Survey: U.S. Workers Least Satisfied With Pay Systems

Employees are seeking more than a paycheck: That was the message sent in a survey recently released by WorldatWork, formerly American Compensation Assn. In association with Sibson & Co., WorldatWork examined satisfaction levels with five types of rewards sought by employees, which include monetary rewards, benefits, satisfying work content, affiliation with an admirable organization, and long-term career opportunities. "All are necessary for companies that wish to offer an attractive employee value proposition, that is, an appealing exchange of rewards from the company in return for the employee's motivated effort and continued employment in the firm," says Gerry Ledford, a practice leader at Sibson & Co. The study used a random sample of the U.S. workforce, using telephone surveys from 1,218 adults. It found that employee satisfaction is high overall. Work content received the highest approval rating of 82%, while career opportunities received the lowest with 68% But respondents were less enthusiastic about payment processes. Less than half reported they were satisfied with the way their employers assigned pay grades, changed pay when their jobs changed, and administered pay systems. Forty percent said they were dissatisfied with feedback from supervisors and had relatively low trust in management. "There has to be a commitment to the employee if an organization expects the same commitment in return," says Patricia Llantino, director of the compensation line of business for WorldatWork. Sibson & Co. is based in Los Angeles and provides problem-solving solutions and suggestions for businesses.