Root Inc., the strategy execution consulting firm, conducted a survey called “America’s Workforce: A Revealing Account of What U.S.
Employees Really Think about Today’s Workplace.” The survey asked more than 1,000 employees in the United States what they would like to see change at the companies they work for and the leaders who manage them.
Among the survey’s findings:
Employees feel discouraged. More than half (54 percent) have felt frustrated about work.
Manager/employee relationships need improvement. Only 38 percent of employees strongly agree that their manager has established an effective working relationship with them.
People don’t understand strategic direction. Fully 40 percent of employees say they don’t get the company’s vision or have never seen it.
Innovation is being stymied. Nearly 67 percent of American workers can name at least one thing that would prevent them from taking any kind of risk at work.
Big picture contributions are missing. Only 43 percent of workers say they feel accountable for the company’s revenue, profit, or growth.
Managers aren’t leading by example. Just 26 percent of workers strongly agree that managers embody the values they expect from their employees, only 39 percent say their manager understands their role at the company, and only 40 percent feel strongly that their managers understand their company’s strategy or goals.
Collaboration across teams is tough. Just 27 percent strongly feel they can depend on outsiders to fulfill their duties when working with other groups.
Training isn’t relevant. A quarter of employees report they don’t have any training available to them right now, and the 62 percent say they do have training available but believe it is either not at all or only somewhat applicable to their jobs.
The study also revealed some upbeat news and opportunities for companies to make changes:
Finding the bright spots. Fifty-six percent of workers feel their company is better at identifying what works well than they are at fixing processes that are not working.
Training can make a difference. Workers with training that is applicable to their jobs and is available to them feel more
committed, happy, and excited about work than do those who did not have such access.
A glimmer of hope. Forty-three percent of workers said they felt happy about work at some point in the last month.
“From connecting everyone in the organization to the strategy of the company, to creating the right culture that supports the behaviors and processes that will achieve the strategy, to making training more relevant to the jobs that people have, there are clear, actionable
approaches that leaders can take to transform their organizations,” said Rich Berens, Root president. “The good news is that while it’s not easy to drive culture change or approach communication in a different way, it’s all possible, and every incremental change will yield significant results.”
So, say that you write down that your hours are really long, and it’s a killer for you. That’s something you can probably change. “There are people with more demanding jobs than yours. CEOs, the president of the United States
—all kinds of people have found ways to attack the problem of hours,”
Beverly Jones, the career coach, says.
First, observe how much time you spend at work, and determine if you’re wasting time. For now, just get it down in your journal. You’ll want to see if
there are things you can take out of your job, tasks you can delegate or that you can get more efficient at.
You may ultimately want to renegotiate the hours you spend on the job. But start with yourself. Deal with the things you can control. See if there are ways you can be working smarter.
If you’re feeling totally bummed out and overwhelmed, get that down in your journal. Are you wasting lots of time? Look around and see if there are areas in your life where there is a lot of clutter. When people feel low on energy, often it’s because they’re not clearing out as they go. Their inbox is overflowing. Their desk is a disaster. Their file drawers are jammed. Even their garage is a jungle.
There is something about the activity of uncluttering that is liberating and empowering. “It’s partly the process,” says Jones. “It’s the distinctions you’re drawing. You are saying, ‘This is valuable, this is not.’ It’s a
physical, practical way to engage in making decisions about your life and what you want to do with it.”
If you can get a serious clutter-clearing process going and you’re letting go of stuff, you also tend to let go of a lot of your boredom and bitterness.
“Engaging in getting rid of stuff brings a new perspective,” says Jones.
Here’s another typical example—your journal reveals that just don’t like your boss. It happens. And it’s not a comfortable thing to admit or to live with day to day. But in truth, there are things you can do to make it better.
You might not be able to change your boss, but you can change how you view him or her. You can learn to be more compassionate if they have flaws. You can learn to communicate more effectively.