2023 Voice of the Workforce
Autonomy and Education Attainment When looking at responses based on educational attainment, higher scores with autonomy appear to be associated with higher educational attainment, with the exception at the highest level. As education increases, job competence is also likely to increase, which in turn can be related to levels of autonomy. If managers are confident in the abilities of an employee, they may be likely to offer more discretion in how the employee carries out his/her duties. While work flexibility has been highlighted as a desire by employees since the pandemic, in the Harvard Business Review article Forget Flexibility, Your Employees Want Autonomy two researchers argue that work flexibility can be facilitated through increased autonomy. With a focus on helping employees develop competence in their roles (through either formal or informal education) along with creating a workplace focused on connectedness and belonging, organizations can help facilitate higher levels of worker autonomy.
Figure 18 shows autonomy by educational attainment.
Figure 18. Source: OSU Center for the Future of Work, 2023 Voice of the Workforce study
WorkTrends 2024
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