Government employees report higher than average fulfillment at work according to Jobstreet
Government employees are relatively happy and
fulfilled at their jobs, a new study by JobStreet Philippines has found. This
runs contrary to the popular belief that government workers are unhappy, as
well as the unfounded stigma that the government isn’t beneficial to work for.
In the study, 1,008 government employees – 257
government employees and 751 from JobStreet’s database – were asked to rate
their happiness in various criteria related to work environment, such as
management/leadership team, job security, and work-life balance. They would
rate their happiness in each category on a scale of 1-7, with 7 being the
highest. Government employees recorded an average of 4.85 points on this scale.
Indeed, in 2017, government emerged as one of the top 3 happiest sectors,
alongside hotel/hospitality and food and beverage/restaurant workers.
The biggest drivers of government employees’
happiness were reputation of government agency, relationship with immediate
boss, and the mission, vision, and values of their agency. Meanwhile, pain points
included lack of travel opportunities, lack of performance bonuses, and low
salary.
Job happiness is an important element of work
performance and employee health – happier employees are 12% more productive,
physically and mentally healthier, and stay with their jobs longer.
The purpose of the study was to inform
JobStreet’s government partners what makes jobs in the government attractive to
those who work in the private sector, determine the factors that contribute to
job happiness in the government, and help partners form strategies to maintain
current employees and secure new ones.
“Through the
data gathered from this study, we aim to encourage more Filipinos to look past
the stigma and prejudice and be more open to working for the government. After
all, it does have its wonderful perks,” said Christine Sevilla, JobStreet
Philippines’ Senior Manager for Government.
JobStreet also found that 80% of candidates
want to work in the government, especially due to the benefits of job security,
retirement plans, and career growth, yet only 37% are actually eligible for
government work.
This research comes hot on the heels of the
recent Civil Service Examinations, held last March. It’s up to JobStreet’s
government partners to more efficiently and adequately disseminate information
about eligibility for civil service, including the different levels of
eligibility associated with the CSE-PPT exam. Another exam is coming up in
August, and candidates should be well-informed about what to expect, and how to
achieve their desired positions.
“With these results, we recommend that
government human resources divisions conduct their own happiness surveys from
time to time to help identify areas of improvement for the job satisfaction of
their employees, as well as bolster efforts to improve areas where happiness is
already at a high level.” said JobStreet Philippines General Manager Philip
Gioca.
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