17th August 2007
The annual Job Satisfaction Survey, by leading disability insurer Unum, reveals that despite salary satisfaction amongst employees increasing since last year (from 53% to 54.4%), UK employees across all industries do not report that increased levels of job fulfilment have followed.
The findings also indicate that since last year, workers have in fact become less satisfied with many aspects of their role, including benefits (e.g. health cover, gym membership etc) and working environment. The research suggests that salary alone won’t increase happiness at work, particularly if employees are discontent with other key elements of their rewards package and working culture.
Unum’s 2007 Job Satisfaction research found that, on average, employees in the UK are 67% satisfied with their current job, and 43% satisfied with career progression; the same figures as last year. However, levels of employee satisfaction in the following areas are down since 2006:
- Reward packages including benefits other than salary - from 38% to 35%
- Workloads - from 58% to 56%
- Nature of work - from 71% to 67%
- Working environment - from 66% to 63%
- Working relationships with manager and peers – from 65% to 61%
The highest drop was seen in the level of employees’ satisfaction with the amount of autonomy in their role, which was down from 52% in 2006 to 47% in 2007.
Commenting on the Job Satisfaction 2007 results, Joanne Hindle, Corporate Services Director at Unum, said:
Unum’s 2007 Job Satisfaction Survey reveals worrying trends about employee attitudes. Job Satisfaction levels are not increasing and in many areas are actually decreasing. As there is much evidence to suggest happy workers are more productive, employers really need to take action to increase employee satisfaction where possible.
However, raising salary levels alone will not guarantee a more fulfilled and productive workforce. Benefits, work-life balance, an employee’s sense of autonomy and company culture also have a vital role to play, and need to be taken seriously by organisations that want to stay competitive. Such research is at the heart of what we do, as it helps us to assess trends amongst employees and enables us to advise employers as to how to respond.
ENDS