Employees value good management, prospects

A third of Australian employees would happily jump ship for better management and career development prospects, according to a survey released today by recruitment website Seek.com.au

The full text of a company announcement is pasted below

Australian employees happy, but not with the quality of their management

33% of employees willing to move for career development opportunities

Although Australian employees report being happier than ever in 2006, a third would gladly jump ship for better career development prospects and good management, according to the 2006 SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation Survey released today.

Employees still feel that their immediate managers talk the talk but don't walk the walk. For the second year running, 44% of Australians cite the overall quality of management as the most hated part of their jobs, with poor career development opportunities coming in second at 39%.

It's not all bad news for employers. On the positive side, employees have clearly identified what they value from their employers when looking for new jobs.

SEEK's Director of Sales, Joe Powell comments:
"What this survey says loud and clear is that employees are looking for direction, training and opportunities to grow in their jobs. Managers who follow up their words with actions and provide career development opportunities will be rewarded with lower staff turn over, better morale and happy, loyal employees.

What's also clear is that employees are becoming more proactive about identifying opportunities for self-improvement and development. SEEK Learning was created in response to this increasing demand for courses and qualifications and it aims to help employees further their careers, regardless of the state of their management."

Other findings from the survey include:

• Australia's happiest employees work in Community/Sport followed by Science/Technology and HR and Recruitment, whilst the country's unhappiest employees work in Engineering and Manufacturing/Operations, followed by Banking and Finance.
• Proof there's truth in 'money can't buy you happiness' - employees earning less than $15,000 report being the most happy, whilst those earning $150,000 or more admit to being the least happy.
• The number one reason employees love their jobs is because of the people they work with - over 58% of respondents rate their work mates as their primary source of happiness in their jobs. Next came their work hours, and the variety and content of their work.
• The top three reasons people hate their jobs are the quality of overall management, lack of career development opportunities and lack of feedback and appreciation - 54% of employees think companies don't reward individual achievement.
• When looking for jobs, people value most highly the quality of management, the salary and job security.
• Employees are significantly happier this year with happiness up from 21% in 2005 to 37%, and overall job security has increased to 26%, up from 18% in 2005.

SEEK Director of Sales, Joe Powell said:

"The fact of the matter is we're in a tightening labour market, which means that employees can afford to be more demanding about their employment conditions. On top of that, the availability and accessibility of jobs (particularly online) means that people are looking for jobs with increasing frequency. The 2006 survey reveals that a massive 68% of respondents look at job vacancies on a daily or weekly basis."

"Organisations need to realise that in order to attract and retain the best quality employees, they have to take measures to ensure employee confidence and commitment to good management practices, especially as this is the key reason that people leave their jobs."