More than half see work as a big yawn

One in six people in the workforce hate their jobs. Photo / Thinkstock

More than 60 per cent of the workforce either hate their jobs or couldn't really care less about their work as long as they get a pay cheque, a survey reveals.

The research by Leadership Management Australasia asked nearly 4000 respondents in New Zealand and Australia how they felt about their jobs.

It showed that nearly half were considering looking for a new job while 62 per cent either hated or were ambivalent about their work.

"A predominant percentage of the workforce is performing at a level of personal productivity below their capability," said LMA managing director Grant Sexton.

"There are just too many people with a ho-hum attitude, too many just going through the motions and dragging the chain - no wonder we still have 20 per cent of the workforce actively looking for a different role."

Mr Sexton said it was concerning that one in six people in the workforce hated their jobs but said they still had to earn a living.

This includes 17 per cent of business leaders and senior managers, 15 per cent of middle and frontline managers and 16 per cent of other employees.

More than half of those surveyed considered looking for a new job while 21 per cent were actively seeking new work and 13 per cent had handed their resumes over.

The survey showed 48 per cent of those in lead or senior management positions had a neutral view of their jobs while 28 per cent of leaders said they loved what they did.

Mr Sexton said a lack of work/life balance, difficulties finding and retaining good staff and retaining employees were among some of the factors causing these people to be dissatisfied.

The research found that work hours, work/life balance and hours paid for were no different for employees with positive, neutral or negative attitudes to their jobs.

It said 28 per cent of those with negative attitudes of their work were less motivated to look for work on the basis of better opportunities for career growth and development compared with 37 per cent of those who were positive.

Those with negative views of their jobs were also less likely to be in organisations offering training and development opportunities.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little said employees did not have the same loyalty to their bosses as they once did and the ease with which people could be made redundant also left many feeling disillusioned and disengaged from their jobs.

"These days people expect to work in several occupations or even several careers during their working life," the union leader said.

"In the past they could have thought 'I will try and make this a little bit more bearable or better'; now they become disengaged and people's first thought is now 'I'll just go somewhere else'."

Service and Food Workers Union national secretary John Ryall said some companies were trying to enrich jobs through skill development and trying to involve their staff more with decision-making in the workplace.

"But they are the minority."