Executives feeling down

Faced with an ever-worsening work environment, 30 percent of the nation's middle- and high-ranking executives are showing symptoms of depression because they cannot get satisfaction from their work, according to the results of a survey released yesterday.

The survey, conducted by the Chinese-language Global View (遠見) monthly, also shows that 77 percent of the respondents worry about their health, with 34 percent complaining that the quality of their sleep has deteriorated and 49 percent saying they are more apt to become fatigued than they used to be.

Looking into the reasons why so many of the respondents are not getting satisfaction from their work, the survey shows that nearly 81 percent are worried about the overall environment, 31 percent do not see any prospect and 21 percent have nothing to which to aspire.

Among the middle- and high-ranking executives, 45 percent said they worried about losing their jobs, with 27 percent expressing extreme worry.

The survey was conducted among middle- and high-ranking executives in domestic and foreign enterprises. A total of 973 questionnaires were distributed and 473 effective samples collected.

The survey shows that around 71 percent said their enthusiasm about work remains unchanged. However, 37 percent said that they have to work longer hours and 59 percent said they find it more difficult to meet the goals set by their superiors.

In terms of competitiveness, 48 percent of those polled said domestic enterprises are slipping.

However, 55 percent said they are not worried about losing their jobs, mainly because they are confident in the performance of their enterprises, that they can adapt to any environment and that they have other professional skills. Other factors include having savings and strong language ability.

The livelihoods of many blue collar workers are immediately in jeopardy when they lose their jobs, but for middle- and high-ranking executives, 46 percent said they could manage for a year with no work, compared with 5.5 percent who said their livelihoods would face immediate threat.

The survey also found that most of the respondents have confidence in themselves and do not worry about being replaced.

About 67 percent of the respondents over the age of 41 are not worried about being replaced in the next three years, while 72 percent of those aged between 41 and 50 are not worried that they will be sandwiched by over-50 executives or below-40 subordinates.

In contrast with these findings, however, most young executives under 40 are ambitious, with 47 percent expressing hope that they can overtake their immediate superiors in the next three years.

On the stress of the competitive environment, 59 percent said they have extra specialities to deal with the changing situation, followed by 48 percent who relax by reading, 40 percent who pursue a hobby, and 23 percent who take regular exercise to relieve stress.

Twenty-two percent also said that they would keep an eye on the job market in case they need to change careers.