Job satisfaction lacking — but staff won’t quit

A MAJORITY of men and women are unhappy with their jobs but are unlikely to look for new positions given the economic climate, a study has found.

However, global research carried out by Accenture shows Ireland ranks 13 out of 29 countries surveyed.

The study, released to coincide with International Women’s Day, found both Irish women and men have low job satisfaction with an overall score of just 42% — identical to the global average. However, it also revealed the majority (74% of women and 64% of men) intend to stay with their company at this time.

The top reasons for low job satisfaction were the lack of opportunity for advancement (62% of women versus 27% of men) and feeling underpaid (51% of women versus 27% of men). Work-life balance was found to be the most important job aspect to both women and men (40% and 42% respectively) with interesting work the next most important (26% and 34%). Career stability was found to be more important to women (18% vs 4%).

Commenting on the research, Paula Neary, of Accenture Ireland, said: “In terms of low job satisfaction scores, we are seeing an unanticipated workplace dynamic; today’s professionals are not job-hunting, despite expressing dissatisfaction. Instead, they are focused on their skill sets and on seeking the training, the resources and the people that can help them achieve their goals.

“Leading companies should support these efforts by listening to employees and providing them with innovative training, leadership development and clearly-defined career paths,” she said.

The survey is carried out globally on an annual basis.

Some of the key findings from Ireland include:

- Pay rise/promotion: Fewer women than men (52% vs 66%) have asked for a pay rise and more women than men (19% vs 12%) have been unsuccessful in this. Fewer women than men have asked for a promotion (38% vs 54%) but only 5% (compared with 22%) were unsuccessful.

- Career aspiration: Only 20% women (compared with 28% men) aspire to reach director level or above.

- Advancement: When asked about factors that help females succeed in their companies, 74% of women cited hard work/ long hours compared with 50% men. Only 28% women (compared with 60% men) cited exceptional talent.