Surprising survey of American job satisfaction
Don’t believe the negative hype: At a time when consumer confidence is near record lows, shift workers’ attitudes toward their jobs have actually improved over the past year, according to a survey released Tuesday.
MP, a global firm that helps small businesses with scheduling, human resources and related services, said its annual survey showed a slight increase in the number of employees satisfied with their jobs and a significant decrease in the number of employees dissatisfied with their jobs.
Survey respondents showed 78.9% of employees “reporting feeling positive at the end of their shift,” up nearly half a point from last year.
At the same time, the proportion feeling unhappy fell from 6.6% to 5.9%, the lowest figure in the survey’s four-year history.
Multiple surveys from groups such as the University of Michigan, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Conference Board show concerns about household finances and insecurity about finding and maintaining employment.
But the answers also come at a time of demographic shifts in the shift-based workforce, where Generation Z, or those born between 1997 and 2012, make up the largest sector within the group.
“This result comes at a time of significant change in the workforce,” said Vice CEO Silvija Martincevic. “This shift is important because workers at different stages of life report very different experiences in the workplace, making this generational transition a key part of the story behind this year’s results.”
The best and worst places to live and work
When the results are broken down by category, theoretically the happiest place to work an eight-hour shift is as a casino employee in Rhode Island.
Gambling led the subsector rankings with a 100% positive rating among respondents. Rhode Island also boasted a perfect score in the survey narrative, attributed to “tight labor markets and strong hospitality and tourism industries, both of which perform well nationally.”
The popularity of gaming “likely stems from a lively customer-facing atmosphere combined with the benefits of clues and collaborative team structures.”
More generally, the hospitality industry ranks highest with a positive score of 82.98%, with retail following at 82.62%. Of the four major categories, healthcare received the lowest positive rating at 72.89%; This is the second year in a row for an industry that leads the country in job creation.
Other subsectors with high positive scores were firearms stores (89.53%), cafes and coffee houses (89.50%) and accommodation (84.09%). At the bottom of the 10 groups were fast food and cashier restaurants (80.30%) and home care (73.14%). The cafe and coffee house group received the highest share of “surprised” responses at 72.64%.
The highest negative responses came from tobacco, e-cigarette and marijuana stores (13.34%), animal health (13.07%) and care facilities (11.55%).
Geographically, after Rhode Island, Alaska (95.35%) ranked second and Hawaii (92.89%) ranked third. The most negative scores came from Arkansas (12.68%), New Hampshire (12.31%) and the District of Columbia (11.11%).
In terms of generation, Alpha achieved the most positive results with 88.88%, while Generation Z came in second with 78.42%.
The authors of the survey pointed out that there is an increasing number of people in the middle who answer simply “ok” when asked about their feelings towards their job. This rate increased to 15.2% and became the fastest growing category.
“When businesses focus on reliable planning, fair pay and meaningful recognition, workplace morale stays high,” the survey said. “On the other hand, neglecting these basic needs often leads to employees becoming disengaged or choosing to disengage from their roles; failure to meet these basic needs often results in employees turning to neutrality or leaving the organization altogether.”
