Job Satisfaction Getting Worse
I read an article recently that should be a wake up call to corporations across the U.S.
American job satisfaction is continuing decline. Less than 50% of us are happy. Among the least content are the newest employees in the workforce.
We are at an all-time low.
Those of us between the ages of 45-54; less than 45% are happy campers. Those who earn less are generally less content; however half of American workers making over $50,000 a year are equally miserable.
Not only are more workers unsatisfied with their job, less than a quarter of the workforce are pleased with promotions and bonuses. They blame their companies for poor policies.
Less than a third of our workforce are satisfied with their current work-life balance, performance evaluations, potential for growth, and communication. Only 2 out of 10 of us see ourselves in our current job a year from now. That is a scary figure.
What are we unhappy about as employees?
Poor management, stress, and frustration are a few. There is so much talk about empowering employees, yet so many feel like they are not able to contribute in a meaningful way.
I need to think more about some of the trends I have seen over the past twenty years that would cause us to like our jobs less ad less - but that is another post.
Comment by Steve
Your blog turned up on my webcrawler this morning and caught my interest. What was the source for your article?
Comment by Steve Roesler
Hello, Eric,
I think that what fascinates me the most is that there is so much dissatisfaction (lots of surveys reflecting that) yet there is no observable, serious backlash. I guess we have to ask ourselves:
a. How deep is the dissatisfaction? Apparently there isn’t enough pain to “rise up” in some meaningful way.
b. What is the % of dissatisfaction compared with similar surveys 5, 10, 20 years ago?
c. How was dissatisfaction defined? That is, what are the specific job elements and related expectations vis a vis the dissatisfaction?
You get the idea. There are a lot more questions that could be asked.
You’ve got your finger on the pulse: poor management, stress, frustration.
Let’s assume that those three things are, in fact, causing the problem. Here are my recent experiences:
1. Poor management. Over the past 5-10 years, there’s been less managerial attention paid to the people side and more management of tasks and projects. Likewise, I’ve watched an enormous drop in supervisory and management training.
2. Stress. Many organizations expect people to be accessible 7 days a week. No longer is the weekend break a given. People are carrying their business cell phones to the mall and the kids’ sporting events. Even if it doesn’t ring, the possibility interferes with total mental relaxation.
3. Frustration. Don’t know.
Raises are not keeping up with inflation, and employees are putting more of their income into health insurance, co pays, etc. While there is a business reason for this, discretionary income is dropping as a result. At the same time, top level executives at many of the same companies are receiving very, very large salaries; still getting bonuses; and the income gap between top and bottom is increasing.
Looking forward to checking back in to see what your memory conjures up!
Comment by Eric
Steve (first comment) - the source for the article was the Conference board; however, I can’t seem to find the article. I’ll keep searching.
Steve R. - thanks for your insight. Your firts bullet lines up with what I see - companies do not proactively teach people management. If a manager is doing poorly, he might be sent to “How To Deal with Conflict” classes or “Motivating People.”
That hardly addresses the core issue.
On Sunday I was getting ready to do something with my that we had planned all day. I pulled out the driveway and my cellphone rang. We had a software implementation drew many employees into a weekend of support. Luckily I escaped most of it with the exception of the hour I spent on the cellphone while my son waited semi-patiently. Business intrudes into our personal lives far too much anymore.
Thanks for your comments!