My Campus Chronicles
Our college blog dedicated to helping students prepare for life outside of college.
August 2006 archive
Spherion Workplace Snapshot Survey Finds Many American Workers Feel Burned Out by Their Jobs
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 15, 2005 --- While economic analysts are busy tracking the rising US productivity rates, many American workers are feeling the effects of "doing more with less." According to the Spherion Workplace Snapshot Survey released today, many American workers are feeling burned out by their jobs and feel they lack adequate resources to get their jobs done.
The survey found that one-third of workers between the age of 25 and 39 feel burned out by their job, and 28 percent of all workers feel the same. A contributing factor may be a lack of resources available to complete the job. According to the Spherion survey, only half of workers surveyed agreed with the statement "My team has adequate resources to get the job done."
"The combination of rising productivity rates and slower than expected hiring among US companies means workers today are being asked to do a lot more, with a lot less," said Roy Krause, Spherion president and chief executive officer. "Job burnout is a serious issue and one that could spell trouble for organizations down the road. With nearly 40 percent of workers already planning to leave their current jobs, according to Spherion workplace data, job burnout and inadequate resources may worsen the situation. Employers that don't focus on aggressive retention efforts to keep their valuable workers may find themselves lacking in resources to meet their business objectives."
Other results from the February Spherion Workplace Snapshot Survey:
Male workers are more apt to feel their team lacks adequate resources to get the job done.
- Nearly 25 percent of male workers said the resources to get the job done were not adequate, as compared to only 15 percent of female workers.
Those workers with an income of $25K to $34.9K feel most burned out.- Workers who earn an income between $25,000 to $34,999 are by far the most burned out on their jobs. Thirty-seven percent agreed with the statement "I feel burned out by my job," a full eight points higher than any other income category.
Methodology
The Spherion Workplace Snapshot Survey is based on data from the Harris Interactive QuickQuerySM online omnibus conducted monthly by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 3,201 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, was interviewed in a series of two polls conducted between March 16-18 and March 22-24, 2005 (for February 2005 n=3,193). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting adjusted for respondents' propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. population of employed adults had been polled with complete accuracy. This online sample was not a probability sample.
About Spherion
Spherion Corporation is a leader in the staffing industry in North America, providing value-added staffing, recruiting and workforce solutions. Spherion has helped companies improve their bottom line by efficiently planning, acquiring and optimizing talent since 1946. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com.
About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com ), the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, N.Y.-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll® and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.
Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries: London-based HI Europe (www.hieurope.com), Paris-based Novatris (www.novatris.com ), Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan, through newly acquired WirthlinWorldwide, a Reston, Virginia-based research and consultancy firm ranked 25th largest in the world, and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. ###
Spherion Workplace Snapshot Survey Finds Many American Workers Don’t Plan on Taking Vacation This Summer
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 18, 2005 — According to the Spherion Workplace Snapshot survey, one-third of workers are either unsure or don’t plan to take a vacation this summer, despite sources indicating that one-third of American workers are feeling burned out by their jobs. In addition, of those workers who do plan on taking a vacation, 16% say their employer expects them to check email while they are away.
The survey also finds workers with higher incomes are most likely to take a vacation this summer. More than three quarters (77%) of workers earning $75,000 or above plan to take a break this summer. However, it comes with a price. Nearly one-quarter (23%) of workers earning $75,000 and above also believe their employer expects them to check email while on vacation, compared to 16% of all workers.
“With many workers feeling burned out by their jobs, we were surprised to see that one quarter of workers may not take time away from the office this summer,” said Roy Krause, Spherion president and chief executive officer. “While employers may view this as a potential boost to their worker productivity levels, they should consider the potential consequences such as employee burnout and turnover. Smart employers actively encourage workers to take a much needed break because they realize that for every one dollar of vacation benefits they provide their employees, they receive a $3.00 return on the benefit investments in the form of improved employee productivity and morale.”
Other results from the February Spherion Workplace Snapshot Survey:
Workers age 25-29 most likely to take vacation this summer.
- More than three-quarters (76%) of workers age 25-29 plan to take a vacation this summer. This is good news considering that one-third of workers between the age of 25 and 39 feel burned out by their job, according to a Spherion survey.
Workers earning less than $15K are least likely to vacation this summer- Workers who earn an income of less than $15,000 are by far the least likely to plan on a vacation this summer. Fully 41% of workers earning less than $15K do not plan on taking a vacation this summer, compared to 16% of workers overall.
Male workers more likely than female workers to believe their employer expects them to check email on vacation.
- A full 20% of male workers say their employer expects them to check email while on vacation, compared to only 12% of female workers.
Older, higher income workers most likely to believe their employer expects them to check email on vacation.
- The survey found that nearly one quarter (24%) of workers age 65 or older and 23% of workers who earn $75K or more believe their employer expects them to check email on vacation, compared to only 16% of workers overall.
Methodology
The Spherion Workplace Snapshot Survey is based on data from the Harris Interactive QuickQuerySM online omnibus conducted monthly by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 3,201 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, was interviewed in a series of two polls conducted between March 16-18 and March 22-24, 2005 (for February 2005 n=3,193). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting adjusted for respondents' propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. population of employed adults had been polled with complete accuracy. This online sample was not a probability sample.
About Spherion
Spherion Corporation is a leader in the staffing industry in North America, providing value-added staffing, recruiting and workforce solutions. Spherion has helped companies improve their bottom line by efficiently planning, acquiring and optimizing talent since 1946. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com .
About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com ), the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, N.Y.-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll® and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.
Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries: London-based HI Europe (www.hieurope.com ), Paris-based Novatris (www.novatris.com), Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan, through newly acquired WirthlinWorldwide, a Reston, Virginia-based research and consultancy firm ranked 25th largest in the world, and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. ###
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Job burnout is no doubt a real concern these days. So it’s no wonder the blogosphere is filling up with commentary and opinions about where we all went wrong. And I’m jumping on the bandwagon. Two recent blog posts caught my eye regarding this issue.
A post on myITform’s blog references a recent study by Careerbuilder.com which found over 75% of respondents felt job burnout. The blog’s author goes on to reference his own research on the topic attributing some of job burnout to the increased number of hours Americans work.
On an about.com career planning page, it references the Miriam-Webster definition of burnout as "exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration." The most important word in that definition is “prolonged.” The article goes on to list possible causes of job burnout, including working harder because of leaner staffs, working hard without being rewarded and not having enough time away from work.
The bottom line is this – burnout by its own definition is when a worker experiences stress or frustration for a prolonged period of time. Employers can quite easily curb the prevalence of job burnout by making the environment at work less stressful by rewarding hard workers and providing the tools necessary to get their jobs done. It’s that simple. Yet in our own research, we found that only half of workers feel they have adequate resources to get their jobs done. And how many studies must be conducted before employers begin to acknowledge that work/life balance initiatives pay off in both employee morale and productivity?
However, employees themselves also need to take some ownership over their own job burnout. If you are experiencing prolonged stress because you aren’t being rewarded for working hard, I am here to tell you that it’s time to move on. Any employer, in this market, that doesn’t recognize the value of a hard worker doesn’t deserve to keep you.
And, when I see our own research indicating nearly one-third of workers are either unsure or don’t plan to take a vacation this summer, it begs the question – are these the same workers that are feeling the effects of job burnout?
Sadly, the prognosis for this problem ailing U.S. workers doesn't look good - not when employers are slow to take corrective actions and our own workers don't take the breaks they so desperately need.
Did you know AARP studies state that one in four boomers wants to do something completely different from their previous work? My experience tells me that many more would like to explore changing from the corporate world into a nonprofit world, to stree-free or fancy-free jobs, or to roles that will allow them to meet new and meaningful challenges. New opportunities abound... here are a few to consider. Real estate sales or service. No, I am not suggesting trotting around homes in a dwindling market with the other 2.4 million U.S. licensed real estate agents. The "hot" market for mature professionals is in sales and service in the active living adult communities where the price of admission is age 55! Buy or build a small business or franchise. AARP found that in 2002, 5.6 million workers over the age of 50 were self-employed in an unincorporated or incorporated business, making up 40 percent of the self-employed population. Physician assistant. Enjoy many of the benefits of being a physician with few of its liabilities. Under a doctor's supervision, physician assistants do diagnosis, treatment, and patient education, but training takes just two to three years. The BLS reports that PA's will be among the fastest growing careers. Tutoring for pay. Red hot if you can tutor in math, science and English language skills. If you have an educational credential, that's a plus. But, if your own career demonstrates your expertise, many opportunities are available without the formal credential. Explore paid part-time opportunities in the public sector. According to the EEOC, the average age of federal workers has reached nearly 46 years of age. Part-time opportunities will be bountiful in the public sector as government struggles to contain costs in the future. Debunk the myth that the government does not pay well. According to figures compiled by the BLS and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the average federal employee earns a salary comparable to, or better than, his/her counterpart in private industry. Foster care to save a generation. There are over 520,000 children in the U.S. foster care system. Many of these children will do better if placed in homes with "grandparents" than with younger families who are struggling to raise their own families. And, I'll bet some of you could use someone to love, mentor and inspire as well. Now go on, explore!
I recently interviewed a candidate for a job that requires extensive communication with a top client of ours. Although he had a picture perfect background for the job, I didn't hire him. Here's why - he talked too much. And it occurred to me that although I've seen quite a bit written about how to ace an interview, including a recent post on jobsearchsecrets.net, there needs to be more tips on absolute deal breakers to avoid. For example, here are my top five: 1) Talking too much. No surprise here but not only does droning on too long turn interviewers off, it also indicates you may have difficulties listening as well. Candidates who actively listen and take notes during an interview as well as deliver succinct, example-rich answers will fare better than those who try to deliver a thesis in 60-minutes. 2) Failing to have a basic understanding of the company and what it does. If I ask a candidate a basic question about how his or her skills will benefit the organization and I get a blank stare, game over. 3) No suit, no job. I know business casual has become a near norm these days, but in my opinion, that mantra hasn't seeped into the realm of job interviewing. Just be safe and wear a suit. You can go back to business casual when you've landed the job. 4) Begging will get you nowhere. Even if you've been unemployed for months or years, make sure you don't act desperate. Being overly excited or overtly needy puts a red flag in the mind of your interviewer. 5) Failing to make a case for yourself. If you haven't formulated in your mind ahead of time how your specific background and skills fit well with the potential position, just don't go. Your primary purpose in the interview is to appropriately market what you have to offer and demonstrate why you will greatly benefit your prospective employer. So, there you have it. My contribution to your job interview preparation. In my opinion, these are the basics of interview etiquette. Breaking any one of these rules are well... a deal breaker.
More research has recently surfaced that confirms what I've been seeing for many months in the Texas market -- the IT job market is hotter than the weather in Dallas! According to a recent report by the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses (NACCB), the unemployment rate for IT professionals is less than half of the overall workforce, and the demand for IT services and talent remains very strong. This is due, I believe, to a number of factors. First, as a recent post on blog Job Pundit points out, an increase in security regulations is fueling the growth. A large number of our clients are seeking talent to help fulfill IT audit and compliance requirements driven by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A second driver of growth in the IT sector is the need for skills to lead corporate IT projects, specifically project manager talent that can oversee the entire lifecycle of such initiatives. Lastly, an up-tick in ERP implementation, specifically SAP, and an increased focus on SQM initiatives are both impacting the IT sector. Spherion has also seen continued evidence that we are no doubt in an employees' market for IT workers and they are very confident in their personal situations. Despite this confidence, our latest research shows that more IT workers are planning to stay in their jobs instead of venturing out into the hot job market. Our IT Employment Report found the likelihood that U.S. IT workers will look for a new job dropped nine percentage points to 39% in the second quarter of 2006. Don't get me wrong, that's still a really high number, but the drop was quite interesting to me. Also, these findings can be somewhat countered by the fact that most IT consultants want to stay consultants, even when offered a hefty full-time offer. Facing a unique combination of a tight job market, slowing efficiency gains, labor shortages at certain skill levels and an increase in labor compensation maybe more employers are placing increased emphasis on retaining skilled workers. It may be paying off...for now.
Let me start by saying that it makes me very happy to see the growing number of blogs and websites now dedicated to offering career advice to the aging workforce. As a fan of Jeff Taylor (founder of Monster.com), I am particularly pleased to see the launch of Eons.com, and sites such as GenPlusUSA that have pioneered this trend. Times have changed and I'd offer a few cautions to mature workers, namely "putting all of your eggs in the old familiar job-search basket." Before you leap forward, take a look at what is happening in the world of mature workers based on demographic change and evolving marketplace need. First of all, please accept that there will be fewer regular, full-time jobs in the future of the American workplace for mature workers. Some industries, in particular, will be very affected by off-shoring and technological advances. They will need to curtail their investment in expensive full-time workers here at home. They will, however, love part-time or temporary specialists! Take a hard look at yourself. Is this happening in your industry and to your type of work? Where might you specialize? Then, shed the notion that you'll be competing with Gen "X" - you will be competing with other mature workers. Competition is heating up and it will be the better-branded, better-connected, better-trained or better-educated individuals that will be selected for regular, full-time jobs in this new century. Old skills or competencies will not get you in the new door of the future at any price. Do you need to invest in new learning, better self-branding or advanced sales skills? Finally, as the old saying suggests - be careful what you ask for! IF you didn't care for the work you once did, why in the world would you seek to do this type of work again, even if it is available, simply in an attempt to get "safe" in your old age? While you might find that old, familiar job again, remember that average job tenure in America's private sector is less than 3 years. At the end of the next three years you'll simply be three years older and may again find yourself looking for work in "all the wrong places."
With all of the discussions and media coverage about employees criticizing their employer - or even posting sensitive/confidential company information, I thought it would be interesting to find out how U.S. workers "really" felt about blogs and message boards discussing their employer. I called upon our polling firm Harris Interactive to help us track down the answer. Last month, Harris surveyed 1,348 workers from coast to coast. I was pretty surprised by the results. Not only do most workers (88%) not post or respond to blogs, message boards or chat rooms about their company, but 83% haven't even "read" them. As an avid reader of blogs and message boards of all types and sources, I thought that more workers would at least be taking a look at what is being said about their company. It's also interesting that most of those adding comments about their company are also posting. There aren't as many lurkers as I thought there were. I know that blogs and message boards don't exist for a lot of small companies, but the results made me wonder if workers are largely unaware of those that do exist and those that are popping up each day. Or could the recent, high-profile firing of employees who contributed to or divulged company secrets on blogs have workers running scared or even hiding their posting practices? My vote's on workers not being aware of the blog/message board's existence, but I guess time will tell ...I'll ask Harris to conduct this survey again at a later date and we'll see if/how the numbers change.
Having been in the recruiting business for nearly 10 years, I've seen various recruiting strategies come and go - some good, while others, not so good. Now I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that blogging may just change the very way we look for job seekers. I've never seen a tool with such potential power for candidates seeking career advancement and for recruiters to not only find qualified candidates, but learn more about them before ever speaking to them. Furthermore, I've noticed some blogosphere posts and mainstream media stories about candidates who've pursued employment leads and landed jobs through their blogging savvy. For instance, the blog Secrets of the Job Hunt recently posted the story of Carolynn Duncan, a job seeker who used her blogging skills to land a job and garnered praise for her creativity from Paul Allen, the CEO who hired her. And if you haven't looked at the blogosphere as a place where you they can actively promote yourself, you may be missing the boat. Fellow recruiter Rob Merrill recently blogged about the benefits to sourcing and qualifying potential candidates. He feels that blogs and other summarization search engines like ZoomInfo.com have untapped potential and are a growing trend among recruiters. As recruiters have known for years, the key to finding and landing a job is marketability - pure and simple. You have to get noticed before you can get hired. And few would question the power of the blogosphere in marketing oneself to potential employers, networking sources (such as recruiters - hint, hint) or friends/acquaintances with any employment leads. Spherion has seen a lot of job search and recruitment trends come and go over the past 60 years, but I assure you, blogging has staying power. This may be the first time we've talked about the "blogcruiting" trend, but it certainly won't be the last. Stay tuned -- this conversation has just begun.
Nearly one-third of all workers say they are feeling burned out, according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive. How are you dealing with workplace stress?
Q: What are the best ways to conduct a job search? Submitted by Austin Boone, Coral Springs, Florida
A: Dear Austin: There are a number of effective techniques, and it's smart to be aware of what trends are currently delivering the highest returns so you can allocate your time and efforts accordingly. Technology has certainly affected how candidates are finding and securing job opportunities these days. While networking the old-fashioned way used to be the method of choice, today's job seekers seem to be having more success on the Internet.
Spherion places hundreds of thousands of workers in jobs each year. We recently surveyed some of them to learn which job search techniques are paying the biggest dividends. Our survey revealed that 43% of users learned about their next career opportunity through the Internet:
- Responding to job openings published online (25%)
- Posting their resume online (13%)
- Sending/replying to e-mails & online networking (5%).
It's good practice to use a variety of tools when you're actively looking, because you never know which might work best for you in any given case--networking, recruiters, classifieds, etc. You just might want to devote a bigger portion of your time to leveraging the Internet, since that seems to be working for most job seekers today.
Welcome to The Big Time, Spherion's new career blog dedicated to helping you make it to the big time. You may ask, what do we mean by the "big time?" Well, it's something different for everyone. Looking back over my career, I see that my definition of 'making it to the big time' changed with every career opportunity. And that's why we've launched this blog. We'd like to help you succeed at whatever career goals you're trying to reach - whether you need to land your first job or transition into semi-retirement, if you're a consultant building an at-home business or a mid-level manager looking to make the leap into 'VP' land. We'll help you make it happen by giving you straightforward, real-world advice from Spherion experts that come from a variety of industries, professions and regions. They all have unique perspectives to share and have a pulse on today's labor market and know where the hot jobs are, how to get them and how to succeed in them. I'll also chime in from time to time and share my insight and experiences. Our experts have seen just about everything when it comes to the workplace, from how to deal with office romances to handling the toughest interview questions and salary discussions. So don't look at this as a place to post a resume or find a new job - it's not. Rather, this is an interactive forum for you to learn, share ideas and weigh in about topics you face every day on the job. We believe the best advice is often born from debate. We hope you disagree, challenge or help shape the discussions here. Like all great relationships, we look forward to growing together. See you soon in The Big Time. Sincerely, Roy Krause, President and CEO Spherion
