Poor management is biggest problem for US productivity

US workers believe the biggest factor that has a negative impact on employee productivity is poor management.

The 2005 Workplace Productivity Survey, conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, polled 478 HR professionals and 613 employees about working life.

The survey asked employees: “Which of the following factors negatively impact your productivity at work?”

Responses were:

1. Poor management (58 per cent)
   
2. No longer being motivated by the work (38 per cent)
   
3. Organisational changes (26 per cent)
   
4. A lack of defined goals in the job (24 per cent)
   
5. Readiness to leave the organisation (16 per cent)
   
6. A lack of accountability in the job (13 per cent).

Other answers accounted for 28 per cent of the total.

The survey also asked employees and HR professionals what impact “presenteeism”, when employees are present but not engaged in their work, has on productivity. The survey found that HR professionals believe much more strongly than employees that presenteeism has a negative impact on productivity and employee morale.

Sixty-eight percent of HR professionals said presenteeism decreases productivity, yet 63 percent of employees said it has no effect.

www.shrm.org