less convinced (12% of the latter have ìvery lowî confidence). Interim managers have slightly less business confidence than non-interims and thereís some evidence that females have higher levels of business confidence than males.

Despite the uncertain environment, senior professionals have enormous job satisfaction, with 90% agreeing they are happy with their roles. A significant 75% believe they are doing a job that fits their skills and experience and 60% say they have good career prospects. However, greater levels of dissatisfaction are felt by middle managers and employees. In line with this, 36% of respondents strongly agree they will be doing a different job next year.

Executive board members have higher belief in the management quality in their organisations than their colleagues lower down the hierarchy. The worst sectors for management quality are telecoms and IT, retailing and media. Over 35% of respondents in the government and NGO sectors criticise the quality of their management while 60% of all respondents agree that ìsome poor quality people let us downî. Managers in the 26-30 age group are more likely to criticise poor management, and females tend to have slightly lower regard for their management than males.

Over 70% of respondents see interim managers as a useful resource in a business. Of these, 23% of respondents who are not interim managers believe interims are better motivated than other employees.

Recruitment ñ particularly of senior staff - is seen as a problem, especially in the communications, utilities, mining and financial service sectors. Half (52%) of the respondents are somewhat happy with the quality of their employees but only 16% are very happy. NGOs, charities and government have the lowest ratings for satisfaction with employees. In the public sector, a massive 78% of respondents say poor quality people are an issue.

Bureaucracy is also a problem in the public sector. The government is the worst offender, with 92% respondents agreeing it exists. Charities/NGOs, utilities and mining are next on the list. Respondents say the major sources of bureaucratic interference come from within their own organisations, government and regulators, while European and local bureaucracy are viewed as relatively minor threats. Only 25% of executive board directors see their own bureaucracy as a problem, while 55% of senior and middle line managers complain of red tape.

Over half the respondents in the public sector sector have experienced discrimination at work: 13% serious discrimination. The groups with the highest scores for discrimination are consultants (47%), the 51-55 age group (57%), and females (41%).

John Archer, chief executive of Archer Mathieson, comments: ìThis survey reinforces the idea that the goal of true organisational effectiveness is as elusive as ever before. Fears of economic downturn are fuelling the environment of low confidence and reduced employee morale.î