A recent study of 2,000 workers has found that almost a third of employed adults are unhappy in their current jobs. The research revealed that 32 percent of respondents do not feel motivated in their careers, and 18 percent expressed dissatisfaction with their quality of life at work.
Over the past 12 months, 64 percent of employees surveyed had been working from home, leading to 61 percent of them working outside of their regular working hours. Additionally, 40 percent of workers had to juggle caring for a child or family member while fulfilling their job responsibilities.
Overall, job satisfaction has declined by 35 percent in the past year. However, 24 percent of respondents stated that their relationships with co-workers had improved during this time.
Looking ahead, 17 percent of workers admitted they would require assistance in adjusting to returning to the office, while 25 percent expressed the need for more support in managing their mental well-being.
Alisdair Seenan, HR Director at Edenred, an employee benefits specialist that commissioned the study, highlighted the challenges faced by individuals in the past year and stressed the importance for employers to support their workforce as they transition back to the office. He noted that addressing health and well-being, particularly in the early months of the year, is crucial. Seenan also emphasized that this period presents an opportunity for employers to excel, drive engagement, and enhance performance among their employees.
The study also revealed that employees worked an additional seven hours per week on average, with four of those hours paid and three unpaid. Despite the increase in workload, 25 percent of respondents expressed concerns about job security, while 27 percent were unhappy with their work-life balance. Sixteen percent had worries about their wages.
However, 63 percent of respondents felt they had received the expected level of support from their employers considering the challenging circumstances. As a result, 30 percent of employees were more likely to stay with their current company, and a quarter expressed a willingness to go the extra mile.
The study highlighted that the top areas in which organizations had taken steps to support employees during the pandemic were flexible working hours (28 percent) and mental well-being (26 percent). However, less than 10 percent of respondents felt supported in terms of financial safety.
Regarding support from colleagues and managers, over a third of those surveyed felt very supported by their colleagues, while 31 percent felt supported by their managers. Only 16 percent expressed the same sentiment about HR policies.
Alisdair Seenan from Edenred emphasized the significance of mental well-being as a key concern for employees due to the substantial changes in routine and daily work life. He stressed the importance of employers understanding where their staff members require more support in order to retain them.
