Studies indicate fewer workers satisfied by their jobs
New survey shows dissatisfaction with employment
A new survey done by the Conference Board showed that job satisfaction is at an all-time low of about 45%. That is the total amount of employees who are content with their current situations. The economy doesn’t help. When the recession began back in 2008, companies cut workers. That loss of a workforce caused existing workers to have to pick up the slack. They were called upon to take on bigger responsibilities, bigger projects, more worry, but without any more pay. The added strain brought workers to a new place of unease when comes to their jobs.
The history of job satisfaction
Job satisfaction has been declining for some time now. The trend towards being unsatisfied with employment has risen since 1987. Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board, said, “What we have seen over the last 22 years is that irrespective of whether the economy is boom or bust, the overall level of satisfaction expressed by US workers has been steadily declining across every single aspect of the job.” These include benefits, wages, promotions, job security, bonuses, communication, workload, and future growth.
A huge contributing factor is workers that feel they can’t get ahead are more likely to be dissatisfied. Financially, it has become increasingly difficult for people to overcome high expenses. According to the 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation report, the average worker contributes $ 779 for single workers and $ 3,515 for family coverage. The prices of food, shelter and household items has also increased. Wages, by contrast, have gone nowhere. Franco said, “The shifting of health-care costs from employer to employee and the fact that wages have not been growing all that rapidly means purchasing power is diminished.”
People respond by taking higher-paying jobs
To make it through the difficult economy, many workers are taking higher-paying jobs that are less rewarding. Robert Frank, the author of “Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class,” said that “If people are feeling more economic pressure, they are more willing to sacrifice other dimensions of job satisfaction in order to get more money.” It’s always been the goal for workers to make the most money possible, but to also be satisfied with the job. Studies are showing that as the economy struggles, more people are willing to forgo satisfaction for the sake of making ends meet.
Satisfaction denied means lag in productivity
Some experts suggest that discontent is a very difficult result of taking any job. Though people think money is a panacea, studies indicate that it isn’t. In fact, once you have a pool of people doing jobs that they don’t necessarily like, it creates a team of people who are much less productive. Ideally, employers should be looking for workers who are engaged in their jobs and the business. Without that connection, jobs suffer. Adam Grant, a management professor of at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, said, “There has to be a connection to a real outcome for the end users – clients, customers, patients, etc. As the world globalizes and companies begin to do more outsourcing and more international work, they are using more 24-hour communication and technology to make it easier to get jobs done without a face-to-face connection with the people benefiting from the work you do.” This detracts from the amount of job satisfaction a worker derives from employment.
Overall it is a good market to find a job
Overall, it is a good market to find a job in, but at what price? The economy is starting to show signs of recovery, and will likely be back to normal by mid-2010. This shift should encourage workers to look forward to when employers can return to older practices. Workers will be up for annual raises, 401k contributions will begin again, and benefits will be back as well.
Tags: higher-paying jobs, job satisfaction, job security, jobs overall, the Conference Board