Why employees are unhappy at work

INC. DATA BANK What makes employees unhappy The sluggish economy has kept employees from jumping ship, but a big chunk of the American work force appears disgruntled. One recent report suggests that 86 percent of employees plan to look for a new job in 2013, up from 60 percent in 2009. Here's a look at what's making workers unhappy-and what they really want.-Matthew Wong HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS What they want most from employers tends to vary, depending on age and gender. Most employees are "completely satisfied" with some aspects of their jobs. THEIR CO-WORKERS: 69% MEN WOMEN AMOUNT OF VACATION TIME: 54% MORE MONEY: 45% REDUCED HOURS: 51% A PROMOTION: 39% FLEXIBLE HOURS: 50% THEIR BOSS: 54% THE BAD NEWS The list of top complaints suggests the past few years have taken a toll on workers in a number of ways. GEN-XERS MILLENNIALS (ages 33 to 50) A HIGHER JOB TITLE: 49% (ages 32 and younger) MORE TRAINING: 40% Portion of employees who are "dissatisfied" with these aspects of work: In addition to basic benefits, employees asked for some perks. ON-THE-JOB STRESS: 33% HEALTH BENEFITS: 31% FREE BEVERAGES A TABLET OR SMARTPHONE FOR PERSONAL USE FREE MASSAGES SALARY: 28% 18% 8% 17% All percentages represent the portion of HR managers who received these requests. SOURCE 2012 HR BEAT SOURCE GALLUP But experts say real job satisfaction is more than benefits or perks. "Of all the things that contribute to a happy workday, the one thing that stands out from my research is making progress on meaningful work. Feeling like you are able to move forward on a daily basis engenders real joy." TERESA M. AMABILE ARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR OF THE PROGRESS PRINCIPLE