BC Business
As it turns out, “money isn’t everything” is truer than you might think. Just ask Californiabased ServiceNow, which surveyed Canadian office workers to find out what matters to them in their jobs. More than half of the 1,500 respondents to the online poll said that they wished their work was more meaningful, and that they‘d be willing to make a sacrifice to become more engaged in tasks.
B.C. is no exception. Office workers here would give up nearly $7,600 a year in exchange for more meaningful work. Also, the largest portion of Canada’s workforce, millennials, are more likely than gen-Xers or boomers to say that menial tasks bore them or that they aren‘t living up to their potential. With an average of 15 hours a week spent on such tasks, over a third of survey respondents feel underutilized by their company.
In the end, though, it seems money comes out on top. Although many employees yearn for more meaningful work, if they could only ask one thing of their boss this year, 62 percent of B.C. respondents would opt for a raise, a much bigger portion than the 34 percent who would request greater meaning.
Another common point of contention: internal processes and job aids. A whopping 97 percent of those polled said it‘s important for a company to have solutions that support getting menial tasks done. From internal search engines to meeting room booking software, workers want innovation that makes their lives at the office a little easier.
As workplaces keep changing and millennials make up a bigger portion of the labour market, minimizing drudgery can help employers boost engagement, morale and productivity from more meaningful work, while potentially saving a few bucks.