Motivational Forces in the Workplace November 13, 2006 From Sales and Marketing Management's PErformance Newsletter
To cope with the looming talent shortage, many employers are taking a closer look at what motivates workers to leave, accept or decline a position. A new study by online career and recruitment site Monster found that while there are many common themes across all types of workers, there are also key differences that come into play.
"Across the survey segments, we found that salary, opportunity for work-life balance and benefits were the leading deal-makers when a seeker accepts a job, regardless of his or her age, gender or ethnicity," says Steve Pemberton, chief diversity officer at Monster. And workforce diversity is not something valued just by minorities. "On the contrary, almost half of all Caucasians surveyed indicate that a prospective employer's level of diversity is very important to them," he says.
Among the key differences in motivation:
* While all workers consider it important, opportunity for advancement got more attention from black and Hispanic workers. In the survey, 80 percent of African American and Hispanic workers rated the potential for upward mobility as important, versus 63 percent of Caucasians.
* Work-life balance matters more to women. Forty-one percent of women would refuse a job offer that provided no work hours flexibility. Only 26 percent of men would do the same. Still, once on the job, work-life issues flip-flop across gender lines. Forty percent of men say their current employer is not flexible enough regarding work-family balance, while only 28 percent of women felt the same way.
*Competitive health insurance and retirement plans were more important to baby boomers than to younger employees.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
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