Employees prefer job security to pay

It is not just a matter of heavy pay packets anymore as majority of Indian employees are willing to compromise on salary provided they have job security and pleasant colleagues at work place, says a survey.

“Eighty-two per cent of the employees surveyed in India attach a premium to pleasant colleagues, which is the second highest in the world after China and it is well above the world average of 60 per cent,” HR services firm Randstad’s Workmonitor survey for the 2012 second quarter said.

Noting that Indian employees are willing to compromise on salary for pleasant colleagues and job security, the survey said that people here work to live rather than live to work.

The findings are based on at least 400 online interviews in each of the more than 32 countries covered including India. Still, about 68 per cent of those surveyed opined that a better salary was more important factor than enjoying the work they did.

“Considering employees spend most of their hours at work, salary is often not enough to keep them happy at work. It is imperative for HR managers to create a work environment with a sense of community,” Randstad India MD & CEO E Balaji said.

Around 80 per cent of the employees felt that social media has enabled them to connect more with colleagues outside working hours.

“This is more prevalent with employees having higher or moderate education background than the employees with lower education,” the survey said.

Meanwhile, in terms of mobility, “India has the highest index of 142. This is in line with the findings that emerged in all the previous nine quarterly surveys conducted since Q1 2010”.