The Conference Board’s press release about Americans’ job satisfaction certainly has caused a buzz.  Their annual survey of US households found that only 45% of all Americans are satisfied with their jobs.  This, according to the Conference Board, is an all time low.

I can’t say I blame people for being unhappy.  2009 was a really hard year for a whole lot of people.  Unemployment rates were at twenty year highs.  And while some research showed that those with jobs were happier than they had been – maybe just happy to have a job at all – there is no doubt that those who kept their jobs paid a price.  Layoff survivors were expected to pick up the slack while many employers cut wages and benefits.  And those nest eggs employees thought they had built up lost much of their value.

I am positive that many companies will see a talent exodus as the economy picks up.  Those hard working but exhausted employees may see their opportunity to jump ship in 2010.

And yet – I was surprised by the Conference Board’s findings.

I don’t doubt that employee satisfaction has slipped.  But the satisfaction levels reported were far lower than what we’ve typically seen in our employee research.  In fact in a study of employed adults throughout the US that we conducted about the same time we found overall job satisfaction at around 68%.

Questar typically sees job satisfaction levels at about 65% – and has for more than 20 years.  This is significantly higher than the Conference Board’s 45%.  And it’s not just Questar.  In fact a study published by Dr. Donald Super in 1939 found surprisingly similar results with 63.74% percent of participants reporting that they were satisfied with their jobs. (Super, D.E., 1939, Occupational level and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 23, 547-564).

And other published research suggests far more stability in satisfaction levels than the Conference Board study suggests.  Carol Morello of the Washington Post offered a great commentary on other research contradicting the Conference Board’s findings in her article “Results of Polls on Job Satisfaction are at Odds”

Don’t get me wrong.  I firmly believe that employers should be concerned about employee engagement levels – especially now.  But before we conclude the sky is falling, maybe we should take a more careful look at that acorn.

Anna Erickson Ph. D. | Director, Consulting Services