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Any job that is highly repetitive in nature, requires little to no skill, and that discourages employee independence in the workplace.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles
Yes, this is a generalization and it is unscientific and it isn't based on any metrics or data, but this is a question based on perception.
For me, flight attendants seem to have low job satisfaction. They always seem burned out and robotic. Airports, travel, jet lag, filthy planes, passengers with anxiety, same questions over and over, routine job functions over and over, hotels and recent labor/union job/pay problems. This real job environment replaced the glamorous vision of a flight attendant they had when they first entered the workforce.
Any job that is highly repetitive in nature, requires little to no skill, and that discourages employee independence in the workplace.
Sounds like the definition of a typical lower-class job. I worked overnight one Christmas season stocking shelves for a major discount store, and all of those characteristics were fulfilled. I was very unsatisfied.
HOWEVER, many jobs that would fit your description and that those here have cited (e.g. retail) are, have been traditionally held by students and other young people, at least locally (I know in large cities they are now occupied by immigrants and minorities...two groups that don't exist on a large scale here). The 16-year-old high school kid taking your order at McDonalds or 21-year-old working in the hardware department at Wal-Mart while studying at the local university are probably not too "unsatisfied" with their job. They probably see it as a means to the end of buying clothes, booze, car audio systems, paying their cell phone bill, etc.
I'd imagine the lowest paying, excluding things that actually dramatically affect the lives of people and can make the person feel good about themselves, are all applicable.
I work retail and it's not that horrible. It's funny because I hate when it's not busy at all, but at the same time I hate when it's really busy and there are a lot of problems. In the second case, time flies by, but you are working at a feverish pace, doing the best you can, and people still bit*h
Clerical work has been cited in job studies as one of jobs with low satisfaction rate. Clerical/office workers are often put in situations where they have to function in a quasi lead person position but they have no authority, the pay is low and often, the hours can be ecxcessive because the jobs and the workers aren't respected. The job itself is considered menial and "could be done by a well trained monkey".
I have been on both sides of that fence. I eventually worked my way up through accounting and HR to become a manager. I wasn't shocked when I read the above critique as I had always found it true myself.
Looks like a lot of people all agree~~retail. As a retail worker for a huge multi billion dollar corporation, (Im sure you can guess who that is) it is the most ungrateful, thankless job. Sorry but I dont see 25c to be considered a raise. Among other things, you basically cant have a life, if you dont tell them youre available anytime any day, youre lucky to get hired at all. Sometimes in some towns though, lack of options keep you from finding a more beneficial (financially and mentally) job, unless youre willing to commute or have certifications in some fields. Just my 2c.
I don't think Americans hate the concept of working. I think most Americans hate office politics, and how most workplaces are run like high school popularity contests. I think most Americans hate the fact that they are forced into jobs where they are unable to make use of their talents. I think most Americans hate the hours and number of years we were expected to work at most jobs, without leaving time for anything else.
The other thing that Americans don't like is that nowadays, employers are expecting rank and file employees to act like high level executives, and make sacrifices expected of high level executives, but without giving us the pay or perks that high level executives get. They expect you to work as much overtime as needed at a moment's notice, to drop everything and anything you may have planned, even cancelling a non-refundable vacation at the last minute without any compensation. But then they barely pay you enough to survive, and reprimand you like you're in elementary school if you're a few minutes late (no matter how late you stayed the previous day) or take a lunch break that's a few minutes too long.
As for office politics: it's very frustrating when you work hard but someone else who is "popular" gets the credit for it. And when someone "popular" screws up, they expect you to take the blame. And they give you an even harder time if you try to complain about that.
The other thing that Americans don't like is the lack of job security. No matter how well you do your job, with at-will employment, you can lose your job at any time. Knowing that any day can be your last day on the job adds a lot of unnecessary stress. The sacrifices we are exepected to make wouldn't be so bad if we knew that our employer would take care of us and keep us employed. But knowing that they can get rid of us at any time for any reason or no reason makes it very hard to justify certain sacrifices.
For me, this nails retail to a T. Office politics, high shcool popularity contests, making sacrifices, etc. I guess that can be said for a lot of industries, but for retail, it's some Xerox'd copy of "The Big 2's" retail playbook.
Seriously warms my heart to see that people at least recognize retail as being horrific as far as job satisfaction goes...
For me, this nails retail to a T. Office politics, high shcool popularity contests, making sacrifices, etc. I guess that can be said for a lot of industries, but for retail, it's some Xerox'd copy of "The Big 2's" retail playbook.
Seriously warms my heart to see that people at least recognize retail as being horrific as far as job satisfaction goes...
I wasn't actually describing retail. I was describing my life as a civil engineer, and saying that the same applies to most fields in the US, aparently including retail.
Even the crappiest jobs can be bearable if you have a good attitude, decent (humane) managers who are not on power trips, and fun & friendly co-workers. But having these three components are, indeed, VERY rare. A looooong time ago, when I worked in a retail shop (cookie store), I had a really cool manager (who was also the owner) and fun, energetic co-workers with great attitudes. It makes ALL the difference. It was the lowest paying job I've ever had, but it was the funnest place to work, and I didn't mind baking cookies and dealing with the public (despite some wacky customers).
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