The UK Government’s 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS) was published in January this year, and revealed a growing rate of job satisfaction and commitment among UK office workers – a pleasant surprise considering the ongoing economic downturn.
The WERS is an extensive Government-sponsored study dedicated to exploring and analysing a range of issues surrounding workplace relations. It was last conducted in 2004.
The Latest WERS First Findings
Between March 2011 and June 2012, researchers interviewed the following participants:
- 21,000 employees
- 2,700 managers
- 1,000 worker representatives
Areas covered included equality and diversity in the workplace, work-life balance, working hours and pay; all of which ultimately impact the relationship between employers and employees. Let’s take a look at some of the key findings of the study, shown in the table below:
% of employees in 2004 | % of employees in 2011 | Increase | |
Job satisfaction | 16% | 20% | 4% |
Company commitment | 55% | 65% | 10% |
The survey also pointed to positive growth in communication from managers to employees. A higher percentage of managers are now likely to communicate more openly with their staff about the following matters:
% of managers in 2004 | % of managers in 2011 | Increase | |
Workplace changes | 60% | 66% | 6% |
Workplace finances | 55% | 61% | 6% |
Job Security and The Recession
The global financial crisis, which began affecting companies in 2008, has naturally had a significant impact on the levels of job security and wellbeing in the UK workplace. WERS statistics showed that the country’s construction industry and public administration sector had been most adversely affected by the recession, with 72% of construction workers and 65% of public administration employees reporting a significant impact. These were closely followed by the health and social work sector, and the financial services sector, with 51% and 48% respectively.
Unsurprisingly, where companies had experienced a greater adverse impact of the recession, fewer employees (a mere 14%) felt secure in their jobs. A greater number of employees in these strongly affected workplaces also experienced more frequent feelings of unease and tension at work. This shows us that while overall workplace wellbeing has increased, stress levels and job security fears are on the rise in certain sectors throughout the UK.
“We are going through one of the most challenging periods in our economic history” says Employment Relations Minister Jo Swinson; “employees have had to adapt rapidly in order to deal with the many pressures that it brings”. Swinson said that the WERS results “show us in a new light just how workers and businesses are affected” and added that the findings would be used “to help develop future Government thinking and practice”.
Resources:
- The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) discusses the WERS results here.
- See the Workplace Employment Relations Study First Findings document and related documents here.