Research from the United States shows employees who are yelled at, threatened or humiliated by their managers are less likely to engage in the voluntary actions which benefit a company. These actions – called "organisational citizenship behaviour" by the researchers – include helping colleagues with work-related difficulties, not complaining about trivial problems, behaving courteously to co-workers and speaking well of the company to outsiders. Withholding such actions is a safe way of protesting against hostile managers because the behaviour goes beyond the job description – staff are not rewarded for these actions or punished for not engaging in them.

Based on an online survey of 2200 hourly and salaried workers, CareerBuilder.com found that 35 percent of respondents plan to change jobs in 2003.

General unhappiness with their situation at work--including poor prospects for career advancement, lack of job security and low pay--appear to be motivating people to move on from their current employers, according to the survey.

On top of complaints about compensation and advancement opportunities, 50 percent of the people planning to change jobs said they worked under a great deal of stress. Overall, 38 percent of job seekers were dissatisfied with their current positions.

"It is not surprising that a considerable amount of workers are planning to make a change to find a better job in 2003," said Dawn Haden, senior career expert at CareerBuilder, in a statement. "On a more positive note, five in 10 workers were satisfied with the experience that they are getting on the job."

The downbeat economic environment is taking its toll on workers' attitudes toward long-term employment, CareerBuilder.com said.

Half of the workers planning to seek new employment said they didn't have job security, with 36 percent of those workers saying that they have less job security in 2002 than they had in 2001.

What does it take to retain and maintain those employees? It's not just about money, titles or shareholder value. How can you improve the environment in your particular part of the organisation?

Here are some tips for you to consider:

• Create an environment where employees feel right
• Give them a sense of purpose
• Recognise and Praise