On both sides of the Atlantic, surveys are reporting low job satisfaction numbers. According to a recent Conference Board survey, a low of 45.3 percent of US workers are satisfied with their job. YouGuv reports that only 35 percent of British workers are content at work.
A column in this week’s Financial Times may have pinpointed the cause of the discontent, “multimultitasking.” With fewer people doing the same work, more demands are being placed on employees.
One solution to overworked multitaskers is to ask employers to consider flexible work hours. Flexible employees find more time to accomplish more. Meanwhile, 72 percent of US workplaces surveyed by global consultants Watson Wyatt are focused on providing stress management and health coaches to help employees cope with higher workloads.
Multitasking remains a controversial workplace practice with an equal amount of studies for and against it. Recent studies show that drivers who multitask by also using cellphones are overloading their brains. Yet scientists now report that people who use the multitasking area of their brains live longer than those who are singularly focused.
In the workplace, human resource recruiters are continuing to place more emphasis on multitasking skills. Recent research has demonstrated that training can improve multitasking skills and speed up work. The New York Times has interviewed a number of workplace multitasking experts who offer up a number of tips on how to be a good multitasker in Your Career: How to Get Organized as Work Piles Up.