Would You Show Up at Work Or Work on Your Golf Swing?
May 09, 2011
If you suddenly had enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life, would you continue to work? ``I'm outta there,'' was the typical response in a recent survey. Nearly 40% of 900 managers sampled said they would quit work altogether. Only 26% said they would stay in their present jobs. The findings, presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management in Cincinnati recently, suggest that managers are growing more disgruntled, say the two professors conducting the study. The average respondent was 43 years old, earned $90,000 a year and had a master's in business administration. The sample was evenly divided between males and females, with more women (43%) than men (35%) opting to ditch work if they could. In past studies when middle-income professionals were asked this so-called lottery question, their answers reflected more loyalty both to the work ethic and to present employers. In 1955, a similar survey found that only 14% would quit work altogether, says Rider University management Prof. Joyce Meiners. And as recently as the early 1980s, a study of professionals found that the number had risen, but only to 23%. So much for the stereotype of workaholic yuppies. When asked to explain their answers, one respondent replied, ``You have to ask?'' Another said simply, ``I would live on the beach and never look back.'' But many also took the opportunity to voice their disillusionment with the business world. Prof. Merced and Gabriel Panek of Pace University, the study's co-author, figure that widespread downsizing has broken the bond many managers used to have with large corporate employers. ``Why pay taxes for all that aggravation?'' said one unhappy camper. Others added, ``Every day at work is a wasted day of your life,'' and ``Organizations have little interest in people except as warm bodies to fill a role.'' Those who would change jobs strongly favored moving to smaller companies or becoming entrepreneurs. Even those who would quit altogether had other ambitions than leading a life of leisure. Despite boomers' reputation as the ``me'' generation, most would devote more time to community service and families. As one respondent said, ``Work is just another four-letter word. But, then again, so is golf.''
