December 20, 2009

How do you like your job now?

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I've long been fascinated by the many polls telling Americans how unhappy we are with our jobs.

Since I began checking these numbers several years ago, outfits like The Conference Board and CareerBuilder heave steadily been reporting that at least one in two U.S. workers hates where they work (or, as CareerBuilder put it in 2006, a majority of Americans consider their co-workers "a bunch of monkeys").

Last month, CareerBuilder came out with an uplifting new survey on employee attitudes. In a poll of 2,900 U.S. employers, nearly a quarter said their staff morale was low.

If this figure seems conservative to you, you're not the only one. Of the 4,300 U.S. workers CareerBuilder polled at the same time, 40 percent said they've had trouble staying motivated on the job this past year. What's more, 47 percent said their workload has grown in the past six months, 40 percent said their stress level is sky high, and 20 percent said they're unhappy with their work/life balance.

The moral of the morale story: According to CareerBuilder, a quarter of us working stiffs do not feel loyal to our current employer.

Another set of poll numbers released in November are a bit more drastic. According to a survey conducted by talent and career management consulting firm Right Management, 60 percent of 900 North American workers polled said they plan to leave their job in 2010.

In addition, another 21 percent told Right Management they're considering jumping ship in the new year and have updated their resume and begun networking accordingly.

Right Management president and CEO Douglas Matthews suggested that his firm's figures "might alarm and surprise many employers." Indeed. This is a far cry from the 23 percent of disenfranchised workers that employers estimated in the CareerBuilder poll I just mentioned.

"Employees are clearly expressing their pent up frustration with how they have been treated through the downturn," said Right Management's Matthews.

While employers were busy obsessing about their bottom line and making the so-called tough cuts, workers told to do more with less began to feel pretty undervalued, he explained.

"The result is a disengaged and disgruntled workforce," he said.

Matthews then called for employers to embrace the work/life balance preferences of their staff, saying, "As leaders, we need to accommodate different lifestyles and work choices and find ways to balance these with business needs to ensure high levels of productivity and performance." (Hurrah!)

Now that 2009 is mercifully drawing to a close, what's your take on the topic? If you have a job, are you relatively happy with it? Or will you be looking to greener pastures in the new year?

Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide." E-mail Michelle at mgoodman@nwjobs.com

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3 Comments

Kelly Watson on December 21, 2009 5:53 AM | Reply

I quit my office job to become a freelance copywriter three years ago and I couldn't be happier. In fact, someone recently mentioned wanting a four-hour work week and I thought, 'Why would I only work hours? I love what I do." I've had financial insecurities this year, sure, but I'd take them over job insecurities any day. My view may be biased, but I think that if poor work conditions force more people to consider self-employment, then it's for the best.

Andy Brucia on December 21, 2009 10:13 AM | Reply

Great topic. And I agree with Kelly- self-employment and starting your own business might be difficult and a little scary, but so is NOT having control of your career.

To answer the topic, as a career advisor, and as a person who went for two other internal jobs and didn't get either, I am being careful. I guess I always am looking forward, both at my own company and elsewhere, but I wouldn't jump unless something amazing popped up.

I see people every week whose 60.00 an hour jobs evaporated, and what they thought was a career is gone, and they are suddenly lucky to find 20.00 an hour.

And the two people who were chosen over me for these jobs were eminently qualified and, while I think I am talented, hard-working, et cetera, I'd have picked them too.

There are a LOT of talented, experienced, hungry people out there right now. Personally, I can't think of a worse time to move, unless you already know where you're landing. ANd even then, the job landscape is built on quicksand right now.

CHASE on December 23, 2009 11:34 AM | Reply

I am a contractor with an employment agency that I feel has taken the pay cut from their client and passed it on to their contractors w/o a second thought. They offer no other incentive than you have a job, while they still make a 1/3 of your pay every hour.

I am at the point of working for myself. It is just a matter of getting my "ducks" or should I say "bucks" in a row before making that leap. But I need to do that soon than later (like 2010).

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