In March of 2022, we at market research agency Callosum Marketing conducted a survey of over 1,000 working respondents – from a broad range of industries – to understand Canadian employees’ attitudes and motivating factors in the workplace. We asked questions pertaining to current job satisfaction, recent job changes, intended job changes, and what is important in their work. What we found was that our respondents seemed to divide into 4 segments. These segments may give you more insight into the attitudes of your current & perspective employees.Â
The Undervalued Recruit (29%)
The undervalued recruit has typically been in their current job for less time than the average (amongst our sample, 5.1 years was the average). Although they have good working conditions (often with more benefits than the average), they are less satisfied with the benefits obtained and the job overall. They feel that they do not have the skills required to do their job well or that their skills are not being used to the proper extent. For these reasons, their current work is more likely to be synonymous with drudgery. The undervalued recruit is more likely than most to change jobs in the next year.Â
The Fulfilled Careerist (26%)
Enthusiastic, optimistic and a natural leader, members of this segment see their work as a calling. They are positive, like to learn new things, feel useful in their job, and are under the impression that they have a real professional impact. More often in positions of influence or control, this segment is satisfied or even fulfilled by their job. They also attribute significant importance to the reputation of the company they work for, its mission and its values. Driven by a sense of accomplishment, with professional challenges that are commensurate with their skills, the fulfilled careerist presents a very low risk of changing jobs. This is the most satisfied segment of the Canadian labor force.Â
The Frustrated Prisoner (12%)
Stuck in a job that does not make this segment feel valued or allow them to feel fulfilled, frustrated prisoners are not happy at work. Their job does not allow them to develop new skills and is synonymous with drudgery. They believe they have the skills required to do the job well, but their skills are not being utilized. Moreover, beyond the dissatisfaction with the very nature of the work, they do not feel they are treated fairly. They are the most dissatisfied with their job of all the segments and several are already looking for a change of position. Their dissatisfaction also extends to their salary and benefits, but particularly to their sense of accomplishment.Â
The Balanced Soldier (34%)
The balanced soldier feels valued, treated fairly, and respected in their work. This segment is satisfied with their job and their salary, benefits, and schedule, but even more so with their relationship with their colleagues. Although they follow the job market closely, they do not constitute a strong risk of changing jobs in the next year.Â
What can you do with this information? Well, by asking your employees questions on various topics – renumeration, praise, their tasks, skills & training, etc. – you may be able to categorize them into one of these segments and have a better idea as to whether they have intention to change jobs and if there may be something you can do about that! We at Callosum have conducted many different types of qualitative and quantitative employee satisfaction studies to help employers learn more about how they are performing, and tailor what they offer to and how they communicate with their employees. One way we can help is to conduct a segmentation among YOUR employees, which we can compare to the benchmarks of the overall working population on various metrics, to see where your organization is over- or under-indexed.Â
Contact us at info@callosum.ca to discuss what type of employee research study works best for your needs and your budget.Â