Poll: Managers Have to Work Harder to Keep Key Workers

A news release from staffing company Spherion Corp. reported that its survey of executives and employees found that only 44% of US workers believe their companies are taking steps to retain them and 31% believe there is already a turnover problem at companies at which they work.

One danger sign is that there is a bit of a disconnect between boss and employee over the worker’s future professional intentions. The survey showed that employers expect only 14% of their workforce to leave in the next year while nearly four in 10 say they plan on hitting the classified ads to find new jobs. Just over a third (34%) of human resources managers polled mentioned that turnover or retention was a main concern.

The study also showed that employers are increasingly demanding more from their workers. A third of people between the ages of 25 and 39 feel burned out by their jobs and 28% of workers polled said their employers expected them to stay connected to the job outside normal office hours.

Also, many companies are not offering benefits that might make working for them more attractive. Only 24% of employers polled offer a formal flex-time program, 12% offer telecommuting and 11% offer job sharing, Spherion said. Most companies that did not offer such programs said they were not planning to implement them.

The Spherion study polled 502 human resources managers and about 14,000 employees over five months. More information is here .