Employee satisfaction high but workers still want better benefits

Is it possible for workers to be generally content with their jobs but hate everything about work? Employee satisfaction is at its highest level in 10 years, yet workers report low satisfaction with their benefits, compensation, time off, and “respectful treatment of employees” at work, according to an annual survey of 600 employees by the Society for Human Resource Management. 

Overall, employee satisfaction climbed to 88 percent. That’s up from 82 percent in 2008 and up 11 percentage points from the same survey 10 years ago. The report attributed the large share of content workers to the improved economy. “Not surprisingly, as the economy has remained relatively stable over the last couple of years, organizations may have found themselves being able to reintroduce incentives and perks that had been reduced or eliminated as a result of the Great Recession,” reads the report.