Work culture in China

Some extraordinary statistics in the March issue of Harvard Business Review, in an article by Gallup executives on what’s happening in China:

% of urban Chinese workers who strongly agree:

– I know what is expected of me at work….34%

– At work I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day…26%

– My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person….26%

– Someone at work encourages my development…23%

– This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow…23%

– At work, my opinions seem to count….20%

– In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress….19%

The human resource practices these statistics imply hardly bode well for the development of the Chinese economy. On the other hand, my assistant Myfanwy, who was a temp for several years, says she isn’t surprised by these figures at all, and that you may see similar responses by large segments of the Western workforce. Certainly it is enormously sad, and a great lost opportunity, whenever people feel this way.