News You Can Use: Recession brings back that loving feeling

Cupid -- with a little help from the economy -- appears to have hit his mark this Valentine's Day, as 78% of American workers love their job more than they did before entering the recession, reports a recent Workplace Insights survey from the recruitment and workplace solutions provider, Adecco USA.

"In this economy, everyone is in this together, especially around Valentine's Day. It's a nice moment in time to say 'thank you' — both for employees to say 'thank you' to management and management to their employees," says Bernadette Kenny, chief career officer of Adecco Group North America.

The majority of employees are motivated — 86% do not think loving what you do is less important because of a dreary economy. Nevertheless, over half (54%) of respondents would have chosen another career path knowing what they know now, as cited by the New York-based company.

The survey goes on to examine the confidence and appreciation workers have in and for their employers.

Forty-one percent say they arrive at work with feelings of appreciation, outnumbering those who feel indifferent (26%) and those who are charged to get started (21%). Only a small percentage (9%) of workers dread the start of a new work week.

Three out of 10 Gen X employees are anxious about retaining their jobs, compared with 20% of Gen Y workers. However, 28% of Gen Y workers are more willing to work harder and longer hours due to the current economic environment, in comparison to 15% of the Gen X employees.

Do execs still inspire confidence? Well, they certainly aren't improving, as the great majority of workers (90%) have the same or less confidence in their company's executive team as a consequence of the desperate economy. --EBN Industry inBrief

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Don't let employee engagement decline along with the economy