The economy may be doing well, but two-thirds of U.S. workers are disengaged -- and disenchanted -- at work. This is troubling for employers and employees alike, as high dissatisfaction can lead to job switching, underperformance, and poor morale in the workplace. Read on for the top five reasons Americans hate their jobs.
1. Little Opportunity for Advancement
Is there a path to career advancement at your job? If so, the goal of getting promoted can be a powerful motivator to get you through stressful periods. If you know there's nowhere to go, however, it's easy to let the frustration of inevitable bad days pull you down.
2. Unpleasant Manager or Coworkers
Every workplace has difficult people—someone who probably has their own reasons for hating the job, and who is taking it out on colleagues. If you have to work directly with those rude coworkers or disrespectful managers, it can quickly zap any enthusiasm you have for your work. While it may be possible to swap desks or change departments, this persistent problem drives many workers to start the job search.
3. Contribution is Not Valued
People feel higher satisfaction at work when they are useful, by making a positive contribution to a company or directly helping a person. If you feel like you're not valued as a person, but just a body on an assembly line, disengagement may rise. Many workers start to slack off when they feel like they aren't valued, while others escalate the job search or outright sabotage the company. It's important for management to make all workers feel like what they do is valued, whether they're mid-level or maintenance.
4. Disagreeable Workplace Politics
Some amount of workplace politics may be unavoidable, but at extremes, it can create a toxic environment that leaves most employees looking for the nearest exit. It often takes an overhaul of corporate culture to fix this one, and in the meantime companies often lose talented team members who are sick of the dysfunction.
5. The Expectation of Constant Availability
With the rise of smartphones, some employers expect their staff to be available round-the-clock. In extreme cases, this can lead to an expectation of constant availability and disregard for other obligations in employees' lives, from childcare to continuing education. It's unrealistic to expect employees to be constantly available, and many employees leave as a direct result.
Want to learn more about what drives employee job satisfaction? Then a career in organizational psychology could be your calling. Alliant’s California School of Professional Psychology offers graduate programs in industrial-organizational psychology. For more information contact Alliant.
