Personnel - Stress and overtime: Employees suffer from bottlenecks
The shortage of skilled workers in Germany is having a negative impact on everyday working life and the satisfaction of many employees. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Competence Center for Securing Skilled Workers (Kofa) of the German Economic Institute (IW) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics.
According to the representative survey, 61% of people experience staff shortages in their immediate working environment. The increased workload manifests itself in different ways among those affected. 31 percent are afraid of not being able to fulfill their tasks. 55 percent regularly experience stress. 58% state that they have to do without the necessary care in their work. 69% frequently or sometimes work overtime and extra hours. 71 percent take on tasks outside their area of responsibility.
People who work in companies without staff shortages complain about such problems much less frequently. At the same time, their overall satisfaction with their job is higher. 80% rate the working atmosphere as good and 82% enjoy their work.
In spring 2023, a total of 5026 employees subject to social security contributions and exclusively part-time employees between the ages of 18 and 65 were surveyed, 3074 of whom came from companies with staff shortages.
Every second company cannot fill vacancies
According to the study, there is a considerable need for action for these companies. It could "become a business risk if the quality of services suffers permanently and orders have to be repeatedly rejected", says Gero Kunath, a skilled labor expert at the IW. "Companies should take countermeasures - otherwise there is a risk of a vicious circle. This is because staff shortages also lead to more frequent health problems and higher sickness rates among the affected workforces." As a result, staff are likely to leave and the situation will worsen.
In order to counteract bottlenecks, Kunath believes that it can make sense to recruit lateral entrants or semi-skilled employees or to digitalize work processes. This would make it possible to relieve the burden on existing employees and increase their satisfaction and productivity.
According to the recently published Skilled Workers Report by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, every second company is already unable to fill at least some of its vacancies. As a result of the shortage, four out of ten companies expect that they will have to limit their range of services and turn down and lose orders because they do not have the necessary staff. Almost 60 percent of companies expect labor costs to rise as a result.
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Source: www.stern.de
