With so many Americans struggling to find work, you'd think that those currently holding jobs would be happy to have them, but researchers have found that's often not the case.
The Los Angeles Times recently covered a new study that reported that
less than half of the country's workers are happy at their jobs—a mere 45 percent. That's the lowest figure in the history of the study (22 years), down from 49 percent in 2008.
According to the study, the least satisfied employees in the country are under 25, while those 25 to 34 are the happiest, perhaps because their predecessors, the baby boomers, are on the brink of retirement.
So, why are workers unhappy?
The recession has clearly taken a toll on employee satisfaction—job security is down, and many Americans who lost their jobs had to downgrade their careers in order to reenter the workforce.
But the LA Times reports that not all of the decline is due to our declining economy—job satisfaction has been falling slowly for the past twenty years. The main reasons:
- Fewer people find their jobs interesting.
- Earnings have not increased to be consistent with inflation.
- Rising health insurance expenses have cut into employees' take-home salaries.
It would be nice to have more happy workers—if only to have more happy workers—but experts worry that employee dissatisfaction could also affect our economy on a global level. When employees don't like their jobs, they're less likely to be productive, competitive, or innovative.
Are you happy at work? What factors do you think contribute to employee satisfaction?Image Source
Comments (14)
America is an "at will" employer/employment place. Companies can let us go (barring discrimination) and we can quit at will.
Therefore, openly complaining ad nauseam about one's job makes no sense since one is free to leave their job if they choose. If they feel they can't leave due to financial reasons, then they should be willing to accept their jobs without complaint.
The best cure against job satisfaction is to live lean. The less money we need, the more options we have in choosing a job we may enjoy over what a job pays.
Working for yourself as opposed to working for someone else could also dramatically change one's mood. You no longer have the safety net of a regular paycheck, but you're also free of bad co-workers, bosses and managers which is probably where most work dissatisfaction comes from.
well, as a student working part time, i love my job :]
and hopefully, i'll love my career in the future.
I'm so shocked that Americans are unhappy at work.
Honestly people should just be happy to have a job. Those of us who don't would just be grateful to have one.
i want cookies.
Dude....there are so many people who work in crappy conditions around the world and make no freaking money at all. Americans should suck it up and take joy in the fact that even the most poor in this nation are rich on a global scale.
Ungrateful America.
I think a lot of it has to do with ridiculous laws and regulations that employers have to comply with. I have seen it often. It often leads to people getting promotions who shouldnt. That leads to resentment because underqualified people have jobs they shouldnt and the people who work under them and get paid less have to pick up the slack.
Not to mention simple things like 'good job today' are rarely heard. It used to be common to praise workers for the good things. Now it is simply expected without any reward - even just a compliment.
crunch to kill.
You attack the same people for worth over and over again until they die.
A lot of people don't know how to work either, so they become upset when they have to do anything, don't know how to accept responsibility so they thrust it onto others. Then they'll say that everyone else is lazy or tag them with a bunch of other things. There aren't clear lines of authority either, which makes things difficult. With position comes something that shouldn't be so you get these weird cluster things where one person absorbs all the answers, talent and everyone else is drained. The one becomes lazy while the others are sucked dry and then the cluster bursts and there's chaos.
I don't know. My grandpa hated his job and worked it everyday until he could retire. My other grandpa was quite the same and so was the other who had to do some dirt to get out of his tent. I kind'of agree with the Hindus that the middle years aren't ours. We're all trapped somewhere. Most of my jobs have been crappy, and I can't smile. Leave zombies alone. The problem comes in that people will not leave me alone and shame me for doing whatever it is I do. It's like they have to prove their own self importance by shunning me or they feel like I am the reason for their life or they can control me. I'm on the bottom, who can't mess with me? I start to spread whenever people do that, and it will come back to them.
No I am not. I think that being respected is one important factor that contributes to employee satisfaction. Also feeling valuable, that your contribution to the work place is valued.
The workers are unhappy because they haven't gotten a raise in 2 years. Prices go up but their wages don't so they are struggling. That alone would make anyone unhappy. I know I can only stretch my money so far and lately there is zero left over after bills and food. No fun times in Michigan.
Work sucks.
I think the most important is to have opportunities to grow. If your job has zero chance of growth, then you wont have a goal and that leads to boredom, dissatisfaction and unhappiness. When you have a goal, you will have a reason to do your job better and look forward to the next level of your career. I think this is important for every type of job.
Another important thing is definitely the pay and healthcare. It has to be competitive and meet inflation & cost of living levels. I know wages are sticky and during recession it might be difficult to raise wages, but you can still compensate them in other ways. (ie: show that you care through matching 401k contributions, cutting the costs of health care, providing childcare, better cafeteria options, etc...)
yeah.... hating work is.. common.
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