The Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University, a leading executive MBA program for working managers, today released critical new findings from its national workforce survey, which was conducted to determine how employees perceive their managers, careers, and workplace culture. The survey finds that 43% of American professionals have thought about quitting their jobs in the past year, due to stifling frustrations at work.

Younger professionals (51% 18-34; 41% 35-54), those who make less than $50,000 annually (53%), and those who are not married (47%), and believe that their job is currently at a standstill (55%) are among those most likely to say that they had thought about quitting. The same can be said of those working in customer service/support roles (51%), or in the health sector (46%).

A third of respondents report both limited opportunity for advancement (33%) and pay not being commensurate with work (33%) as some of their biggest sources of work-related frustration. Sixty-nine percent of respondents agree that there is a lot of bureaucracy at their workplace, and red-tape was selected by 28% as being a top frustration. Notably, another 30% of U.S. adults report being underappreciated and 27% report being overworked as reasons for their unhappiness.

Respondents also cite the following additional reasons as frustrations at work:

  • Lack of voice in decisions/not being heard – 22%
  • Lack of job security – 18%
  • Not being challenged/stimulated by work – 17%
  • Lack of constructive feedback from their boss – 14%
  • Not having a good relationship with coworkers - (10%) or their boss (9%)

“It’s troubling to learn that there are so many Americans that are unhappy at work,” said Craig Clawson, Dean of JWMI. “When people feel trapped in a position and give up hope of workplace improvement, it is detrimental to both the individual and the company’s growth potential. Many of these findings could indicate cultural problems in today’s workforce -- both a lack of strong leadership across management levels and an undervaluation of “soft skills” that create better leaders who know how to energize their teams.”

The JWMI findings highlight an opportunity for those in leadership positions to improve workplace culture by providing clearer pathways to advancement. The findings also suggest that companies should focus on developing employee leadership skills, as they are critical to organizational health. A 2011 survey by Development Dimensions International shows that only 38% of 12,000 business leaders polled think they have very good or excellent leaders. Similarly, a recent Deloitte survey points to leadership as the number one talent issue facing organizations globally and only 13% of businesses believe they are “excellent” in providing leadership programs at all levels.

“There is a huge opportunity for growth that business leaders can realize by changing the way they value soft skills within their organizations, improving evaluation and feedback systems, and offering new ways for employees to think about their career paths. Additionally, employees at any level can take control of their career and create opportunity where it may not seem to exist through training, education and personal growth,” Clawson added.

The Jack Welch Management Institute offers an online executive MBA program that is specifically designed to help bridge the leadership skills gap in the workforce at both the individual and organizational level. Based on the singular business insights of world-renowned CEO and management icon Jack Welch, the Institute’s offerings are designed to transform the lives of students by providing them with the tools they need to become better leaders, build great teams, and help their organizations win. To learn more about the Jack Welch Management Institute, visit http://www.jwmi.com or follow @JackWelchMBA on Twitter.

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***MEDIA NOTE: To speak with Craig Clawson, please contact Cristina Henley at cristina.henley@strayer.edu or (202) 541-5538

Research conducted by Ipsos

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted for The Jack Welch Management Institute from January 9-15, 2015. For the survey, 1,795 U.S. adults age 18 and over was interviewed online, including 1,198 respondents who work for a professional/corporate organization. The precision of the Strayer/Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points for these working adults.

About The Jack Welch Management Institute

The core mission of the Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University is to transform the lives of students by providing them with the tools they need to become better leaders, build great teams, and help their organizations win. For more information, please visit http://www.jwmi.com.

About Strayer University

Strayer University has been in operation since 1892, and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The University offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration, accounting, economics, information systems, information technology, human resource management, education, health services administration, public administration, management and criminal justice to working adult students. The University includes Strayer@Work, which serves corporate clients by delivering the next generation of performance improvement and workforce development. Strayer University also offers an executive MBA online through its Jack Welch Management Institute. For more information, visit www.strayer.edu or call 1-888-4-STRAYER (888-478-7293).

About the Survey

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted January 9 - 15, 2015. For the survey, a sample of 1,795 U.S. adults age 18 and over was interviewed online, in English, including 1,198 respondents who work for a professional/ corporate organization. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points for all respondents (see http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/ for more info on Ipsos online polling “Credibility Intervals”). Ipsos calculates a design effect (DEFF) for each study based on the variation of the weights, following the formula of Kish (1965). This study had a credibility interval adjusted for design effect of the following (n=1,795, DEFF=1.5, adjusted Confidence Interval=4.1).