Job satisfaction has surprisingly increased since 2006

CIPD survey showing rise in job satisfaction suggests that worried workersí response to the recession is to grin and bear it

Job satisfaction has surprisingly increased since 2006* despite the impact of the recession, according to the new quarterly Employee Outlook survey of more than 3,000 employees by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

The survey finds that the net proportion of people satisfied with their job has increased to 46 from 26** in 2006 and the proportion of people who say their job makes them feel cheerful most or all of the time has also gone up.

However the survey suggests that fault lines are developing that will undermine employee wellbeing, morale and commitment if not addressed. Exactly three-quarters of respondents report their organisation has been affected by the recession with half (52%) citing increases in work-related stress as a consequence and nearly four in ten (38%) agreeing there has been a rise in office politics.

The proportion of people who say their jobs make them worried or tense has also increased since the CIPDís 2006 employee attitudes and engagement survey and nearly six in ten employees say they are worried by the future.

Ben Willmott, Senior Public Policy Adviser and co-author of the survey, CIPD, says:

ìJob satisfaction may have edged up – but this could be the employee opinion survey equivalent of a fixed grin. Employees grateful to have a job at all are less likely to grumble, and more likely to see scorched earth rather than greener grass on the other side of the fence.

ìBeneath this positive glow, however, our survey highlights the impact the recession is having on the workplace. Without action to tackle some of the stresses and strains that are clear in our survey, employers could find employee health and wellbeing deteriorating, and employee engagement tailing off at precisely the time they need all hands to the pump to survive the recession and thrive in the recovery.î

The research shows a third (37%) of employees worry about being made redundant as a result of the recession and most believe finding a new job would be difficult. Almost four in ten (36%) employees report that their organisation has made redundancies or is planning to make job cuts and just under a fifth say their employer has cut back on training (17%), or frozen pay (18%).

The survey, conducted by YouGov, also highlights problems with how people are managed. Although most people feel supported and treated fairly by their line manager they are much less happy with the extent their manager discusses their training and development, gives feedback or coaches them.

Employees are particularly critical of senior managers, with less than a fifth agreeing that they trust them and only a quarter agreeing that they consult employees about important decisions.

Willmott continues:

ìEmployers must ensure that arrangements for informing and consulting employees over major change, such as redundancy, are effective if they want to improve trust in senior management among the workforce.

ìThey also need to invest in developing their line managersí people management skills, particularly in the area of coaching and performance management, if they want to boost employee engagement and productivity. And finally they must ensure that managers can spot the early warning signs of stress and provide support to help people struggling to cope.î

ìThe Government is rightly prioritising investment in skills as part of the solution to get Britain through the recession. It is imperative that government investment includes a greater emphasis on the development of people management skills among the UKís 4 million managers. Otherwise, efforts to maintain and improve productivity, meet skills shortages and support employee wellbeing will fail.î

*Comparisons made with the CIPDís 2006 survey of 2,000 employees Working life: employee attitudes and engagement 2006. Both surveys are based on a similar, representative sample of UK working adults

**Net agreement scores are the percentage of employees agreeing minus the percentage disagreeing