A recent Gallup poll shows that 30 percent of our U.S. workers are engaged with their jobs, another 50 percent are “non-engaged,” and an astonishing 20 percent “actively disengaged.” So people not only hate their jobs — they’re completely checking out.
Gallup recommends that managers should engage more with employees to keep them motivated. My opinion? Employees should get engaged or get out.
Why do so many people hate their jobs? Here are my theories:
- They have been in a position for too long. More workers are staying in their jobs — “keeping their heads down” — because of the unemployment crisis. As a result, fewer people are taking risks, changing careers, and opening seats within a company’s game of musical chairs.
- Employees are abdicating responsibility for their career movement to their managers. They would rather be forgotten than accountable. I retired from Microsoft to write the book “Cut the Crap, Get a Job!” so I could deliver an easy-to-follow process for people to go out and create opportunities for themselves.
- They are working longer hours for less money. Yes, compensation packages are being squeezed, merit increases are in the low single digits, and even commissioned employees are seeing their payment structures altered for the worse.
- Devices and technology have made it very hard to turn work off. Emails, texts, action items, and reports come flowing in via smart phones, tablets and laptops at all hours. When people are exhausted and unable to recharge their batteries, their exhaustion morphs into resentment. In other words: work-life balance is heading in the wrong direction.
It’s up to each job-loather to take control of his or her career and to cultivate choices. It’s all about having options, and you’re the one responsible for developing those options. You can do this!
