THREE quarters of Irish middle managers say they rarely or never dislike going to work and that they earn 70 per cent or more of the highest possible rate for the job, according to a new study, Job Satisfaction and Organisational of Irish Middle Managers, published by the Sociological Association of Ireland.
But the same study shows there is still considerable dissatisfaction in their ranks over their rates of pay, promotional opportunities and the lack of recognition and use of their skills by employers. This is particularly high among women managers, who attach higher importance to pay and promotional opportunities than their male colleagues.
Women managers believe they have to work harder to win promotion and have to make more sacrifices in their personal lives. For instance, while 83 per cent of male managers surveyed were married, only 41 per cent of women managers were.
The study, based on 1992 data, covers 100 managers. Forty two of them earned £30,000 a year at the time, compared with the average industrial wage of £12,600. Fifty one worked in the manufacturing sector, 33 were in general or administrative management and 12 were personnel managers.
There were 78 men and 22 women in the sample. While women were probably over represented in the survey, it provides an interesting insight into the attitudes of a growing element in Irish management structures.
Ninety two managers had a pension plan and 46 said they would receive the maximum two thirds of salary entitlement on retirement. Thirty nine managers had a company car.
While there was reasonable satisfaction about pay among male managers, 51 per cent of those surveyed felt their abilities were under used and 20 per cent did not feel their job was very secure.
Only 46 per cent felt they had good promotional opportunities.
There was a high level of satisfaction with the "intrinsic" or non material elements of their job. Eighty five per cent said they were completely free to organise their work, 80 per cent, said they had a great sense of fulfilment from doing the job and 69 per cent said their role was well respected within society.
However, there was considerable divergence in satisfaction levels between men and women. While 92 per cent of men experienced high or moderate levels of satisfaction with their job, this was true of only 78 per cent of women. Ninety one per cent of men also felt they had high or reasonable prospects of promotion, compared with 73 per cent of women.
Internationally, middle management has been under increasing pressure as business organisations become "flatter", thus reducing or eliminating their role. The study shows Irish middle managers increasingly concerned for the future, but it also says they have "very fragile levels of commitment" in the level of change they are willing to offer employers.
Besides declining promotional prospects, the study finds there is a lack of underlying commitment. Their organisations "cannot be guaranteed that these men and women will carry their mission into the future", it states.