Workers are dissatisfied for many different reasons.
If you actually have a job in this tight economy, you might consider yourself very lucky. That doesn't mean that you're happy. A recent Gallup poll about workplace satisfaction showed that more people than ever are unhappy with their jobs.
The poll showed that while people are, for the most part, fairly happy with where they work and their co-workers, they are growing increasingly unhappy with their compensation. People are dissatisfied with their employer's health care benefits, their retirement plans and even their chances at getting a promotion.
Here are the 5 biggest complaints that made employees less satisfied:
- Schedule flexibility - Long hours and mandatory overtime leave employees feeling that their entire lives are devoted to work. Many companies discourage employees from taking vacation time and frown upon any type of absence from work. This makes employees have to make tough choices when it comes to balancing their home and work obligations.
- The amount of work required - With many companies cutting their employee rosters, the workers left behind are being forced to work harder and faster to take up the slack. It's fairly common these days to see someone doing the job that used to be done by several people.
- Job security - The people who have jobs today are very worried about what tomorrow will bring. Companies have been threatening layoffs and even large corporations have declared bankruptcy this past year.
- Lack of praise - Everyone wants to feel that they are doing a good job. Especially when they are being forced to work harder, forgo vacations and spend more time in the office, a simple pat on the back can make it worthwhile.
- Opportunity for advancement - We all want to get ahead, and when your company is struggling, they aren't in a position to hand out promotions. Employees want to feel that their hard work is for a reason. Without recognition or chances for promotion, it's easy to give up.
Are you happy at your job? What do you think causes employees to be unhappy? What things do you think employers could do differently to keep their workers motivated? Let me know in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for Administrativejobsblog and Nexxt. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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