The Weiman Consulting Letter, April 2007

Wynnewood, PA

New Study Shows Fewer Than Half of Americans Are Happy with Their Jobs
Free Incentive Program Information
The Lost (and then found) Plotz Memos: Universal Metric Time

New Study Shows Fewer Than Half of Americans Are Happy with Their Jobs

Americans are growing increasingly unhappy with their jobs, according to the results of a survey released on February 23 by The Conference Board, a business and research organization.

The decline has occurred over the past 20 years, they say. Today, fewer than half of all Americans say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from 61 percent 20 years ago.

This report is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households. Here are some highlights (or lowlights) from the report:

• Fewer than two out of every five workers under the age of 25 are satisfied with their jobs. This segment of the population has the lowest level of satisfaction and the lowest level ever recorded in the nearly 20-year history of this survey. At the other end of the scale are workers 55-64 and 65 and over. Nearly half of all workers in these age groups are satisfied with their employment situation.
• The lowest level of job satisfaction is exhibited among workers earning $15,000 or less per year. Workers whose earnings exceed $50,000 per year, at 52 percent, are the most satisfied with their employment situation.
• Respondents rated bonus plans and promotion policies as the least satisfactory benefits of employment, with less than 23 percent claiming they are satisfied with their company’s policies.
• Fewer than 36 percent of employees said they are content with their workload, work/life balance, communication channels and potential for growth. At the other end of the scale, more than 56 percent of workers are satisfied with their commute and co-workers as well as interest in their work.

Okay. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Let’s put things in perspective. Although there’s been a clear decline over 20 years, the numbers measured 20 years ago (61% satisfaction) weren’t exactly spectacular. If only 61% of your customers said they were satisfied with your product or service, you’d be in deep trouble. It raises questions about how “satisfaction” is defined in the survey. It also raises questions about how much satisfaction employees realistically expect to derive from their work.

Nevertheless, no one I know ever complained that they were too happy at work. Clearly, there’s quite a bit to do in America to raise the level of satisfaction among employees.

It’s no surprise that when companies focus on employee satisfaction in an authentic and principle-centered way, employees truly benefit and their satisfaction improves. In my experience, employees are sensitive to a disconnect between words and actions. If a company touts itself as employee-focused but managers make employees feel uncomfortable about taking earned time off, for example, it makes lasting negative impression.

If you’re interested in learning more about and improving employee satisfaction at your firm, here are some suggestions:

1. Ensure a match between company values and the values of new hires. If you haven’t yet identified a set of core values, that’s an important first step to take. Once established, you can then make values part of the pre-hire process. You’ll be able to ask questions that help identify the values of prospective employees and ensure a fit between their values and yours.

2. Talk monthly, not yearly. Many organizations wait until year end to do reviews, and it’s at that time that they ask about employee satisfaction. Twelve months is a long time in business. Things can change significantly in days. (Or just hours if you work for JetBlue.) Check in with your employees more frequently to learn what they think about their jobs. Quarterly at least. Monthly would be best. Create a brief survey that goes over basics like workload, environment, supplies, equipment and other issues. Save discussions about salary and bonuses for the year-end review.

3. Create multiple channels of communication. Use a combination of face to face interviews, real and virtual suggestion boxes, open door policies and small and large group meetings to learn what people are thinking. The more channels, the better. Respond to suggestions right away to confirm that you received them, even if the item may not be acted upon for a while.

4. Offer a bonus for ideas that enhance corporate life. On-the-spot bonus programs can encourage people to offer ideas that will improve life for staff. The ideas generated by staff are often more highly valued and effective than those that come from the top.

5. Use exit interviews. Learn as much as you can about why departing employees are leaving. To encourage their candor, consider using an outside firm to conduct exit interviews. Employees who are leaving your firm may be more forthcoming with an outside consultant than with you or an HR representative.

If you want to increase the focus on employee satisfaction at your firm, please contact Dr. Weiman for advice at (610) 642-3040 or e-mail david@www.weimanconsulting.com.

Free Incentive Program Information

My good friend and colleague Dr. David Mulligan is an expert in the psychology of creating effective sales incentive programs. He has more than 30 years of experience in the business, and based on working with hundreds of clients, he recently created an eBook entitled “Selecting and Working with a Sales Awards and Performance Incentives Company.”

I’ve read it, and it’s an excellent guide to understanding how incentive companies work, and what you should know before you initiate a sales incentive program or hire a firm to help you do it.

It contains 54 pages of highly valuable reference materials, information and sample forms. If you would like a free copy, send an email to Dr. Mulligan at iservice@fast.net and he’ll send you the eBook by reply email.

The Lost (and then found) Plotz Memos:

I recently came into possession of a dusty carton of memos written by CEO Max M. Plotz. If you’ve never heard of him (and I suspect you haven’t) Plotz was a mercurial but compassionate man who ran Consolidated Candies (with plants in Lahaska, PA and the Mayfair section of Philadelphia) from the 1940s through the early 1970s. He was well known for the memos he wrote to his staff. Those memos were often terse, sometimes funny, and always filled with valuable wisdom. I have received permission from the Plotz family to reprint his memos in The Weiman Consulting Letter. I hope you find them as valuable as I did.

CONSOLIDATED CANDIES

To: The Staff
From: Max M. Plotz, CEO
Date: April 1, 1963

Subject: Universal Metric Time

Beginning on April 15, we will be converting our company to Universal Metric Time (UMT) from the 24-hour time system we are currently using.

I know from previous staff meetings that this has created quite a bit of concern and confusion. But it’s actually quite simple and easy to use once you become accustomed to it.

In metric time, the day is divided into 10 hour units. Each hour is divided into 100 minutes. One hour, which is a tenth of a day, is a deciday. One minute is a milliday.

A special committee will be formed to convert our candy recipe times into UMT. We will also issue a new schedule and conversion chart to ensure that you are here for your shifts on time according to UMT, and that break lengths are converted appropriately.

The changeover to Universal Metric Time will put us in the vanguard of US manufacturers. It will also streamline processes and make it much easier to do business with European companies that use the metric system.

If we work hard together, the conversion will be a success in no time at all.

As always, you have my thanks.