Employers `expect far too much'

Employers' expectations of workers are "tumbling out of control", making staff yearn for job security and satisfaction, a poll has showed.

Research by the GMB general union, covering 350 organisations, showed that job security was the most important issue listed by workers, well ahead of pay. Only one in five identified flexibility as important, suggesting that too many were being treated as "dogsbodies", said John Edmonds, general secretary of the GMB. "Workers are very ready to be flexible to ensure the success of their organisations, but there are limits. Agile production is a step too far, the inflation in employers' expectations is ever-increasing."