Engineering managers still feel frustration

Organisations in the engineering industry need to be more energetic and dynamic if they are to match the needs of their staff, according to the second annual Business Energy report.

Organisations in the engineering industry need to be more energetic and dynamic if they are to match the needs of their staff, according to the second annual Business Energy report.

"Motivation matters", a survey of over 1800 individuals, shows that despite high motivation levels, a positive attitude to long hours and a desire for personal development, engineering managers still feel frustration with their employers.

The survey, which was conducted during August 2005, shows that capturing this "positive energy" is crucial if UK organisations are to challenge existing workplace stereotypes.

One in seven respondents in engineering work 14 hours or more above their contracted hours but only 12% strongly agreed their social lives are affected by long hours.

However, many would like to see compressed working weeks (32%) or flexitime (22%) introduced to help ease workplace pressure and allow them to take control of their working lives.

Solid motivation levels combined with frustration caused by promotion barriers appears to be fuelling the corporate "pressure cooker".

20% of employees feel the presence of "old boys networks" and a further 37% believe flat structures are the root causes to career development frustrations.

34% of engineering organisations admit they are struggling to recruit appropriately qualified permanent employees.

44% of companies are turning to temporary contracts to ease this problem and implementing greater flexible working practices to ease the work/life pressures.

However managers' personal values refuse to let long hours or limited career opportunities dampen their drive to succeed.

More than half (55%) of those questioned in engineering can't wait to begin the week and only 18% claim to suffer from "Monday morning blues".

In organisations described as "growing" or "dynamic" 61% of managers reported high levels of motivation, compared to 38% in "shrinking" businesses, confirming the relationship between motivation levels and business performance.

Richard Macmillan, Managing Director of Adecco UK and Ireland commented: "Without the right environment, managing highly motivated, energised employees can present as many challenges as motivating people when levels are low".

"Corporate UK needs to capture and nurture motivated managers, not lock them in a pressure cooker of glass ceilings, bureaucracy and old school ties".

"Most employees are willing to make personal sacrifices to develop careers, but the milk soon turns sour if those efforts are not rewarded".

The reality of the UK"s long-hours culture still persists, with an average of 8.2 hours extra worked each week by managers at all levels.

Yet, despite this, up to 23% of those in engineering suggested they have the capacity to do more work (an increase from 17% in 2004) and only 7% say long hours affects their morale.

Many managers reported having a sense of purpose in their work (64%) or achieving targets (53%) as key motivation factors, suggesting they want to be judged on how they contribute to their organisation, not by the hours they clock up.

The research also revealed that nearly 40% of managers in engineering joined their current organisation because of the development opportunities available.

However, 41% also reported that their employer had no specific training and development budget.

This lack of budget sits uneasily alongside the finding that 74% of managers think that their employer should take primary responsibility for funding their development needs.

Mary Chapman, Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute, says: "This report highlights a division between the high levels of commitment expressed by managers and the support they are receiving to reach their goals".

"Individuals will shop around when their existing post no longer offers satisfaction or career development and organisations which fail to live up to the promise of progress risk seeing their managers jump ship".

The report also highlights a worrying mismatch between what managers in engineering hold dear to their hearts compared to the values of their employer.

Although 37% of managers crave an empowering environment with zero bureaucracy, they seem to be getting the opposite.

When asked what values best described their organisation, trust (4%), innovation (9%), passion (6%) and staff commitment (8%) came bottom of the list.

This presents UK employers with a major issue as 45% of managers admit company values have a major effect on motivation levels.

The "Motivation matters" survey, published by the Chartered Management Institute and sponsored by Adecco, is available now.

Copies of the executive summary are available from the institute's website.

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