Job Dissatisfaction Epidemic

Filed in archive Human Resources on October 31, 2006

I was reading an article awhile ago about job satisfaction. According to CareerBuilder.com one in four workers are dissatisfied with their jobs. These are people that are currently employed. The really shocking statistic is what came next.

Apparently, six out of ten workers plan to leave their current employer within the next two years. Another group states that eight in ten plan to look for a new job when the economy improves. Whoa!

An employer can help themselves considerably to remember that shrinking budgets and reduced staff means existing employees have to take on larger workloads without an increase in compensation. Not to mention the substantial increase in stress for the worker.

My personal Observation is that for over a decade corporations of all sizes have been restructuring and changing. Specifically, employees are expected to 'do more with less'. Employers assume that compliance by the worker equates to acceptance and acceptance satisfaction. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unspoken objections can really hurt business productivity.

Another common discussion taking place outside work is how to 'manage your manager'. There can be a negative connotation to that statement however, in the hands of a well intentioned employee you just might learn something. If you do not want to end up with your employees 'managing you' then you will want to become more open and flexible.

So What Can An Employer, Manager Do?...


There are a number of things you can do to increase satisfaction in your workforce. All of them require a willingness to be more flexible and open. For example:

• Flexible hours: more and more workers are viewing work as just one of the things that fir into their busy lives. Adding flexible hours puts control in their hands.


• Provide pagers, cell phones for on-call workers.


• Download responsibility: increased responsibility can increase a workers satisfaction levels. It gives them a sense of control, contribution and personal growth.


• Show appreciation: random acts of kindness like pizza days, tickets to events go a long way to making an employee feel recognized.


• Recognize employees have a life outside work: by providing short time off periods to deal with family priorities demonstrates that you understand they have a life off work and supports their family and friendship connections.


• Implement a career growth program: personal growth can be a great way to invigorate and energize a worker. In fact career growth is a major contributor to job satisfaction and long term employment.

The key is to be creative and gear something toward each employee that fits their lifestyle, needs and personality. Dissatisfaction among your workers can be repaired and it requires an effort. But considering the costs involved in replacing an employee, lost productivity and stress -- making an effort to make your business a pleasant place to work will pay dividends.

---

Greg Balanko-Dickson is a Business Performance Coach, Author and Entrepreneur.