The Randstad Workmonitor survey for fourth quarter 2019 explores work-life balance, the economic and financial outlook for 2020 as well as the quarterly mobility index, fear of job loss and job satisfaction of Greek employees.
work-life balance.
According to the latest work monitor, it seems that employees in Greece allow their work to intertwine with their personal life, as 71% claim that they respond immediately to work related calls, emails and text messages, outside of their regular working hours. Greece holds the 5th position, globally, for swift response, behind India, China, Turkey and Malaysia. Globally, 59% of employees respond immediately outside of regular working hours. Having said this, when asked if they would respond at a convenient time, 69% of the Greek respondents stated they do so.
This does not seem to be voluntary, in Greece 55% say that their employer expects them to be available outside of their regular working hours. Globally, 56% state they are expected to be available.
In Greece, 48% claim that their employer expects them to be available on the phone, by email or text messages during the holidays and personal time off. Only 33% choose to handle work-related matters during their holidays because they like to stay involved or updated. 44% feel pressured to respond to work-related calls, emails and text messages, when they are on holiday. 70% agree that when they are on holiday, they are able to let go of work easily.
Another finding to support the interconnection between an employee’s work-life balance is that when one has to work during private time, it has also become commonly accepted to handle private matters during working hours. 60% of Greek employees claim that they sometimes handle private matters during work hours.
economic and financial outlook.
The expectations for 2020 in Greece are positive. 70% of Greek employees expect their employer to perform better financially in 2020 than in 2019. 56% expect that the economic situation in their country will improve in 2020. Only 38% of Greek employees expect to receive a one-time financial reward/bonus at the end of the fiscal year and 40% expect to receive a pay rise in 2020.
“There is a widespread feeling of optimism about 2020 being a better year. This view is shared by both employees and employers. By the end of April 2020, we will have a clearer view as to whether the above predictions have been confirmed.’’ Leigh Ostergard, Manager Director, Randstad Hellas
quarterly recurring observations.
mobility index in greece decreases.
The Randstad labour market "mobility index" assesses the number of employees who expect to find another job within the next 6 months. This is based on the employee's current job satisfaction, their fear of being fired, their need to find new personal challenges and confidence in finding a job elsewhere. In Greece, the results suggest Greek employees are not expected to work for a different employer in the coming six months. The mobility index for Greece decreased by 3 points, from 107 to 104, in the fourth quarter of 2019. Mobility index remains flat at 114 globally. Mobility decreased in China (-6), Norway (-5), Sweden and Italy (-4). Mobility increased the most in New Zealand (+8), Germany (+5), Switzerland (+5), Mexico, Hungary, and Luxembourg (+4). There was no change in mobility in Chile, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Spain.
job change appetite.
The desire to change jobs decreased slightly in fourth quarter 2019 for Greek respondents. 30% stated that the job change appetite had decreased as opposed to 32% in the third quarter.
actual job changes.
The percentage of employees in Greece that actually changed jobs in the last six months decreased by 4.5% to 18%, since third quarter 2019. Top reasons given for changing jobs are: better employment conditions (40%), dissatisfaction with employer (25%) and personal desire for change (18%). 30% of the people surveyed in Greece claim they are looking for a new job, an decrease of 2% since third quarter. 70% also stated that should they need to find a job, they would be able to find a comparable one. 65% believe that should they need to find a different job, they would be able to find comparable work at a different employer.
fear of losing their job.
When asked, 27% of the Greek respondents stated they fear losing their job, an decrease of 2% since the third quarter 2019.
fear of losing job by age group:
job satisfaction.
According to the current survey findings, in Greece, job satisfaction increased by 2% since last quarter with 65% of Greek employees stating they are satisfied with their job.
You can find all previous Randstad Workmonitor reports here.