According to research reported by the Chartered Management Institute, almost eight million of us workers in the UK are unhappy in the roles we currently occupy.
The incisive, in-depth, profound, comprehensive (and 100% sarcasm free) research into worker satisfaction found that 28 per cent of workers are unhappy in their role, although only 25 per cent are currently looking for career development opportunities elsewhere. How many of the 25 per cent listen to the news, I wonder?
Also, according to the findings, UK workers think a good salary is the key to happiness at work, with 64 per cent of respondents stating that a good salary would make them altogther more cheerful. Herzberg, where are you now that your transatlantic cousins need you?
Who commissions these surveys? I though that the Ministry for Research into the Flipping Obvious was one of the quangos that was wound up just after the current coalition government was elected?
Let's face it, we're living at a 17-year high point in unemployment. According to the Office of National Statistics, the unemployment rate stands at 8.3%. Between July and September of this year, UK unemployment rose by 129,000 between July and September to 2.62 million.
For the UK's youth, the situation is even more bleak, with over 20% of those aged 16-24 out of employment.
To make matters worse, inflation is wobbling at around the 5% mark, and bank interest rates for those fortunate enough to have any savings are so low that the biscuit tin under the bed seems an attractive location for any few coppers remaining at the end of the month.
Bearing all the above in mind, is it actually surprising that UK workers are not currently constantly convulsed with laughter?
What is irritating is not so much the fact that the outcome of such reseach could be predicted in advance, but that there is a hint that if employees are unhappy, it is inevitably the fault of management who must thereofore also do whatever it can to turn its workforce into deliriously happy chappies!
Or am I just being Mr Grumpy?
So: Let me get my head around this. If being happy in work is all about giving people more money then why do we have to bother with endless staff engagement surveys? Just give people more buck and their bang will be far more satisfying. Until, of course, the magic of money wears off and we’re back to square one!
ReplyDeleteFrom someone who wishes she was Little Miss Somersault (if only I was that supple) but is probably more Little Miss Contrary!
EBTG