16 January 2007

Survey shows Queensland has most Motivational Managers

The Australian Institute of Management (AIM) has released national survey results which reveal more Queenslanders feel motivated and inspired by their managers than employees in any other state (77.5% compared to 63.7% Australia-wide).

The research was the second survey in AIM’s Managing the Future Series which questioned almost 3,000 people across the country and showed Australians in general are quite happy in their workplace.

88% of respondents agreed that they work for a ‘great company’ and 72% said they were satisfied in their current job.

Employees in the Smart State seem to have more long term commitment to their workplace with almost a third (32%) intending on staying with their company more than five years compared to 25.9% nationally. 

However 21.4% of Queenslanders intend to leave their job within 12 months and 32% plan to move on in the next two to four years.

Of those intending to seek alternative employment; the most important reason was a lack of career advancement prospects (56.3% in Queensland).

Lack of recognition or reward, boredom and salary levels also came in the top five reasons.

Queensland differed to the national norm by ranking lack of communication or cooperation with management as a reason for leaving a current job above better pay.

Unreasonable pressure or demands was also mentioned as a motivator for jumping ship as was poor work/life balance, unsupportive or unfriendly cultures and poor corporate social responsibility.

Those who did plan on sticking around ranked ‘a sense of purpose or meaning in my job’ as the most important reason (69.4% in Queensland, 61.9% nationally), followed by ‘a good relationship with my co-workers’, ‘new and interesting challenges’ and ‘a good relationship with my manager’.

AIM CEO (Qld and NT) Carolyn Barker said it was clear from the results that while most workers felt a sense of satisfaction in their careers, there was room for improvement.

“We all know there is a skills shortage across Australia but especially in Queensland where we are experiencing such growth,” Ms Barker said.

“The result is that we have to constantly strive to retain our best staff.  Good management, positive work cultures and ongoing training and development are key to this endeavour.

“Everyone needs to feel challenged and appreciated as is evident in the responses to this Managing the Future Survey.  Managers and directors should be aiming for this as a matter of course,” Ms Barker said.

When asked about training and development, more than three quarters (75.9) of the Queensland respondents agreed they were offered good opportunities and almost the same amount (72.7%) agreed they were working to their full potential.

86.5% said their work was interesting and challenging but only 70.2% agreed that their manager was good at managing people – meaning almost a third of Queenslanders think their manager lacks a core competency.

Carolyn Barker said anyone at any level of a business can learn and develop more. 

“Even the most senior of managers can hone their people skills,” Ms Barker said. “As we have seen from this survey, these skills are the key to reducing employee turnover, which is one of our biggest challenges today.”

If you have any queries, please contact Dawn Hewitt from Sequel Communications on 07 3251 8128 or 0403 090 910.