Employees who feel valued at work are more likely to report better physical and mental health, as well as higher levels of engagement, satisfaction and motivation, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association.
Employees who don’t feel valued, meanwhile, are job hunting. Half of the adults surveyed who say they don’t feel valued at work intend to look for a new job in the next year. Among those employees who report feeling valued, 21% say they intend to look for a new job in the next year.
Almost all employees (93%) who report feeling valued by their employers say they are motivated to do their best at work and 88% report feeling engaged. Among those who don’t feel valued, 33% say they’re motivated to do their best at work and 38% report feeling engaged.
Numerous factors were linked to feeling undervalued at work, including having fewer opportunities for involvement in decision-making, being less satisfied with the potential for growth and advancement, having fewer opportunities to use flexible work arrangements.
The survey also shows that many Americans continue to report chronic work stress, with 41% of employees reporting they typically feel tense or stressed out during the workday. Commonly cited causes of work stress include low salaries (46%), lack of opportunities for growth and advancement (41%), heavy workloads (41%), long hours (37%) and unclear job expectations (35%).
The online survey of 1,714 adults was conducted in January 2012 by Harris Interactive on behalf of the APA.
The APA recently announced the winners of its annual Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards. Winning organizations include: Noble-Davis Consulting, ReMed Recovery Care Centers, Certified Angus Beef, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia and Cocnino County. These employers reported an average turnover rate of just 11% in 2011 — significantly lower than the national average of 36% as estimated by the Department of Labor.
The APA awards are designed to recognize organizations for their efforts to foster employee well-being while enhancing organizational performance.
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