The workaday blues
Before his work is complete, Jesus informs his disciples in this Sunday's gospel, "there is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!" According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly 70 percent of Americans view a day of work at the office with negative emotions ranging . . .
Before his work is complete, Jesus informs his disciples in this Sunday's gospel, "there is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!" According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly 70 percent of Americans view a day of accomplishing work at the office with negative emotions ranging from disinterest to downright anguish. Not even alluring workplace perks like nap rooms, free lunches, and massages will make an unhappy worker happy.
The findings of Gallup's 2013 State of the American Workplace were grim: At best 30 percent of the 150,000 full and part-time workers surveyed honestly enjoyed their jobs and their bosses. A full 20 percent of respondents are what Gallup classifies as "actively disengaged," the ones who are muttering complaints at the watercooler and using their lunch breaks to scour job postings online.
The remaining 50 percent of U.S. workers are "disengaged," according to the survey, meaning that while they show up for work, they are not "inspired by their managers." But perhaps the most startling thing that Gallup found is that those allowed to work remotely were more engaged.
Jim Clifton, Gallup's chairman and CEO, said in a statement that poor management was one of the leading causes for employee disengagement. Many surveyed complained of "bosses from hell" who ignored talent and didn't cultivate growth.
But the implications of the report go much deeper. It states that the dissatisfaction, anger, and boredom felt by workers hurts the economy, which has been feeble since the tecession of 2008. It also costs the U.S. an estimated $450 billion to $550 billion per annum of lost productivity, stolen goods, and missed days of work.
Homily hint: “Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation,” write the U.S. Catholic Bishops in their statement, The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, which summarizes Catholic social teaching on work. Share some of its perspectives with your faith community, perhaps it will help those who feel alienated from their jobs to find new meaning in their work.
The findings of Gallup's 2013 State of the American Workplace were grim: At best 30 percent of the 150,000 full and part-time workers surveyed honestly enjoyed their jobs and their bosses. A full 20 percent of respondents are what Gallup classifies as "actively disengaged," the ones who are muttering complaints at the watercooler and using their lunch breaks to scour job postings online.
The remaining 50 percent of U.S. workers are "disengaged," according to the survey, meaning that while they show up for work, they are not "inspired by their managers." But perhaps the most startling thing that Gallup found is that those allowed to work remotely were more engaged.
Jim Clifton, Gallup's chairman and CEO, said in a statement that poor management was one of the leading causes for employee disengagement. Many surveyed complained of "bosses from hell" who ignored talent and didn't cultivate growth.
But the implications of the report go much deeper. It states that the dissatisfaction, anger, and boredom felt by workers hurts the economy, which has been feeble since the tecession of 2008. It also costs the U.S. an estimated $450 billion to $550 billion per annum of lost productivity, stolen goods, and missed days of work.
Homily hint: “Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation,” write the U.S. Catholic Bishops in their statement, The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, which summarizes Catholic social teaching on work. Share some of its perspectives with your faith community, perhaps it will help those who feel alienated from their jobs to find new meaning in their work.
Source: An article by Beth Stebner for the New York Daily News