It’s never been this bad. According to 22 years of polling by The Conference Board, job satisfaction has declined to 45%. And those who find their job interesting are a measly 51%. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34691428/ns/business-careers/from/ET)
Ironically, in an era when bosses have to do more with less, when companies are scurrying to differentiate themselves how effective can they be when half of their employees don’t care?
This situation is akin to a parent trying to get their teenager to do their homework on a Friday night. The parent demands, threatens, incentivizes, but the child just doesn’t want to be there. They’re not interested, yet they’re forced to deliver results.
There are a lot of variables when considering the causes for the poor numbers. Unquestionably, the employee is responsible. It’s up to you and your focus to determine whether you find anything interesting.
The distressing trend also proves that a “let management do the thinking, you do the working” mentality persists. Undoubtedly, there are organizations today who are taking advantage of the unemployment rate; who is going to leave their job when their neighbors are unemployed?
But this approach defies logic. Why would any leader pay someone a wage and then lead them in a manner where they get “homework on a Friday night” sorts of results?
This week, be a trend breaker. Regardless of your position, begin to make the workplace more interesting by doubling the amount of questions you ask. The allure of joining the chorus of those who want to spout their opinions is strong. (Visualize ten people in a meeting, all taking turns sharing how bad they think things are.)
Break the status quo by asking questions such as:
- What do you think we could do differently?
- If you could paint the perfect scenario here, what would it be?
- Why is it important for us to do our best here?
The mindset one chooses is dramatically affected by the environment around them. Make that environment more interesting today.
