The employees that expressed frustration with their salaries are generally men (50% more than women), work in the private sector (52% more than in the public sector) and have had at least one prior job (28% more than those in their first job), according to the results of a study carried out by the National Union Bloc (BNS) and presented Monday.
Significant factors explaining salary discontentment include lack of involvement in decision-making, lack of incentives for workplace fidelity, physical risk factors, especially the pressure of short deadlines, and working in shifts.
According to the study, 55% of employees are unhappy with their salaries and believe it is not reflective of their work, compared with 48% in 2010.
The frequency of professional training and team building activities has reduced: in 2011, 35.3% of respondents said their company holds team building activities, compared with 43.8% in 2010. Training at the workplace is mainly provided to men (60.1%), aged 35-44 (38.2%), with medium education (75.5%), employed in industry, in the private sector. Since this category provides special labor, it is likely the training is in fact mandatory for their activity.
Relations at the workplace have become more formal both between the management and employees, and between employees, with a predominant atmosphere of competition rather than cooperation. The share of workplaces with friendly relations between bosses and workers has reduced from 23% in 2010 to 17% in 2011, and between employees – from 71% in 2010 to 64% in 2011.
According to the study, employees grade themselves lower in self-evaluations compared with 2010, indicating a lack of confidence or motivation, but this can also be a consequence of the adverse economic environment. In 2011, 45% of employees believed their activity improved in the last year, from 54% in 2010. Also, 44% believed they had improved in the last five years, compared with 54% in 2010.
To reduce grievances regarding salaries and given the economic context which makes giving raises difficult, the study’s authors recommend allowing more employee involvement in decision-making, rewarding workplace fidelity and reducing psychological pressure on staff.
Employee perception is that Romanians do not return from working abroad, but rather more and more wish to leave to work in other countries. Only one Romanian in a hundred has returned to work in the country, and one in five would leave, the study says. The ratio of potential to actual immigration is 21 to 1, indicating that views on the Romanian labor market have not improved.
The study paints a portrait of the Romanian employee seeking to leave and work in other countries: he is a man, aged 25-44, currently employed in the private sector, greatly unhappy with his current salary, from a poor region, especially the southwest or northwest.
To reduce employment migration, the Government should focus on attracting private investment, local and foreign, to these regions. An economic structure in which wealth and opportunities are exclusive to places like Bucharest and Cluj, while poverty and lack of prospects are concentrated in very poor regions, cannot promote healthy and inclusive economic growth, the study says.
To increase the frequency of professional evaluations and training, BNS recommends that the bill on corporate governance currently being developed by the Government to apply to private companies in addition to public companies.
Furthermore, working conditions play an essential part in creating wealth and satisfaction for many Romanians, so improving these conditions is crucial to obtaining better quality of work, productivity and employment.