The following are the results from an interesting survey conducted by Right Management on the satisfaction level of people in the job market today. We hope you find this information worthwhile.
Most employees say their job is unrewarding and saps their energy, according to a new survey by Right Management, Only one-in-five consider their job rewarding and gratifying…and the rest say they just want to enjoy their lives and that is why they work.
The survey was conducted in December and January and 438 North American workers responded to the following question:
Q: Which of the following best describes your present work situation?
A: Here are the Survey Results:
“The survey findings are like barometer that tells us something about the mood in today’s workplace,” said Ron Sims, Talent Management Practice Leader for the Middle Atlantic states for Right Management, which provides and services to Fortune 500 companies. “Employees are clearly in a grumpy mood, a trend we’ve tracked for more than a year. In better times we probably would have found just a minority complain that their energy is being sapped and so forth, but now it is almost a majority of employed North Americans who seem to be unhappy.”
The prevailing bad mood is related to workplace pressures that were building for the past three years, believes Sims. “In recent surveys Right Management found that fewer workers feel they may step away from their desk for a lunch break or even take all the vacation due them. And we learned that many feel trapped in their job or resent that they’re expected to respond to work emails on the weekend. Meanwhile, staffs are leaner and workloads bigger. Our new findings are consistent with this prior research and are an indicator of poor morale at most organizations.”
Unfortunately, the widespread disaffection stems from factors largely beyond the control of most employers, said Sims. “The job market is sluggish, job mobility is down, businesses aren’t expanding fast enough, yet every day the job has to get done. The good news, I suppose, is that so many workers are nevertheless engaged and productive, despite the pressures they face.”
Sims advises employers to develop proactive strategies to engage people in their work. “Some efforts may be simple or obvious, such as acknowledging that times are difficult. Sometime it’s just necessary to be seen trying to make a difference. And for larger organizations the engagement strategy needs to be more sophisticated, but genuine as well.”
For more information on this survey or Right Management, please contact: Ron Sims at 571-226-7054 or Phil Ryan at 845-339-7858.