Payroll
Workers Spend 26% of Time “Disengaged”
The saying goes that a company is only as good as the people it keeps. But what if those people aren't fully engaged in their duties? According to research from staffing firm Accountemps, workers are disengaged at their jobs more than one-quarter ...
May. 02, 2018
The saying goes that a company is only as good as the people it keeps. But what if those people aren’t fully engaged in their duties? According to research from staffing firm Accountemps, workers are disengaged at their jobs more than one-quarter (26 percent) of the time, on average, leaving the door open to lost productivity, low morale and turnover.
When professionals were asked what would make them more engaged at work, the responses included*:
|
Better perks (free food, nap rooms, on-site gyms) |
37% |
|
More challenging work |
31% |
|
Less bureaucracy/red tape |
31% |
|
Lighter workload |
22% |
|
More team building/work outings |
22% |
|
A better boss |
19% |
|
Other |
9% |
*Multiple responses permitted
View an infographic of top factors of employee engagement by city, and see data tables that show preferences by age.
Additional findings from the research:
- Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City and Charlotte took the top spots for most engaged workers.
- Professionals in Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Chicago struggle most to stay inspired.
- Respondents ages 18 to 34 said better perks (47 percent) would help their motivation most at the office, followed by more challenging work (38 percent).
- Professionals ages 55 and older said that less red tape (35 percent) would do the trick when it comes to improving satisfaction in their day-to-day activities.
- Employees in Chicago seek more meaningful work (44 percent).
- Workers in Cleveland are looking for less bureaucracy at work (40 percent).
- Perks reign supreme in Boston: 46 percent of workers want offerings such as nap rooms, free snacks or an on-site gym.
“Employers shouldn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to improving employee engagement,” said Michael Steinitz, executive director of Accountemps. “Each worker and office environment are unique.”
Steinitz noted, “Managers should continually check in with their staff to gauge satisfaction levels and learn what motivates or potentially disengages them.” He added that anonymous employee surveys could help unearth issues, particularly if workers feel uncomfortable offering candid feedback to their boss. “Employee engagement surveys are most effective when managers share the results and communicate how they plan to make improvements.”
More advice on employee motivation can be found on the Robert Half blog.