September 2005

Older men more stressed at work while women talk it through

Full-time workers frequently stress about their job and worry about it even when they are not there. A large proportion of people working full-time (59%) consider their job stressful and just below a quarter of these agree strongly with the statement ‘my job is stressful’. Many full-time workers (45%) also worry about problems at work even when they are not there.

More than a third of men (37%) agree that their work is full of ‘office politics’ and 39% of 40-49 year olds feel the same way.

On the whole, women have a more positive outlook of their working life. The greater proportion of women (55%) like talking about their job to other people and 45% believe they have fairly flexible work hours and practices.

When analysing the correspondence map below, there is a close connection between a number of variables which are all measuring job satisfaction. The following statements are all clustered together: feeling valued by an organisation, a good work-life balance, communicating openly with a manager at work, recommending a workplace as a place to work and fair pay.

The graph below shows the results of a correspondence analysis. It shows the relationship between certain answers and demographic groups of employees. The Biplot Display is a graph of row and column indicators from a two-way data table. A correspondence analysis is applied with the intention that the data is scaled so that the columns and rows are treated equivalently. It is used to display relationships between variables and objects. Variables and objects with similar characteristics are grouped closer together, while variables and objects with lesser commonalities are further apart.

Employee research requires the most rigorous procedures to ensure that the results are representative of the whole community. McNair Ingenuity Research are involved in not just the reporting, but the roll-out of results to line management. We support this with presentations, workshop facilitation and training to ensure that employee research is a positive experience for all.

Job is stressful
Overall, half of the sampled workers believe that their job is stressful. Employed people aged between 40 and 49 feel the most stressed in their jobs, with 54% agreeing that their job is stressful. The larger portion of full-time workers (59%) feel that their job is stressful, compared to only 34 % of part-time workers.

Looking for a new job
Just under a quarter of the population is currently looking for a new job. More people working part-time (28%) are searching for a job compared to people working full-time (23%).

Feel valued by organisation
Half of respondents feel valued by their organisation, with women feeling more appreciated by their organisation than men. Over half of women (54%) agreed with the statement ‘I feel valued by my organisation’ compared to 48% of men. The 18-29 age group feel most valued by their organisation, with 59% believing that they are valued by their organisation. On the other hand, the 30-39 year olds feel least appreciated with only 44% agreeing that they feel valued by their organisation. Full-time workers feel considerably less valued by their organisation than part-time workers. A great number of people working part-time (55%) believe they are valued by their organisation, while only 48% of people working full-time feel the same way.

Good work-life balance
Just over half of the working population feel that they have a good work-life balance, with 56% of women and 51% of men believing so. On the whole, 50-59 year olds are least likely to believe that they have a good work-life balance, with only half agreeing to the statement ‘I feel I have a good work-life balance’. On a brighter note, 60% of people 60 years or above consider themselves as having a good work-life balance. Not surprisingly, 60% of part-time workers feel they have a good work-life balance compared to half of full-time workers.

Fear I will lose my job
On average, one in ten people work in fear that they will loose their job. The highest proportion (12%) was among 40-59 year olds who fear they will loose their job, while only 6% of 18-29 year olds feel the same way.

Challenged by job
Just under half of the working population feel challenged in their job. Half of the women in this study believed their job is challenging, while only 46% of men feel challenged by their job. A large portion of people aged over 60 (58%) believe their job is challenging. However, the 50-59 age group feel least challenged in their jobs, with only 42% agreeing to the statement ‘I feel challenged in my job’. Just over half of full-time workers and 42% of part-time workers find their job challenging.

Communicate openly with manager
Most Australian workers agreed with the statement ‘I can communicate openly with my manager at work’, with a total of 68% agreeing. Women are much more likely to feel that they can communicate openly with their manager than men. The greater proportion of women (72%) and a still promising 65% of men feel that they can communicate openly with their manager. The groups who were most likely to agree with the statement came from either end of the age spectrum , with 73% of 18-29 year olds and 60+ year olds agreeing, compared to 64% of 40-49 year olds.

Worry about job even when not there
Many people in the Australian workforce (39%) worry about problems at work even when they are not there. Nearly half of people aged over 60 and 36% of 30-39 year olds worry about problems at work even when they are not there. Full-time workers spend a large proportion of their day at work; nevertheless, 45% still worry about it outside their work hours. A little over a quarter of part-time workers worry about problems at work even when they are not there.

Work more than 45 hours/week
Approximately a third of the working population often work more than 45 hours a week. Men are more likely to work longer than women. Four-in-ten men (41%) agree to the statement ‘I often work more than 45 hours a week (equivalent of 5 days of 9 hours)’ compared to only 22% of women. The most over-worked group are the 40-49 year olds, amongst whom 37% work more than 45 hours a week. The 60+ age group are the least likely to work overtime, with only 28% agreeing that they worked more than 45 hours a week. Close to half of full-time workers work more than 45 hours a week. More than 45 hours of work a week is not the usual part-time hours, however an unexpected 8% of part-time workers still devote more than 45 hours a week to their work.

Work full of office politics
More than a third of the sampled working population (36%) perceive their work as full of ‘office politics’. Many 30-49 year olds (39%) notice ‘office politics’ taking place at their work. While only a little more than a quarter of over 60 year olds consider their work full of ‘office politics’. Full full-time workers are more likely to notice the ‘office politics’(41%), compared to part-time workers and 41% of full-time workers think that their work is full of ‘office politics’.

Would recommend workplace
Almost half of the population agree to the statement ‘I would recommend my workplace as a place to work’. Women are more likely to recommend their workplace than men. Most women (57%) and a significantly lower 41% of men would recommend their workplace. An even higher proportion of younger workers would recommend their workplace as a place to work, with 59% believing so.

Looking for a New Job
Just under a quarter of the population is currently looking for a new job. More people working part-time (28%) are searching for a job compared to people working full-time (23%). The Australian's Today Research program also compared people's overall outlook on life with their media interests. This segment of the research showed:

Like talking about job to other people
Nearly half of the workforce like talking to other people about their job, particularly women. Over half of women (55%) compared to 42% of men enjoy talking to others about their job. A high proportion of people aged over 60 like talking about their job to others. People working part-time enjoy talking to other people about their job more than people working full-time. Just over half of part-time workers and 46% of full-time workers like talking to others about their job.

Fairly flexible work hours and practices
A considerable proportion of the working population (43%) feel that they have flexible work hours and practices, with women agreeing more so than men. Many women (45%) and a lower 41% of men enjoy flexible work hours and practices, such as working from home. A large portion of workers aged 60 or over (57%) feel that they have generally the most flexible work hours and practices. Of course, part-time workers feel as though their work hours and practices are much more flexible than full-time workers. However, only 54% of part-time workers agree with the statement ‘I have fairly flexible work hours and practices’, which means almost half still disagree with the statement.

Pay is fair
Only 43% of workers believe that their pay is fair. Women are more likely to agree than men, with 46% of women and no more than 40% of men content with the wages that they receive. The 60+ age group are the most satisfied with their pay and the 50-59 age group are the least satisfied. A little under half of over 60 year olds and 40% of 50-59 year olds think their pay is fair. Just under half of people working part-time and 41% of people working full-time are content with the wages they receive.

You can learn more about McNair Ingenuity Research by visiting www.mcnairingenuity.com
or calling Client Services Director Matt Balogh on 02 9966 9133

The results of this survey are part of the September 2005 Australians Today Consumer Insights Panel Survey. This survey explored a range of issues, including questions about what makes us loyal to various brands and suppliers, and our attitudes to work.

You can try the Employment Engagement Survey demo for yourself here.

McNair Ingenuity Research Pty Ltd ACN. 096 437 991 Level 4, 270 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest, NSW, 2065 Phone: +61 2 9966 9133 Fax: +61 2 9966 9277 www.mcnairingenuity.com