Social climate at work important to workers

Abstract

According to the findings of the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey 2009, social support by colleagues and supervisors, the number of conflicts and the prevalence of workplace violence strongly determine the social climate at work. All these factors appear to be important when people are applying for a job or considering staying in a job until or beyond retirement age. The survey also identified a number of sector differences in factors affecting social climate. The ageing workforce means it is becoming more important in the Netherlands, as it is everywhere, to be an active member of the workforce and to stay in a job until or even beyond retirement age. The social climate in the workplace therefore is an important factor in applying for a job and the willingness to stay in a job until (and beyond) retirement age (65 years at the moment in the Netherlands)