A recent survey finds that while most U.S. workers say they are satisfied with their current jobs, much fewer are pleased with the future opportunities available.
Eighty-three percent of employees said they were generally pleased with their positions, according to the poll from the Society for Human Resource Management. However, just 40 percent felt the same way about available development opportunities. That disconnect, researchers said, could lead to higher turnover rates in the near future.
"As we slowly come out of the recession, the war for talent will be back on," said Mark Schmit, SHRM’s vice president for research. "When that happens, there is the potential for turnover given the dissatisfaction that employees seem to have with the real or perceived lack of advancement opportunities."
The biggest determining factor in job satisfaction was job security, cited by 63 percent of respondents, followed by employee benefits and other factors. However, less than a third were satisfied with their security. In addition, most were unsatisfied with the level of communication from senior management.
An increase in turnover could result in significant costs. CFO World reports recent studies have found turnover costs companies three to six times that of a worker's pay.
