More grim news from the land of statistics: The recession may be waning, but a recent survey reveals that its effects will be felt by employers (and their customers) long after it’s over.

To combat attrition, researchers suggest starting with the issue of employee engagement.

Researchers for nonprofit HR organization WorldAtWork and consulting firm Watson Wyatt found that employee engagement levels dropped 9 percent since 2008, and by almost 25 percent for top-performing workers.

It’s not a surprise that dissatisfaction is growing among those who still have jobs. They are now responsible for doing their own work, plus that of their sacked colleagues. What’s more, with salary and bonus freezes in effect, those employees aren’t being compensated for their extra efforts. (Granted, those pay freezes did save them their jobs.) A decline in productivity is inevitable.

And there’s one more factor: According to the same survey, 41 percent of employees believe that the cost-reduction measures that have been taken by their employers are adversely affecting quality and customer service. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Worker Productivity attrition, recession, Training, Watson Wyatt, WorldAtWork