Published on the 23/03/2016 | Written by Newsdesk

Global study gauges workplace attitudes and motivations, reveals how employers can increase employee engagement and productivity, confirms importance of paycheck…

Qualtrics has released its first Global Attitudes Toward Work survey, which includes findings of how Australians are motivated to work, their view of their own and their colleagues’ working productivity, and how they compare to other workers throughout the world – and there should be little surprise that financial reward remains the top motivator Down Under.

For the survey, Qualtrics gathered and analysed responses from approximately 6,250 respondents in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Questions regarded work issues ranging from productivity and motivation, to work/life balance and punctuality, to management, attire, job hunting and more.

The study found that the number one motivation to work for Australians is to support themselves and their families. Accordingly, salary is the number one consideration for Australians when looking for a new job, followed by work/life balance and location. The least important considerations were the option for remote work, company direction, and health benefits.

Qualtrics’ APAC MD Bill McMurray said this finding is in line with global motivations; however, “Interestingly, Australia has the highest proportion in the world of people working to build wealth, at 15 percent. And a further 13 percent work purely for the enjoyment factor.”

In contrast, the study also revealed Australians are slightly less productive than global averages. Australian respondents said 67 percent of their working hours were productive, compared with 70 percent globally. Australians also believe their colleagues to be less productive than they are, estimating that 63 percent of their colleagues’ time is productive.  The Germans reported the highest levels of personal productivity and they placed the most importance on punctuality. Meanwhile, the Italians ranked themselves as the least productive.

McMurray said it is important for organisations to understand how their employees perceive their own productivity and working conditions, “so they can encourage deeper engagement and commitment, and potentially implement financial rewards tied to performance and productivity.”

The study also revealed that two-thirds of Australian workers prefer to receive performance feedback less often than weekly.

“Workers tend to fear being micromanaged. Instead, they prefer to feel that their employer cares about them,” McMurray said.  “Australians rank caring about employees, honesty, and competence as the top three attributes of a manager. The bottom three were being persuasive, being energetic, and assertiveness. This is valuable information for companies looking to hold on to skilled workers.”

“Companies can demonstrate that they care about their workers by regularly asking them for feedback about working conditions, for example. By getting feedback directly, employers both demonstrate their commitment to their staff and get the valuable information they need to help them build a stronger workplace culture. The result is likely to be more loyal and productive employees.”

Additional survey findings include:

• Australians spend just 15 minutes per day on social media, compared with a global average of 17.4 minutes per day.
• Only 13 percent of Australians socialise with colleagues outside of work hours. Socialising outside of work is not important for workers around the world, with an average of 83.2 percent saying they socialise with co-workers “less often”. Italians are most likely to socialise outside of work at 35.5 percent, and New Zealanders are least likely at 7.4 percent.
• Job satisfaction sits at an average of 54 percent around the world, with 53 percent of Australians extremely or moderately satisfied with their jobs.
• 52 percent of Australians are extremely or moderately satisfied with their work/life balance. On average, 55 percent of people around the world are extremely or moderately satisfied with their work/life balance.
• Three-quarters of Australians prefer face-to-face communication, 14 percent prefer video conferencing, and just 11 percent prefer telephone communications.