Australians a Happy Lot

July 13 2011 - Australian workers have a low-pressure, stress-free working life, and are not worried about losing their jobs, compared to similar developed countries according to findings from ORC International's perspectives database.

The database is an accumulation of employee opinions on issues related to levels of engagement and includes results from employee surveys conducted in over 400 organizations, covering around 1.4 million people from around the world. Australian responses for each question are ranked in comparison with those from the UK, USA and Hong Kong.

Australia ranked highest (at 75% positive) on agreement with the statement, ‘Considering everything I am satisfied with the job I do'. 66% of Australian respondents also agreed with the statement, ‘I feel secure in my job', compared to 60% in the USA and 52% in the UK.

Australians also were the most positive on statements regarding:

• Team cooperation (84% positive)
• Fairness and respect (78% positive)
• Communication (68% positive)
• Staff numbers (52% positive)

Australian workers also thought they had good understanding of their jobs and the organization as a whole with 85% agreeing that they were clear on what they were expected to achieve in their jobs. The same percentage also believed that they understood how they contributed to the success of the organization.

On work/life balance, 68% of Australians gave positive responses, compared to 69% in the UK, 66% in the USA, and 62% in Hong Kong.

Australians were also comparatively happy about their pay and came highest at 57% on agreement with the statement, ‘Considering my duties and responsibilities, I feel my pay is fair'. Only 47% of UK employees expressed satisfaction with their salaries.

Less positively, Australians did not think the handling of poor performance was effective where they worked. Only 34% of respondents were positive on this issue. ORC International suggest that while work is a comfortable, satisfying experience, employees are not pushed hard enough or picked up on when they perform badly.

Australians were also least positive asked if they thought their organization was an equal opportunity employer. 74% of Australian respondents were positive in comparison to 81% in the USA and 78% in the UK.

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