Poll on Obama Shows Hope for Engagement

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 05, 2009 -
“How confident are you that our new President will be able to bring about significant economic progress?” Very Confident: 73%, Not Confident: 27%
                                                               
Chicago, IL – March 5, 2009 – Although only 66 percent of surveyed employees in HR Solutions’ National Normative Database are confident in their organization’s future, 73 percent of people surveyed in HR Solutions’ online poll have confidence in our national future – at least in terms of Barack Obama’s ability to bring about significant economic progress.  Despite the fact that one-third of employees do not feel assured about their company’s future, such a high number of “very confident” responses that our President will be able to bring about economic progress may be beneficial for organizations’ futures in itself, in keeping employees focused.          

Positive impacts of expecting progress can help to counteract heightened concerns and distractions due to the economy that have the power to cause recessionary disengagement.  Recessionary disengagement happens when an employee becomes so focused on the economy’s poor state that they become disengaged from work.  This can result in a significant lack of productivity among workers, in turn causing a company to actually lose money, which is not a light consequence during times of recession.  

During an economic downturn, the amount of possible distractions at work increases heavily.  Certain concerns regarding layoffs, retirement funds and foreclosures have the power to trump other typical workday worries.  According to HR Solutions’ research, even Engaged Employees, or employees who go above and beyond what is expected in the workplace, have concern over job security, and with their qualifications and hard work, they make up the one group who should be least worried.  Out of Engaged Employees surveyed four years ago, six percent worried about job security. Ironically, this number has more than doubled now, as 14 percent of Engaged Employees feel concerned about it presently.  

While we have the power to combat recessionary disengagement in some ways, such as opening lines of communication, prioritizing employee recognition and evaluating our work environments through methods such as employee surveys, President Obama holds similar power.  The more confidence in economic progress he restores in this country’s people, the more eased everyone will feel.  Although everybody will experience certain recessionary distractions, people will be able to look forward in confidence and substitute some economic concern with necessary workplace issues.