Employees say management is more important than salary

Most people have a negative attitude towards their company’s management and the quality of management ranks as the most important factor people consider when looking for a new job.

These are the survey findings released last month by recruitment agency, Seek. The report, SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia, says that those on higher incomes are more unhappy than workers earning less, with forty-nine per cent of people earning over $150,000 per annum being unhappy at work.

The survey of 6,000 workers found that those earning less than $150,000 per annum were the least likely to be unhappy. Bankers and lawyers are the unhappiest workers, with over half being ‘unhappy’ or ‘very unhappy’.

“A lack of trust in management is endemic in Australian work places” says Paul Bassat, CEO of Seek. “Across all industry sectors, 63 per cent of employees say that management at their organisations do not inspire trust, and 64 per cent believe that management is not open and honest with employees.”

When asked if there is anything they hate about their current job, ‘quality of management' was nominated by more than half of survey respondents, followed by stress levels (47.1 per cent) and a lack of feedback and appreciation (40 per cent).

“This survey should serve as a fairly significant wake up call to employers. If you're a manager, the odds are that many of your employees dislike working for you, they don't trust a lot of what you say and they have plenty of job opportunities available to them elsewhere”, says Bassat.

The survey shows that unhappiness is rife in the workplace, creating an attitude of distrust and negativity.