Hungarian employees question bosses for performance and salaries

More than half of Hungarian workers believe top executives are paid too much, while many don’t believe their bosses could do their job, according to a new survey by global recruitment company, Kelly Services.

The survey also shows a high level of concern amongst the workforce over senior executive remuneration and performance.

Many workers believe they actually work harder than their bosses and say they do not receive the level of motivation necessary to do a better job and increase productivity.

The global survey canvassed the views of 115,000 people in 33 countries including more than 4,000 in Hungary.

Amongst the key findings of the survey:

• 57% of respondents say that senior executives are paid too much, the second highest score globally
• 34% say they think they work harder than their boss
• 36% say their boss does not understand what they do day-to-day
• 39% say their boss could not do their job
• 29% say that they do not receive the motivation from their bosses to do a better job and raise productivity

Kelly Services, General Manager Anikó Jónás,  said the findings reveal a deep sense of dismay about the performance of senior executive ranks and disquiet at the rewards they receive.

“Employees sense that many in senior executive roles are not performing to the standards expected and may not be offering the level of support and mentoring that is required to properly motivate staff.

“There is an issue in how effectively executive salaries are aligned with executive performance. 

“Employees look at some senior executive remuneration packages and often can’t understand how they fit with corporate performance.

“The survey suggests that even before the recent global financial crisis, which shed new light on executive remuneration, employees were signaling that they were unimpressed with the way that many bosses were performing and rewarded,” Anikó Jónás said.

The most overpaid business executives, in the eyes of employees, were in Turkey, Hungary, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Netherlands and the United States. 

The level of understanding about what many senior executives actually do is a source of confusion amongst the workforce.

When Hungarian employees were asked whether they worked harder than their boss, 34% said ‘Yes’, 37% said ‘No, we work equally hard’, and 19% said they were unsure.  Only 10% of employees believed that their bosses worked harder than they did.

The concern about the level of salary paid to senior executives was most pronounced amongst females. Some 60% of females said top senior executives paid too much, compared to 54% of males.

A surprising 39% of participants also said they don’t believe their bosses could do their job, showing a lack of confidence in top level management knowing what their staff do on a daily basis.

When it comes to motivation by senior executives, some 29% of participants said they are not encouraged to do a better job or increase their productivity.

The survey’s findings suggest an increasingly sceptical view on the part of the workforce about the way remuneration decisions are taken by senior managers and directors.

The recent global financial turmoil has hastened calls for more transparent and accountable processes for senior executive remuneration in which pay is more closely aligned to performance.

Media contact: 

Anikó Jónás

Managing Director

E-mail: ajonas@kellyservices.hu 

Tel: 0036-1-354-2770