Agency employees are fairly content these days. In last month's Thomas L. Harris survey on agency job satisfaction (PRN, Sept. 18), 40% of respondents said they were "satisfied" and 25% reported
being "very satisfied" with their jobs. But while 98% of respondents rated "challenging tasks" as a critical component of the ideal job, only 72% said they felt challenged in their actual jobs.
Meanwhile, 94% ranked free time as a key aspect in an ideal job, although only 60% reported actually having sufficient time for their personal lives, given their present situations.
On a more macro level, the latest global research by Walker Information and the Hudson Group indicates that only 34% of employees today feel truly loyal to their organizations, and only half believe
that their employers are interested in developing staffers' skills for the long term. But these negative views may be more indicative of hardened employee attitudes than they are of chronic
disgruntlement. Two-thirds of respondents in the Walker study said they were proud of their organizations and felt like "part of the family." More than half said they'd recommend their organizations as a
good place to work, and nearly 75% said they had good day-to-day relationships with their employers.
(Thomas L. Harris, 847/266-1026; Walker, http://walkerinfo.com)