Press
Release Source: Accenture
U.S. Middle Managers' Satisfaction with
Employers Drops, Accenture Survey Finds
Thursday October 20, 8:00 am ET
Believe Companies Are Mismanaged, See Few Prospects For Advancement
NEW
YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 2005--Middle managers in the United States are
increasingly dissatisfied with their current organizations, find their
organizations mismanaged and see few prospects for advancement, according to
the findings of a survey released today by Accenture
(NYSE: ACN - News).
The survey of 225 U.S.
middle managers found that respondents' satisfaction with their current
organizations has declined significantly since 2004, when Accenture
conducted a similar survey. While two-thirds (67 percent) of middle managers in
last year's survey reported that they were extremely or very satisfied with
their organizations, fewer than half (48 percent) of respondents in this year's
survey were as positive about their organizations, with one-third (33 percent)
of respondents describing their organizations as "mismanaged."
When asked to describe their
companies' performance in a number of areas, few respondents were positive.
Only 28 percent rated the way their organizations manage prospects for
advancement as good or excellent, and only 31 percent
said their companies were good or excellent at helping them communicate bad
news. In fact, only about one-third of respondents reported that their
companies were good or excellent at managing: compensation, flexible work
arrangements, communications between supervisors and subordinates, and training
and development (33 percent, 34 percent, 37 percent and 37 percent,
respectively).
"The decline of
employee loyalty, particularly at the critical middle manager level, should be
a growing source of concern for senior management, and the fact that middle
managers think their companies are mismanaged is particularly alarming,"
said Ed Jensen, a senior executive in Accenture's
Human Performance practice. "These managers are frustrated about a broad
set of concerns and see only a limited future at their current organizations.
When the negatives about a company trump the positives, the balance between
deciding to stay or leave will tip in the wrong direction."
When asked about the most
frustrating aspects of their jobs, the greatest number of respondents -- 47
percent -- cited compensation issues, followed by balancing work and personal
time, the feeling that they do the bulk of the work and don't receive the
appropriate credit, and having no clear career path (chosen by 40 percent, 38
percent and 35 percent, respectively).
At the same time, nearly six
in 10 (58 percent) of the respondents said they would consider changing jobs.
In addition, three in 10 (30 percent) of the respondents said they are
currently looking for another job, compared with only 21 percent of respondents
in last year's survey. When asked about their motivation for seeking another
job, respondents most often cited better pay or benefits (selected by 29
percent of respondents), lack of prospects for advancement (22 percent) and
better conditions or job prospects (21 percent).
"Competition has
toughened for almost every organization, and now each one must build the right
capabilities to deliver high performance," said Jensen. "Reinventing
the role of middle managers will be critical to this effort, particularly as
increasing numbers of employees look toward retirement. Creating positive
environments for employees to succeed will be a critical factor for winning in
the marketplace."
Methodology
The online survey, conducted
in August 2005 by ICR (International Communications Research) on behalf of Accenture, entailed querying 225 full-time workers who
consider themselves to be middle managers.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting,
technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering
innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients
to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep
industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven
track record, Accenture can mobilize the right
people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With
more than 123,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of
US$15.55 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2005. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
Contact:
Accenture
Laura Schneider, 845-362-5093
Laura.schneider@accenture.com
or
For Accenture:
Jonathan Zaback, 212-614-4429
jonathan_zaback@nyc.bm.com
Source:
Accenture
