[December 02, 2014]

The 2014 ANSWERS™ American Employee Study Reveals the Real Drivers of Employee Satisfaction

Answers Corporation, owner and operator of top-10 Internet property Answers.com (source: Quantcast (News - Alert)) and a premier provider of cloud-based voice of the customer (VoC) solutions, today released key findings from the first Answers™ American Employee Study, a comprehensive examination of thousands of American workers across roles, ranks and industries. By applying patented experience analytics methodology from ForeSee, an Answers solution, time-tested through more than 100 million consumer surveys, Answers was able to identify the unique factors that drive employee engagement and satisfaction.

Key Findings from the 2014 Answers American Employee Study

• #EmployerFail: American employees are generally dissatisfied, scoring a 65 in satisfaction, on a 0-100 scale. A score of 80 or higher is considered the threshold for excellence at which a company meets and exceeds employee expectations.
• Listen to Me: Only 46 percent of employees have ever participated in company-led employee experience measurement programs. Of those who did participate, a meager 15 percent reported that action was taken as a result of those surveys.
• You Don't Know Me: Nearly half (48 percent) don't feel like their employers understand their career goals.
• Training Day: Those who have received zero training scored 52 in satisfaction. In stark contrast, employees who received formal training have a satisfaction score of 72, highlighting the difference an employer's commitment can make to employee perception.
• Hat Trick to Happiness: Answers' analytical engine has debunked previous beliefs that an employee's pay or manager have the greatest impact on employee satisfaction. Leadership, which includes providing employees with a long-term vision to rally around, plays an equally heavy role. Leadership, Compensation and Relationship with a Supervisor are the top three priority areas for improvement.
• Rise of the "Middle Class": 27 percent of workers are engaged in their work; 28 percent are completely disengaged. Nearly half of all employees (45 percent) fall somewhere in the middle, and present a valuable opportunity. Focusing on moving that "silent plurality" into the engaged column can have a tremendous impact on the organization.
• Horrible Bosses Vs. Annoying Coworkers/b>: Over half of Americans work with someone that really annoys them (55 percent) and it impacts their satisfaction (with a score of 58 when annoyed vs. 72 when not annoyed). Only 20 percent of Americans identify the annoying co-worker as their direct supervisor. Contrary to general sentiment, 86 percent of the American workforce like their boss!
• Millennial Myth: Millennials want what everyone--regardless of generation--wants: to be part of something. Despite their reputation as demanding, job-hopping employees, the study revealed that Millennials are actually the most satisfied (66, compared to 63-65 for other generations) and most engaged (62, compared to 56-59) of all the generations. They are among the most likely to stay at a company (65), second only to the 55+ age group (66).
• Other Satisfied Customers: Employees in the energy and utility industries are the most satisfied, each scoring 70--the highest of any industry. White collar workers (66) are more satisfied than blue collar (63). Construction workers are also engaged (65) and satisfied (70). There is no gender disparity when it comes to satisfaction; each scored 65, with females (59) slightly more engaged than males (57).
• A Case of the Mondays: 61 percent say Monday is their least favorite work day.