By Juliet Soh
Public relations
professionals are found to be the unhappiest workers
in Singapore for two years in a
row, according to an annual survey by JobsCentral, one of Singapore's leading
job portals.
A total of
2,385 respondents took
the 2011 JobsCentral Work Happiness Indicator
Survey, which was conducted online from August to September
this year. This survey has been conducted every year since
2009.
PR professionals scored 53.5 in
the JobsCentral Work Happiness
Indicator this year and 50.4 last year, also the lowest score in
2010.
The top 10 job
functions with the unhappiest workers in Singapore are:
Jobs of unhappiest workers in Singapore. (JobsCentral image)
The JobsCentral
Work Happiness Indicator Survey also found out that Singapore
workers are generally happier than they were compared to previous
years.
This year, the
overall average Work Happiness Indicator score of the respondents
is 57.4 out of 100, the highest since the survey started two years
ago. Singapore workers scored 55.5 in the 2010 survey and 56.4 in
the 2009 survey. 60 per cent of the respondents also indicated in
the survey that they are satisfied with their current job.
The survey also
discovered that advancement opportunities, reasonable work demands
and salary are the top three most important workattributes. However, the same three attributes are also
rated poorly in terms of satisfaction level.
Advancement opportunities are ranked lowest by level
of satisfaction, with an average score of 5.06 (upon 10), followed
by salary, which scored 5.47. Acceptable work demands is ranked at
9th position, with an average score of 6.11.
"It is not
surprising that Singapore workers are happier because pay freeze
and bonuses were mostly restored this year after Singapore
recovered from the 2009 recession. Furthermore, the employment
market has also been good, which means we have fewer unhappy
workers stuck in unsuitable jobs," says Lim Der Shing, CEO of JobsCentral
Group.
"To improve
happiness level further, employers can address the three most
important work attributes cited in our survey. Employers should
provide active employee career management focusing on advancement,
expectation management, and promotion or pay prospects," advises
Lim.
"Instead of
holding just one review at the end of the year, managers can
consider having regular quarterly reviews. This allows them to
communicate expectations and tell their staff what they need to do
to excel and be promoted. Furthermore, any employee unhappiness
will be detected earlier, allowing for quick resolution."
"Similarly,
employees should also initiate frequent feedback sessions to know
their managers' expectations and learn how they can perform better.
Consistent communication will allow both managers and staff to take
on an active role in helping the staff succeed and contribute," he
added.
Infographic on the happist workers in Singapore. (JobsCentral
image)
High salary doesn't necessarily produce
happy workers
Money may not be
able to buy happiness. The happiest group of workers, according to
gross monthly salary, are those who earn between $8,000 and $9,000
per month. This group scored 67 points, much higher than the
overall average of 57.4.
On the other hand,
those who earn above $10,000 per month (the highest salaried group
in the survey), scored 58 points. The unhappiest workers are those
who earn between $6,000 and $7,000 per month (55 points).
Good relations with management more
important than with colleagues
While having good
relations with management as a work attribute is ranked 4th, having
good relations with colleagues is only ranked 6th. This means that
having an encouraging and reasonable management can have more of an
impact on work happiness compared to hiring staff that can get
along with one another.
Autonomy at work and work-life balance not
as important to gen-Y
Work attributes
like autonomy at work and work-life balance, traditionally thought
to be important to the Generation Y, were ranked 7th and 9th
positions out of 12 attributes. This suggests that the
stereotypical traits often attached to this group, that they are
independent, opinionated and value work-life balance, may not have
as strong a correlation to work happiness as we thought they
would.
