One-Third of Employees Feel Undervalued at Work

A new survey by Gloat found a third (34 percent) of all American workers—including 46 percent of Black employees and 38 percent of Latinx employees—feel that their company isn’t utilizing their full potential. This is important, because it turns out that how employees perceive their prospects for advancement and growth have more to do with their job satisfaction than their title or pay.

Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of the employees surveyed said they plan to leave their current job. The top five reasons include:

1. Lack of opportunity for growth;
2. Want a change or to do something new;
3. Unsatisfied with compensation or benefits;
4. Feeling underappreciated; and
5. Feeling pigeonholed or stuck in their position.

Nearly half (47 percent) of employees wished their company would gain better visibility into their skills, and more than 43 percent would like opportunities to work on projects outside of their job description.

Women need more room for advancement in the workplace. The picture is even starker by gender: Almost twice as many women (43 percent) as men (24 percent) feel their company doesn’t utilize their full potential. The spread of men and women in leadership positions bears this out: In the representative sample of more than 1,000 U.S. employees surveyed:

• 82 percent of women were in entry-level, associate, or specialist roles;
• 80 percent of men were in managerial or executive positions;
• At the management level, 45 percent were men and 12 percent were women; and
• At the C-level, 16 percent were men and just 2 percent were women.

When asked what they would like to see their company do to utilize their potential more fully, women were significantly more interested in having a mentor (21 percent) than men (12 percent).

Source: Gloat.

From WCI's HR Answers Now ©2021 CCH Incorporated and its affiliates. All rights reserved.