We took a snap poll on LinkedIn and asked a basic question. What’s it like going to work every day?
We presented the 4 options below:
??? Mostly misery – You drag yourself there every day, wishing you were anywhere else.
?? Average – You like some things about it, but there are downsides like in every job. It's more of a stepping stone.
?? It’s cool – You like most things about your job and feel like you’re in it for the long haul.
?? It’s amazing – You love your job and almost everything about it.
Hardly super scientific, we harvested 32 responses, but they do tell a story. I did wonder how they would generalise to a sample of thousands but lets entertain the idea that there is a kernel of truth in the results. This is what emerged:
About 1 in 5 people are in roles or jobs they abhor.
In more formal disengagement surveys we run across thousands of people, we find about 10% of people in most companies are massively disengaged. They want to be somewhere else and would move if there was any opportunity to do so. There are many reasons for this but its often those doing grunt work for low pay.
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Close to a third of people take jobs that they hope will be “for the time being”.
They have little intention of building careers there, but they need to be doing something and this is what came along. Some will languish in these jobs for many years, whilst others will exit much sooner, but one way or another it’s a transition step. These two bottom levels are quite sobering because they suggest that about half the people in jobs are wanting to be somewhere else.
But of course, the flip side is positive. Another half are more engaged and fulfilled by what they are doing.
There is a direct line between engaged staff and productivity. Though that’s not the only reason these staff are beneficial multipliers. Engaged staff also contribute positively to the culture. They are more likely to be invested in the future of the organisation and see themselves as part of that future. Of course, even people who love their jobs and their company and who feel purposeful at work may still leave, but they are way less likely to.
Ideally organisations want to do whatever they can to get their staff to migrate to the more positive side of the picture.
It takes constant work to create a staff-centred enabling environment. People want to feel valued, acknowledged and respected. Environments where people have a voice, where people listen to each other and where status and hierarchy are less foregrounded tend to bring out the best in people. In the end we are all human beings, needing a place to flourish doing meaningful work with other like-minded people.
Its not always easy to achieve, but it is something we can strive for.?
Author: Dr Hilton Rudnick - MD Omnicor
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