Brenda Herchmer is the owner of Grassroots Enterprises, a community development consulting company.Unhappy With Your Job? You’re Not Alone
If you are an unhappy employee or know those who are, you’re not alone.
A growing percentage of Canadian employees are unhappy with their jobs. According to a recent survey by Hays Canada, almost half (47%) of Canadian professionals are unhappy in their current jobs.
The survey also indicated that many employees prioritize salary over workplace fit, which contributes to low morale and high turnover rates. A majority of respondents (86%) believe that a good fit with their company is crucial for job satisfaction, yet many compromise on this aspect when considering new job opportunities due to financial incentives.
Additionally, a study by HR Reporter indicates that over 7 in 10 Canadian workers want to quit their jobs within a year, an increase from 61% in 2022.
This dissatisfaction is attributed to factors such as wages not keeping up with inflation, increased stress, and dissatisfaction with job roles and benefits.
A Charity Village Survey showed that 31% of nonprofit sector women report being unsatisfied with their jobs, compared to 18% of men.
We should also be concerned that 34% of workers aged 18 to 24 and 35% aged 25 to 34 are unsatisfied. This includes 34% of first-generation Canadians and a striking 40% of those with disabilities.
While younger Canadian workers, particularly those under 25, appear more affected by job dissatisfaction than the older age group, the good news is that job satisfaction tends to increase with age, with workers over 55 reporting the highest satisfaction levels.
This may be due to factors like younger workers’ placing a high value on having more control and flexibility at work.
Additionally, and somewhat disturbing, job satisfaction in the nonprofit sector is lower than in the private or public sector, even though the nonprofit sector focuses on meaningful work.
While competitive wages are essential for attracting and retaining talent, the leadership cultivates a supportive and positive workplace culture and an environment where employees feel appreciated and motivated, leading to higher job satisfaction and performance.
Nurture Workplace Leadership.
While not everyone has a title and the authority it provides, everyone should be encouraged to think of themselves as a leader because, ultimately, leadership is a behaviour.
Trusted relationships, a sense of community, and collective effort are essential for collaboration, agility, and informed decision-making, which are essential in today’s complex work environments.
Encourage suggestions and ideas from the team. Rather than micro-managing, make outcomes clear, empower employers to deliver, and get out of their way.
Focus on the Future.
The most impactful workplace leaders are those who step away from managing day-to-day operations to invest at least one hour each day in preparing for a rapidly changing and often uncertain future. They are also those who:
• prioritize authenticity, openness, and the sharing of information and knowledge;
• continually revisit their organization’s vision, values, mission, and strategies;
• encourage their team to watch and listen for early signals, trends, opportunities, and unresolved issues;
• spend time determining what’s working and what isn’t, new learnings, and what is needed to succeed.
The sense of community resulting from the above is essential for job satisfaction because it is ultimately about doing something together that makes belonging matter.
Tap the Talents and Passion.
Success relies on not always putting employees in boxes on the organization chart. Instead of adhering to specific roles and responsibilities, the talents and passions of each employee are tapped whenever possible. This allows their responsibilities to evolve and fluctuate. While this is more challenging in a union environment, it may only be about a small percentage of an employee’s typical work.
ReThink Performance Review
Thinking differently about evaluating employee performance is also essential. Like many others, I used to dread my annual performance review (that is, if I happened to be working for a boss who actually did them). Instead, it’s much more effective to provide immediate and ongoing feedback all the time. Part of that will be sharing credit and recognizing and celebrating the achievements of others.
Be Brave.
Lastly, good workplace leaders are those who model courage. It seems we too often expend significant resources on dealing with symptoms and not enough on tackling the usually messy and complex underlying root causes of the issues and challenges. That means less reacting and instead being more proactive. It’s not always about what you’re doing but why you’re doing it.
Will any of this be easy? Not likely. But if you think about change as a locomotive coming at you, you can stand still, get flattened, or jump on and start driving that train.
Posted on 09-03-24
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