KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have the highest level of job satisfaction at 67 per cent as compared to their regional counterparts in Singapore (64 per cent) and Hong Kong (50 per cent), according to the latest Asia Pacific Employee Pulse Study by Qualtrics.
The survey said employees clocking in more hours at work were least likely to leave their jobs, despite experiencing significant amounts of stress.
“Contrary to popular beliefs, long working hours do not necessarily contribute to high employee turnover rates in Malaysia,” it said.
For instance, the survey employees in the media and advertising industry indicated that despite working more than 45 hours a week (50 percent), three-quarters (75 percent) said they will ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ stick with their jobs. In addition, only 11 percent of employees in the finance sector are at risk of leaving their jobs despite the long working hours (37 percent).
A deep dive into the employment landscape further reveals that most Malaysia employees remain highly positive despite the stressful work environment.
Employees in the travel and leisure (40 percent), retail (36 percent) and utilities (33 percent) feel stressed and overwhelmed by work ‘most’ or ‘all’ of the time. Yet, they remain the one of the most motivated workforce as they look forward to going to work ‘most of the time’ or ‘nearly always’ – travel and leisure (60 percent), retail (64 percent), utilities (100 percent).
“This study clearly shows a gap between what employers think and what employees are really thinking. As industry leaders, we tend to have a very skewed perception of what employees face in the workplace every day.
“It is not uncommon to assume that longer working hours and high stress levels would naturally lead to a disgruntled and dissatisfied workforce, however, it has been pleasantly surprising to have this fact refuted,” said Foo Mao Gen, Head of Southeast Asia at Qualtrics.
Qualtrics, the leader in research and experience management, runs its Employee Pulse study every quarter focusing on the key factors driving employee attitudes, behaviours, and well-being.
It canvasses the views of 5,000 fulltime employees around the world and experiments with fresh ways to measure engagement, looking beyond typical drivers to understand what companies should do to build more enjoyable, productive, and attractive places to work.