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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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
