Harris Poll: Only Half of U.S. Workers Feel Valued at Work - American Society of Employers - Anonym

Harris Poll: Only Half of U.S. Workers Feel Valued at Work

According to a recently released employee recognition survey by the American Psychological Association’s Center for Organizational Excellence, just slightly more than half (51%) of those surveyed reported feeling valued by their employer, and more than a third (36%) haven’t received any recognition in the past year.  In addition, fewer than half of participants (47%) agreed with the statement, “In general, recognition is provided fairly in my organization.”

Additional findings from the survey include these:

  • Cash is king.  More than a quarter of working adults (28%) said that written or verbal appreciation from their direct supervisor is important, but when it comes to the types of recognition that working Americans say are important to them, money tops the list.
     
  • Don’t forget Supervisors.  Employees who report high levels of supervisory effectiveness at recognition were also more likely to report an intention to stay with their employer longer.
     
  • Women are more difficult to please.  Men and women reported that recognition in general is equally important to them (87%), but men were more likely than women to report being satisfied with their employer’s recognition practices (54% vs. 46%).
     
  • Be specific.  Few employers (18%) provided recognition to employees for engaging in specific behaviors, which suggests few employers are providing timely recognition.

According to Norman B. Anderson, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association, “Part of promoting employee well-being is demonstrating how their efforts contribute to the organization’s success and recognizing them for their good work.”

Survey results linked effective recognition practices to both employee and organizational outcomes. Employees who said that recognition practices are fair, that direct supervisors provide recognition effectively and that they value the recognition they receive, reported a variety of positive outcomes. These included higher levels of job satisfaction, a greater likelihood of working harder because of the recognition they receive, stronger motivation to do their best, and a greater sense of feeling valued. In addition, employees who received recognition more recently also reported higher levels of satisfaction, motivation and work effort.

The American Society of Employers, in its normative database of employee opinion data, notes that nearly 75% of employees agreed with the statement, “This organization makes me feel that my contribution is important.”  This very different finding comes from a database of 100 employers across the U.S. Importantly, it is based on a four-point scale with no “neutral” option. The difference in the scales, as well as the wording of the questions and different survey methodology, make a direct comparison with the APA data problematical at best.  But even allowing for those variables, it is likely that the survey respondents in ASE’s normative database are generally more positive about their employers’ efforts to recognize their contributions. One factor could be that, arguably, those employers’ memberships in employer associations similar to ASE imply that they are on average more committed to sound employee recognition practices than the employers of those who participated in the APA survey. This could be a contributing factor to the more positive perception of those employees in the ASE database.

The APA survey was conducted by Harris Poll on Aug. 13-15, 2014, among 882 adults who are employed either full time or part time.

Source: American Psychological Association

 

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