The Economy is Worker Worry #1

April 30, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Many American workers may be fretting about the state of the economy, but not so much so that it hurts the quality of their work, according to a new poll.

A Right Management news release said 80% of the 501 workers polled confessed to worrying about the downturn. While 16% say that worry has distracted them from their work, 84% say they don’t feel that their concern is impacting their job performance.

Among the survey’s other findings:

  • Women are slightly more worried than men, with 82% of women reporting that they are very/somewhat worried compared to 79% of men.
  • 42% of people aged 45 to 65+ are very worried, compared to only 26% of people aged 35 to 44 years.
  • 88% of people holding post graduate studies are very/somewhat worried, compared to 77% of people with high school education levels or less.

“While worried about the economy, most people say that the daily ‘doom and gloom’ reports are not distracting their performance at work. With job losses continuing to mount, unemployment reaching new heights and organizations struggling to meet profitability goals, employees are working hard and staying focused on getting the job done,” said Douglas J. Matthews, president and chief operating officer at Right Management, in the news release.

The telephone survey was conducted for Right Management between March 12-15, 2009, by International Communications Research, Media, Pennsylvania.

Are you worried about the state of the economy?

  • 35% = Very worried
  • 45% = Somewhat worried
  • 11% = Not too worried
  • 9% = Not at all worried

Have your concerns impacted your job performance?

  • 84% = No, I am not distracted at work and can focus on getting the job done
  • 14% = Yes, I am sometimes distracted at work, but am doing the best I can
  • 2% = Yes, I am often distracted at work and find it difficult to do my job well

Source: Right Management

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