Approximately three quarters of employees consider a good relationship with employer to be very important
Approximately 72% of employees – 79% of women and 65% of men – considered having a good relationship with the employer to be very important.
More than a quarter (28%) of employees is very satisfied and more than half of employees (57%) are rather satisfied with the current job. In the comparison of occupations, satisfaction is highest among managers, professionals (technicians and associate professionals) and clerical support workers, one third of whom is very satisfied with their job.
About one third (31%) of employers considered the adequacy of employees’ skills and knowledge to be sufficient and more than half (62%) considered it to be rather sufficient. However, nearly three quarters (71%) of employees considered their adequacy of skills and knowledge for work assignments to be sufficient and a quarter have pointed out that their skills/knowledge presume more difficult work assignments. 11% of employees are very satisfied and 48% are rather satisfied with the possibilities for acquiring new skills and knowledge at work.
7 out of 10 employees consider the possibility of having a say in the enterprise's activity, work organisation and working conditions as very or rather important. 14% of employees are very satisfied and 48% are rather satisfied with the involvement. In approximately 88% of enterprises, employees have the possibility of discussing the activity, work organisation and working conditions of the enterprise with the employer. In 6% of enterprises, employees discuss the same issues in cooperation with the employees' representatives (trustee, working environment representative).
The work environment has a great impact on the effective performance of work tasks and on the person’s health. In addition to managers, several representatives and organisations of employees’ interests are also involved in the improvement of the working environment. 6% of enterprises have a trade union and 7% of employees belong to one. However, there is a working environment representative in more than half (54%) of enterprises: in almost all (99%) enterprises with 250 and more employees, and in a third of enterprises with 5–9 employees. A working environment council operates in 6 out of 10 enterprises with 50–249 employees and in 9 out of 10 enterprises with 250 and more employees. There is a trustee in approximately 18% of enterprises, which is 5 percentage points more than in 2009.
7% of employees marked it possible to lose their job due to employer's initiation and 15% marked it possible to leave their job due to own initiation in the next 6 months. 31% of employers are absolutely certain of the possibility of finding a new job after leaving the current job.
Around 88% of employees come in contact with a health risk in at least 25% of their working time, which is 4 percentage points more than in 2009. In at least a quarter of their working time, employees came in contact with the following health risks: working with a display screen equipment (47%), unvarying movements or positions causing fatigue or pain (41%) and bad (indoor) climate conditions. As at in 2015, more than three quarters (77%) enterprises promote health activities, it is more common in companies with a larger number of employees. More than half of the employees (53%) have participated in the enterprise's health promoting activities in the last 12 months: 7 out of 10 employees of non-profit associations, foundations and state and local government agencies and 5 out of 10 employees of companies.
Statistics Estonia conducted the Work Life Survey for the first time in 2009 and repeated the survey in 2015. The survey was ordered by the Ministry of Social Affairs. The aim of the survey was to provide an overview on work organisation, relationships pertaining to work, involving employees, collective working relationships, occupational health and safety, and trends. 850 employers and 4,780 employees responded to the survey in 2015.