Employee study:

Those who are not allowed to have a say are more likely to change jobs

The Chamber of Labor surveyed the mood among Upper Austrian employees.

(Bild: Jürgen Radspieler (Symbolbild))

If employees are dissatisfied with their opportunities for co-determination in the company, they are almost three times more likely to consider changing jobs - according to a survey by the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor. Currently, only 57 percent of employees are satisfied in this respect.

In addition, there are other parameters that ensure a significantly better working atmosphere: opportunities to shape the workplace have just as positive an effect on employee satisfaction as a works council or staff representatives in the company.

According to the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor (AK) in a survey on the work climate index conducted with IFES and Foresight, 80 percent of those surveyed are satisfied with their superiors and the social attitude of their company towards employees.

In contrast, 60 percent of dissatisfied employees are dissatisfied with these factors. And 38 percent of dissatisfied employees would like to see different working time regulations. Among those who are satisfied, however, the figure is only 23 percent. Among those who are dissatisfied, the proportion of those who want to work less is also significantly higher.

Employees in tourism and hospitality are the most dissatisfied
However, there are clear differences in the assessment of co-determination and management opportunities depending on the sector. Tourism and gastronomy fared the worst - both in terms of co-determination (49 percent satisfied) and in terms of opportunities to shape the company (62 percent). When it comes to organizational opportunities, education (74%) and health and social services (71%) stand out positively. However, only 52 percent are satisfied with the opportunities for co-determination. In the construction industry, 71 percent of employees rate the opportunities for organization positively and 67 percent are satisfied with the opportunities for co-determination.

Works council makes you healthy
For employees, however, it also makes a difference whether there is a works council or staff representation: If this representation of interests is in place, 66 percent are satisfied with their income and 63 percent are satisfied with the opportunities for further training. If there is no such representation, the proportion of satisfied employees drops to 55% and 52% respectively. And 68 percent of employees in organized companies are satisfied with their social security. In companies without representation of interests, the figure is only 55 percent.

Representation of interests also has a positive effect on employees' health: This is because 40 percent of respondents in organized companies receive fruit and vegetables, 38 percent have ergonomic furniture and 23 percent have access to advice and coaching services - meaning that these companies consistently perform better than those without representation of interests.

Hairdressers and beauticians are the least likely to have representatives
On average, 57 percent of employees work in companies with a works council or staff representation. In the private sector, however, only 52 percent have a representative body in their - usually larger - company. Here, too, the tourism sector stands out negatively with 16% of employees. In the construction industry, 41 percent of employees are in organized companies, in the retail sector the figure is 46 percent.

In terms of occupations, hairdressers and beauticians bring up the rear when it comes to professional representation. Factory workers, on the other hand, are the most likely to have representation of their interests (81 percent), followed by toolmakers (79 percent) and bank employees (77 percent).