Unhappy workers revealed

Apr 16 2008 Evening Gazette

AN nebusiness poll has revealed that more than half of Tees workers (56%) are unhappy with their lot - more than double the national average.

But the good news for employers is that more pay won’t necessarily put a smile on their faces.

Instead, the advice is to embed softer management skills.

Gary Watson, managing director of recruitment firm New Group - which supplies most of the workers to Teesport - said: “Workers’ dissatisfaction rarely has anything to do with money. Flexible working options and strong internal training programmes help to keep them motivated.”

He said that habitual late working built resentment.

Newton Tucker, proprietor of Stockton-based SBNT Window Cleaning Contractors and Cleaning Services, agreed that salary increases were not a cure-all.

A pleasant environment and decent tools to do the job counted for more.

He said: “My philosophy is to fight from the front and protect staff. I’d never ask any of them to do anything that I wouldn’t.”

The poll results compare starkly with national research which showed one in four workers feels trapped in a job they do not like.