While office workers enjoy better than average working conditions and express a higher degree of job satisfaction, a recent study on perception of workplace quality by office workers reveals great variations in working conditions among these workers and a strong gender segregation. Only a minority of predominately male full-time workers work in ‘good office jobs’ when wages, benefits, employee support and job demands are taken into consideration.
About the study
In the spring of 2007, the ‘New quality of work’ initiative (Initiative Neue Qualität der Arbeit, INQA) and the Federal Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (Bundesinstitut für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin, BAuA) published the results of a study on the self-reported job demands of office workers and their perceptions of a ‘good workplace’ according to a set of given indicators. The ‘What is good work?’ study (in German, 346Kb PDF) is based on a representative survey of 1,800 full-time and part-time office workers conducted by INQA in 2004.
Office work is defined as including all types of jobs performed in an office or open plan office. Office workers’ perceptions of what makes a ‘good workplace’ were surveyed by asking them to choose among a set of indicators such as: gross monthly wages, social workplace environment, job demands, employee support, health protection at the workplace and job satisfaction. The written responses were analysed according to variables including sex, education, working time (full time or part time) and family status (with or without children).
Study findings
According to the survey results, women make up 58% of the office workforce in Germany. About 70% of all office workers work full time and the remaining 30% hold part-time jobs. When comparing these findings with 2004 data from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA) including all full-time and part-time workers liable to pay a social security contribution, the proportion of female full-time office workers (42.2%) is above the national average (37.9%), while the proportion of male part-time office workers (6.5%) is below this average (15.1%).
Characteristics of a ‘good job’
Most workers consider stable pay, job security and long-term employment contracts to be the most important characteristics of a ‘good job’. Office workers differ from other workers in that office workers put a stronger emphasis on the quality and meaningfulness of work tasks and on the influence they exert on their work. Female and male full-time office workers show greater similarities in their perceptions than women working part time and full time in an office. This outcome can be explained by a similar educational background among full-time office workers. Educational attainment of women working part time is generally lower than that of women working full time.
Gender-specific findings
When it comes to wages, benefits, employee support and job demands, substantial differences emerge between women and men working full time in an office. Some 37% of women hold office jobs with a gross monthly wage of up to €2,000, compared with 15% of men having such jobs. In contrast, 44% of all men working full time in an office have gross monthly earnings exceeding €3,500, while only 12% of all female full-time office workers earn such wages.
Gross monthly wages of full-time office workers, by sex (%)
A fourfold higher proportion of female office workers earn less than €1,500 per month compared with male office workers. However, this situation is reversed for men and women earning €3,500 or more. | Gross monthly wage | Women | Men |
| Up to €1,500 | 16 | 4 |
| €1,500–€2,000 | 21 | 11 |
| €2,000–€3,500 | 37 | 15 |
| €3,500 or more | 12 | 44 |
Source: INQA, 2006
Findings on the provision of company-based resources show that women and men have similar perceptions in relation to support from colleagues and from management. Nevertheless, women have less influence on their work and fewer opportunities to perform varied or creative tasks. Women also have lower chances for career advancement and training. While the gender pay gap and the ‘glass ceiling effect’ are often said to relate to the division of labour within families and to the lack of childcare facilities, the survey findings show no significant differences in the responses by full-time working women with and without children.
More women than men struggle with job insecurity, monotonous work, unclear job demands and poor chances of career development. On the other hand, men report higher stress levels due to work overload, work intensity and working time. Full-time working women are the most likely to be frustrated about their working conditions and report more negative occupational health effects, whereas female part-time workers are the least likely to feel frustrated or burned out.
Conclusions
The survey highlights a strong horizontal and vertical gender segregation, and it shows that full-time working women are the most affected by poor working conditions. When wages, resources and job demands are considered, only 4% of all office workers – mostly men – actually work in a good workplace setting. In contrast, about 10% of all office workers – mostly women – earn low wages, face poor working conditions and receive no support from any company resource.
Reference
Fuchs, T., Gute Arbeit im Büro?! Gute Arbeit und wahrgenommene Arbeitsqualität aus der Sicht von Arbeitnehmer/-innen im Büro (927Kb PDF) [‘Good work in the office?! Good work and office workers’ perceptions of quality of work’], INQA Report No. 21, Bremerhaven, Wirtschaftsverlag NW, 2006.
Birgit Beese, Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI)