Being overworked and underpaid is not solely reserved for women. Although, we know this does occurs more frequently for women than men, it is something that young professionals and more senior employees also experience.
Having some insight as to why and how this occurs, is the first step to making improvements.
Mark Hall, Vice President of Kelly Services Singapore suggests that many employees are dissatisfied as they are being overworked. It seems that, as companies are forced to cut costs, there is the need to reduce their workforce. This creates a reliance on their remaining employees to pick up the slack. In many cases these employees are doing the work of two people and are not being paid anything extra. Employees take this on whether they like it or not because they fear losing their jobs. There is no benefit for them to take on the extra workload, but if they don’t, there may be consequences to their actions.
Young people looking to get ahead feel pressured to perform. They may even feel peer pressure as they try to keep up or get ahead of their coworkers. This can especially be seen where organizations have a “silent expectation” where, for you to achieve, you are required to willingly put in the extra hours.
These young go-getters, may be termed “workaholics” as they work extremely long hours, even when “not asked” to do so. This pressure may put strain on their personal lives, drive them to burnout or eventually force them to leave.
I have heard some entrepreneurs tell their stories, where they were part of large organizations, hated their jobs, remained for a while to gain the necessary skills and eventually left to create their own businesses.
Companies who have these kinds of expectations can eventually expect a “brain drain”, as their talented employees move on to bigger and better things. The knock-on effect is to an organization’s bottom line, as they lose well trained staff with exceptional skills and knowledge, and an unutilized intellectual property of their own.
Working mothers also struggle with work-life balance. Having a career and juggling family life can be extremely challenging and stressful. Many working moms battle to have meaningful careers. When organizations do make allowances for them, such as part-time work or less hours etc., they are so appreciative that they work extra hard, sometimes performing the work of two employees. In some cases, there is an underlying expectation that they will take calls and do additional work from home on the days that they do not work. In many of these situations, they are not remunerated for the additional workload. Being taken advantaged of in this way, eventually leads to feelings of resentment.
Some employees, especially some seniors may feel that they are not being paid their true worth. Over the years, they may have taken on more responsibilities and are not being compensated accordingly. This leads to feelings of unhappiness over unfair wages. For some they may be able to ask for a raise or move to a company that will compensate them fairly, but in many cases, especially those involving senior employees, they may not have the luxury of finding another job and may be left feeling exploited.
Steps companies can take to keep their employees satisfied and feeling valued.
It isn’t that employees expect, in every situation, to be financially remunerated for the work or the overtime they do. Often employees just want some form of recognition, understanding and support. They want you to care, notice and acknowledge who they are and what they bring to your organization.
Employee recognition and appreciation is something that is undervalued in many companies. Some companies view it as more of a “luxury” and less of a “necessity.”
Smaller organizations may know and understand their employees’ needs, whilst larger organizations don’t make the effort or take the time to get to know their staff. It is just not a priority for them.
Employees spend most of their time at work. Ensuring they feel valued and appreciated is key to the overall success of your organization and therefore, you need to do something.
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