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One-third of Health Services Workers Say They Do Not Feel Appreciated by Their Employers, CareerBuilder.com Survey Finds

Thirty-five Percent of Health Services Workers Plan to Change Jobs This Year

CHICAGO, May 13, 2004 - Thirty-four percent of Health Services workers say they feel their employers do not value their efforts on the job, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey. Four-in-ten Health Services workers also say they are dissatisfied with management’s ability to lead by example. More than one-third of these workers are dissatisfied enough to want to change jobs this year. The CareerBuilder.com survey, "Life at Work 2004: Health Services," was conducted from February 19, 2004 to February 29, 2004 and included more than 160 Health Services workers.

When asked why they feel their organizations do not value them, 18 percent of Health Services workers cited the lack of a "thank you" for their efforts and 13 percent stated their organizations did not have effective employee recognition programs. One-in-ten pointed to the fact that they had not received a raise or bonus they felt they deserved.

"Recognizing an employee’s contributions is especially critical in Health Services where workers are dealing with high stress, critical situations on a daily basis," said Rhonda Lipsey, Healthcare Employment Expert at CareerBuilder.com. "Three-in-ten Health Services workers do not feel appreciated by their employers and say they are looking for new opportunities that will provide a more rewarding work experience. With the industry already facing a shortage of qualified workers, Health Services organizations will need to take appropriate retention measures to keep their staff satisfied and make themselves more attractive to new candidates."

Perceptions of management will often influence whether an employee is satisfied on the job. Thirty-eight percent of Health Services workers say their corporate leaders always or often play favorites within their organization. Thirty percent of these workers feel that their corporate leaders do not keep the staff informed about the organization’s objectives or plans. One fourth feel their corporate leaders are ineffective in their ability to motivate workers.

Health Services workers gave their immediate supervisor a better report card than the corporate leaders of their organization. Seven-in-ten Health Services workers say they are satisfied with the performance of their supervisor. Six-in-ten workers feel that their supervisor is someone who they can trust and helps them to develop or improve. Two-thirds of Health Services workers feel their supervisor is respected within their organization and makes time available to review their job concerns. Despite this encouraging report card, four-in-ten workers feel that they could do a better job than their supervisor if given the chance.

Lipsey recommends the following action items to help retain Health Services workers:

  1. Set up roundtable discussions between the corporate leaders of your organization and Health Services workers. Also, establish periodic "walk-arounds" for corporate leaders to foster informal interaction among all groups during all shifts.
  2. Create an employee recognition committee made up of workers from all levels in your organization with the objective to monitor the effectiveness of your existing employee recognition program and make recommendations for changes as necessary.
  3. Measure employee satisfaction through surveys on a regular basis and implement resolutions in a timely manner.
  4. Conduct periodic pay reviews in your region to determine that your organization’s compensation is competitive, and make appropriate adjustments.

The Survey
The CareerBuilder.com survey, “Life at Work 2004: Health Services,” was conducted from February 17 to February 29, 2004 of more than 160 workers. To collect data for the survey, CareerBuilder.com commissioned SurveySite to use an e-mail methodology whereby individuals who are members of SurveySite Web Panel were randomly selected and approached by e-mail invitation to participate in the online survey. The results of this survey are accurate within +/-7.6 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is a leading online source for maximizing recruitment dollars and optimizing job searches with superior products, customer service and technology. With a unique combination of national, local and niche audiences, CareerBuilder.com makes it easy for recruiters to reach the most qualified candidates with industry-leading market research data and support. Job seekers can search for the right job from more than 400,000 continuously updated postings, representing more than 25,000 of the top employers in virtually every industry, field and location. Together with Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), and Knight Ridder, Inc. (NYSE:KRI), CareerBuilder.com includes the Web’s top newspaper sites – the most trusted employment sources in recruiting. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, call 888-670-TEAM or visit CareerBuilder.com at http://www.careerbuilder.com.

CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com