Four in 10 US Workers Unmotivated; 24% Not Loyal

November 23, 2009

This article is included in these additional categories:

Analytics, Automated & MarTech | Staffing

Four in 10 (40%) US workers say they have had difficulty staying motivated at work in the past year, and nearly one-fourth (24%) do not feel loyal to their current employer, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey of employees and employers conducted by Harris Interactive.

The survey also found that 23% of employers rate their organization’s current employee morale as low.

Workers Not Motivated

Both lack of motivation and low morale appear to caused by a number of factors, including increased worker workloads, longer hours and strained resources during the recession. Two-in-five employees surveyed say their stress level at work is high and nearly half (47%) say that their workload has increased in the last six months. One-in-five are dissatisfied with their work/life balance.

Perception of Favoritism Rampant

Other factors not directly related to the recession also appear to be contributing to low morale, the survey found. Nearly two-in-five workers (38%) say they feel there is departmental favoritism at work, and more than one-fourth (28%) of workers don’t think their department is important to senior leadership.

Sales (15%), human resources (11%) and accounting/finance (6%) topped the list of departments workers believe are primarily given preferential treatment at work.

When asked what type of preferential treatment workers think those in senior management’s favored departments receive:

  • 51% say they tend to have higher salaries.
  • 47% say they get more recognition by senior leadership.
  • 43% say they have more flexibility in their work arrangements.
  • 27% say they receive more funding/resources.
  • 26% say they tend to have more career advancement opportunities
  • 19% say they get more training and leadership development opportunities.
  • 15% say they are allowed to follow a more casual dress code.
  • 15% say they are awarded with trips while other departments are not.

Though the survey confirms that low morale levels are an unfortunate side effect of the recession, CareerBuilder.com contends that many companies are trying to address negative workplace issues with better communication and other programs to help employees feel like valuable team members and boost loyalty.? “Whether it’s through stepping up communication, offering more employee recognition programs or providing flexible work opportunities, organizations are doing what they can to proactively manage low morale,” said Jason Ferrara, VP of corporate marketing for CareerBuilder.

About the survey: This survey was conducted online within the US by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,924 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time; not self-employed; non-government; with at least significant involvement in hiring decisions); and among 4,285 US workers (employed full-time; not self-employed; non-government) ages 18+.? It was fielded August 20 – September 9, 2009.

Chart-Library-Ad-1

Explore More Articles.

Marketing Charts Logo

Stay on the cutting edge of marketing.

Sign up for our free newsletter.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This