With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the Kenexa Research Institute, a division of Kenexa (NASDAQ: KNXA), a global provider of business solutions for human resources, researched, “What makes an employee passionate about his/her job?”
Having passion for one’s job is defined by the extent to which employees are excited about their work, feel a sense of personal accomplishment, are extremely satisfied with their organisation, believe they have a future at their organisation, and rarely think about finding a new job.
The latest results indicate that 53% of employees in the United Kingdom feel passionate about their jobs, compared to the global rating of 56%. Employees in India (72%), Brazil (63%), Canada (60%), and the United States and Germany (59%) report the most passion followed by those in Saudi Arabia and Russia (58%). Workers in Italy (48%), France (47%) and Japan (41%) are the least likely to feel passionate.
Employees in the United Kingdom report that they are passionate about their jobs when their skills and abilities are put to good use; they have an opportunity for development; they can meet career objectives and still devote time to personal obligations; they have confidence in the company’s future; and they are recognised for their work.
The intensity to which employees are passionate about their jobs varies among different jobs types. In the UK, senior/middle managers (60%) report the most passion for their jobs followed by professional/technical workers (58%), supervisors (53%), clerical workers (50%) and salespeople (47%). Service and production workers (43%) report the least amount of passion.
Having passion for one’s job also varies notably across industries in the UK. Workers in the hi-tech industry (56%) are the most passionate, followed by those in the healthcare services (55%), financial (51%), government (50%) and retail (46%) industries. Those in manufacturing (45%) report the lowest levels of passion.
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Brenda Kowske, research consultant at the Kenexa Research Institute, said: “Similar to romantic passion, workers won’t put up with a miserable relationship for long. As the economic outlook continues to improve, it will increasingly become important for leaders to ‘play cupid’. Elevating an employee’s passion for his/her job will keep employees happy and committed, even when other attractive opportunities come their way.”
The results originate from an analysis of the WorkTrends™ database, an annual survey of worker opinions the Kenexa Research Institute.
