(Alexandria, Va., January 28, 2005)— Workers believe the number one factor that negatively impacts employee productivity is poor management, according to the 2005 Workplace Productivity Survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM.)

“When employees tell us that managers are hampering their productivity, HR professionals need to respond by providing manager training, evaluating organizational structure, and focusing on ways to address poor management practices,” said Susan R. Meisinger, SPHR, president and CEO of SHRM.

The SHRM survey polled a sample of 478 human resource (HR) professionals and 613 employees to collect information about workplace productivity. The survey examined several components of the workplace that impact productivity to determine their effect on worker productivity.

The survey asked employees, “Which of the following factors negatively impact your productivity at work? (Check all that apply.)” Responses were as follows:

• Poor management (58 percent)
• No longer being motivated by the work (38 percent)
• Organizational changes (26 percent)
• A lack of defined goals in the job (24 percent)
• Readiness to leave organization (16 percent)
• A lack of accountability in the job (13 percent)
• Pressure by management to show “face time” (12 percent)
• Other (16 percent)

The survey also asked employees and HR professionals what impact “presenteeism,” when employees are present but not engaged in their work, has on productivity. The survey found that HR professional believe much more strongly than employees that presenteeism has negative impacts on productivity and employee morale.

Sixty-eight percent of HR professionals believe that presenteeism decreases productivity, yet 63 percent of employees say it has no effect. 

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