In 2011, the results of an employee attachment index survey was released by Eileen Habelow, the Senior VP of Randstad,

In 2011, the results of an employee attachment index survey was released by Eileen Habelow, the Senior VP of Randstad, the world's biggest HR and staffing company. The study showed there is a big gap in what employees and employers consider as job satisfaction.

In other words, there are considerable discrepancies in what workers think are important to them, than what their companies believe they should be doing. Employers are concentrating on the wrong things in their desire to retain their most valued employees.

There are two items that repeatedly showed up in the course of the study that are very important to workers but not to their employers. They are:

a)    Enjoyment of going to work each day, and

b)   Feeling inspired to do their best.

On the part of the employers, they believe that recognition for effort is much more important than what their employees think. Based on these results, the study concluded that employers are indeed focused on the wrong things - things that won't help them retain their good employees. 

Both employees and employers want to work effectively. Unfortunately, there is a big difference of opinion between the two camps as to how working effectively can be achieved.

The main issue therefore lies in the fact that management and workers have differing perspectives. This is perhaps the main root cause of the issue. If the gap is to be bridged, this major issue must be addressed.

If management does not recognize this viewpoint, it will continue introducing and implementing measure that will only be palliative at best, but will not offer a long-term solution.

Since management and employers are more concerned about the bottom line, they must be pragmatic and admit that their solutions are inadequate. And since they produce their products through their workers, it is best to consider their demands so that they will not only sustain their production but will even increase them and the bottom line of their employers as well.