Aussies in it for the money

A new survey from Qualtrics has revealed Australian employees' top motivator to work was financial support, with salary being the number one consideration when looking for a new job.

Qualtrics' Global Attitudes Toward Work survey, which mined the insights of people from 14 countries and found some surprising—and some not so surprising—findings of how Australians are motivated to work, their view on themselves and their colleagues working productivity, and how they compare to other workers throughout the world.

Qualtrics gathered and analysed responses from approximately 6,250 respondents from 14 countries, including Australia. Questions regarded work issues ranging from productivity and motivation, to work/life balance and punctuality, to management, attire, job hunting and more.

Next to salary, work/life balance and location were the top considerations when looking at jobs. The least important considerations were the option for remote work, company direction, and health benefits.

"In line with global motivations, Australians mainly work to support themselves and their families," explains Bill McMurray, managing director APAC, Qualtrics.

"Interestingly, Australia has the highest proportion in the world of people working to build wealth, at 15%. And a further 13% work purely for the enjoyment factor," he says.

In contrast, the study also revealed Australians are slightly less productive than global averages. Australian respondents said 67% of their working hours were productive, compared with 70% globally.

Australians also believe their colleagues to be less productive than they are, estimating that 63% 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.

"It's 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," says McMurray.

"Companies can then measure employee engagement through direct employee feedback via a system such as the real-time Qualtrics Insight Platform," he adds.

The study 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 says.

"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 onto skilled workers," McMurray says.

"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," he explains

Additional survey findings included:

• Australians spend just 15 minutes per day on social media, compared with a global average of 17.4 minutes per day.
• Only 13% 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% saying they socialise with co-workers "less often." Italians are most likely to socialise outside of work at 35.5%, and New Zealanders are least likely at 7.4%.
• Job satisfaction sits at an average of 54% around the world, with 53% of Australians extremely or moderately satisfied with their jobs.
• 52% of Australians are extremely or moderately satisfied with their work/life balance. On average, 55% of people around the world are extremely or moderately satisfied with their work/life balance. French, American, German, and Canadian workers tend to be most satisfied, with Greeks being the least satisfied with just 35.5% identifying as extremely or moderately satisfied.
• Three-quarters of Australians prefer face-to-face communication, 14% prefer video conferencing, and just 11%prefer telephone communications.
• Something all countries had in common is that people would turn to friends first when looking for a new job—over job sites, family, a former employer or Facebook.  
• The French prioritised "dressing formally at work" far more than any other country. Over 55% felt it was extremely or very important to dress to the nines, while the Swedish and Greeks felt the least compelled to dress in formal wear at work.
• The Polish reported the lowest levels of satisfaction with their jobs, with fewer than 43% of respondents stating that they are "extremely" or "moderately" satisfied.
• Most people in all countries (except the Netherlands) find working for a large established company most appealing. Americans, at 38%, feel the preference most strongly, while the French demonstrate the strongest penchant for entrepreneurialism, with 16%most likely to report that working at a start-up is most appealing.
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