DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY NOW: Do Most People Love Their Job?

Almost half of all working Americans say they like their job. A survey by the
Conference Board found 49.6 percent of workers are satisfied with their job. This is the highest work approval rating since 2005. Part of that satisfaction includes a sense of security in the workplace. The economy is slowly recovering and less people fear losing their job.

Coworkers are getting high marks in the survey too. Nearly 60 percent of those asked say they like their colleagues are great and the actual job they do is
interesting.

Complaints are out there though. Many of the workers in this survey say they don’t like the way their company handles promotions. More than 75 percent are unhappy with bonus plan and performance review process. Wages are also a point of contention. Wage growth is slower now than it has ever been in this country.

We did our own survey at MBI Worldwide and asked people to answer five questions about their level happiness at work. This was done anonymously.

1. On a scale from one to 10 how happy are you with your current job?
   The average was 8.

2.  What’s your biggest work related complaint?
   Replies range from a lack of communication between employees and management to mismanagement in general and low pay.

3. On a scale from one to 10 how much to do you like your co-workers?
   The average response here was 7.
4.  Are you planning to leave your current job in the next year?
   Yes – 28%
   No –  72%

5. Are you being paid what you’re worth?
   Yes – 28%
   No –  72%

Our results are a little less consistent with the national survey, which looked at a larger number of employees. The poll we conducted also included a handful of entrepreneurs who have employees on staff. The common theme across the board for managers: talk to your employees. Open the line of communications and don’t expect your team to be mind readers.