Satisfied employees 'looking beyond the recession'

Despite the extra workload many people are facing as a result of the recession, a new survey has found employee satisfaction to be increasing in the UK.

The Institute for Employment Studies believes this to be because there has been more emphasis placed on employee relations during this downturn than in previous times of economic strife.

Furthermore, good relationships which have already been established between workers and their bosses will not break down because of the recession, the organisation continues.

A spokesperson for the Institute for Employment Studies said this is because people are looking beyond [the recession] and saying, 'When this is over, what sort of workforce have we got, have we kept and are we ready to take off again?'

In welcoming this unexpected upside to the recession, a spokesperson for ClickAJob points to straight economics as the major trigger.

Like it or not, employers have had to stay within budget, he says.

With a lid on salary packages, managers have been forced to look at working conditions and environment more closely as an effective way of improving staff satisfaction without major cost.

Long overdue, it means more people are happier staying where they are, and more positive about their prospects when things start to improve, he concludes.

The survey, which was conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, found that the net proportion of people satisfied by their job has increased from 26 to 46.