Earlier this month, the New York Times created a firestorm with a description of what it’s like to work at Amazon, one of America’s most successful companies. The reporters described a brutal workplace culture where employees work long into the night, are pushed to their limits and beyond, and sabotage their colleagues’ performances. CEO Jeff Bezos pushed back, writing to his employees, “I don’t recognize this Amazon and I very much hope you don’t, either.” Readers responded with more comments than the Times had ever received for a single story.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos demonstrates the Kindle Paperwhite during Amazon’s Kindle Fire event in Santa Monica, California September 6, 2012. Reuters
Using public polls, we at AEI have been looking at people’s attitudes about their jobs and workplaces for more than a decade. Our latest report will be published later this week. Pollsters such as Gallup and the National Opinion Research Center have been asking identical questions for many years, and we rely heavily on their results for broader judgments about work today. The stability of overall attitudes in their surveys is striking, and the general assessments are positive. Most workers say their jobs are a satisfying part of their lives. In Gallup’s most recent question, 89 percent of employed people were satisfied with their jobs (nearly half, 48 percent, were completely satisfied.) This response has changed very little over time. In 1963, 85 percent told Gallup they were satisfied. Work provides meaning for most workers, which explains why majorities tell pollsters their jobs provide them a sense of identity and are not just something they do to have an income. In polls about what people most want from their jobs, work that provides a feeling of accomplishment ranks higher than work that provides a big salary.
But what about workplace culture? Does it bear any resemblance to the story about Amazon? Do most workers like and work well with their colleagues and their bosses? What about hours at work and vacation time? Are employers flexible? Gallup’s extensive battery of questions provides some answers.
Seventy-two percent in Gallup’s latest survey say they are completely satisfied with their coworkers, making it the highest-rated job characteristic of the 13 Gallup examined. Fifty-four percent were completely satisfied with their boss or supervisor, and another 29 percent were somewhat satisfied. Fifty-five percent were completely satisfied and another 31 percent somewhat satisfied with the recognition they receive for their work.
Despite this notable satisfaction with their work, most people want to have a life outside their jobs. In a new Aspen Institute/Atlantic survey on the American Dream, when people were asked about their professional goals, having a good work-life balance ranked at the top, with 45 percent giving that response as one of their top three goals. A job that pays a lot of money ranked second at 37 percent. Fifty-three percent told Gallup they were completely satisfied, and another 29 percent somewhat satisfied, with the amount of work required of them. Only 16 percent were dissatisfied.
Consistent with these responses, most people also report that their work isn’t all-consuming, as it appears to be for some at Amazon. In a question about how much time every 7 days they work on a home computer or a smartphone, people’s median response was 3 hours per week. Thirty-two percent said their employer expected them to check email and stay in touch remotely outside of business hours, but 63 percent said this wasn’t expected. Fifty-seven percent were completely satisfied with the vacation time they had and another 20 percent somewhat satisfied. Fifty-eight percent were completely satisfied and 25 percent somewhat satisfied with the flexibility of their hours.
That being said, there are aspects of work with which people aren’t as satisfied as they are with those described above. Nearly everyone would like to make more money, and only a third say they are completely satisfied with what they earn (another 36 percent are somewhat satisfied). Worries about being laid off in the near future and salary and benefit cuts were especially acute in the immediate aftermath of the financial crash. Levels of concern in these areas have since dropped, but the concern is still very real. The last time Gallup asked about them, 19 percent worried they would be laid off, 23 percent that their hours would be cut back, and a third that their benefits would be reduced.
Based on the polls, Amazon’s workplace culture, as described by the Times, appears unique and very different from what most workers experience. With that in mind, we wish you a happy Labor Day.
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