Study Sounds warning on New Breed of Employees

A major international study has warned that nearly half the workforce has adopted a new set of values which makes them more confident about changing jobs and very particular about the companies for which they work.

The study also found that employers who maintain a traditional "command and control" management style are at serious risk of losing a key segment of their workforce. The study identified a new class of workers who shared some key values about their role in the workforce. These included:

• They are very particular about where they work
• They equate loyalty with high performance, rather than tenure
• They assume personal responsibility for career development
• They feel more confident about changing jobs and they seek growth opportunities and challenge, even if it means more stress                                                               

The study found 22% of employees now fall into this category, and importantly, another 49% of the workforce shared these values.

Interim Services US ceo, Ray Marcy said the study showed traditional management risked alienating the emergent workforce. They were more likely to work for companies which:      

• Expect employees to think of new and better ways of doing things
• Expect workers to pursue education and training
• Weed out employees who are not contributing at high levels
• Encourage creativity and innovation on the job

"Short List, Issue 15, June 17, 1999"