2 in 3 Singaporeans dread going to work daily

And less than half are satisfied with their current roles. What can HR do about it?

BY Nurhuda Syed 19 Jan 2019

Only one in three Singaporeans say they ‘always’ or ‘nearly always’ look forward to going to work every morning, according to Qualtrics. Also, two in five said they are not motivated to go to work every day.

The report also found less than half (49%) of employees are satisfied in their current job, which is way below the global average of 62% employee job satisfaction.

Interestingly, the report found that salary is actually not the key driver of satisfaction among Singaporean employees. In fact, employees who earn salaries of under $30,000 annually have rated their job satisfaction at 48%, which is just two percent lower than the highest paid employees earning $130,000 and above.

The main drivers of satisfaction among workers are confidence in the company’s senior leadership team and a helpful manager in resolving work-related issues. Receiving sufficient training to perform their job effectively has also been listed as one of the key drivers of enhanced job satisfaction, desire to go to work and staff retention.

“Contrary to what many employers believe, the results have shown that personal relationships at work are valued over offering pay increments to employees that may only provide a temporary increase in job satisfaction,” said Foo Mao Gen, head of Southeast Asia at Qualtrics.

“In fact, it is the type of relationships employees have with their managers and colleagues that most significantly impact job satisfaction and motivation levels.”

Who’s happier about work?

While it comes as no surprise that millennials and Gen Z employees are more likely than any other age group to switch jobs after two years (35%), almost two in five (39%) in this age group are reasonably enthusiastic to go to work every morning.