NEW YORK, June 27, 2013 – Many workers today appear risk averse and seek to pass the buck, according to a survey by AMA Enterprise, a division of American Management Association. On average, one-quarter of workers seem to avoid responsibility on the job.  
AMA Enterprise, which provides organizations with assessment, measurement and tailored learning solutions, surveyed executives, managers and employees from more than 500 U.S. companies to probe the issue of employee accountability.  
What proportion of your employees seeks to avoid responsibility?

Fewer than 10%        17%
10-20%            24%
20-30%            22%
30-50%            21%
More than 50%        11%
Don’t know          5%

“Our survey clearly struck a chord among respondents,” said Jennifer Jones, Director at AMA Enterprise. “Five percent either don’t know or have no opinion, but the rest offer high estimates of how many employees who try to pass the buck. It appears a large proportion of the workforce is risk-averse and would like to duck any blame for a failure.”

Is passing the buck a trend, asked Jones? “Evading responsibility or playing it safe may be part of human nature, but there are indications that the U.S. workforce is more hunkered down than in the past. There’s less job mobility and probably less risk taking overall. And this is not good news for U.S. industry as it hinders innovation and creativity.”

Ironically, most employees know what their responsibilities are, even if they seek to avoid them, the survey found.

What proportion of your employees fully understands the extent of their responsibilities and how they contribute to the organization’s success?

Fewer than 10%          4%
10-20%              7%
20-30%            16%
30-50%            20%
More than 50%        49%
Don’t know          4%


“The findings indicate that employees know their responsibilities and they know how their own role figures in the overall picture,” observed Jones. “So we know that ducking responsibility isn’t due to ignorance. So not wanting to be held accountable probably has more to do with holding onto one’s job. It’s the opposite of seeking success and achievement.”
The survey was conducted in the spring of 2013 and consisted of 562 senior-level business, human resources, management professionals and employee contacts drawn from the AMA database of contacts.