Australian workers’ passion for job damaged by GFC

The GFC has hit Australian employee engagement hard, with new research revealing that workers’ passion for the job has dropped 18 per cent in the past year.

The GFC has hit Australian employee engagement hard, with new research revealing that workers’ passion for the job has dropped 18 per cent in the past year.

RogenSi’s Global Mindset Index also revealed that workers have lost self belief, as well as in their leaders, while one fifth of employees are suffering from symptoms of depression.

Dr Clark Perry, director and psychologist at RogenSi, said: “These results ring alarm bells for organisations. Uncertainty and nervousness across the global marketplace are now being internalised and have dramatically affected employees.

“Following the GFC, some organisations have been operating at a frenetic pace and have become blinkered and so focused on trying to achieve outcomes or indeed just survive. The result has been much more demand on employees’ times with little or no reward or recognition for the effort.”

Last year’s report showed that while employees doubted their leaders, they still believed in themselves.

The 2010 Global Mindset Index looked inside the mindset of the workforce across 26 key behaviour areas including company prospects, passion, worth ethic, leadership, motivation, self-belief, organisation strategy and teamwork.

A total of 668 employees were surveyed across various age groups, job titles and industry sectors, with some dramatic downward trends emerging:

Here are the key findings:

- Workforce passion for the job: a key internal motivating mindset, dropped an alarming 18 per cent on the previous year - significant because it is the largest indicator of self belief

- Generation Y (25-35 year olds): 23 per cent drop in passion for the job and as a group, they are questioning themselves more than any other age group

- Generation Y females: displayed a massive 23 per cent drop in passion for the job as well as falls in self belief and mental strength

- 26 per cent of the workforce surveyed is suffering from symptoms specified by World Health Organisation (WHO) as indicators of depression. While in line with depression levels found in the general population, these can significantly impact personal and organisational performance

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