Job Satisfaction Highest in 2 Decades, No Thanks to Remote Work

Job satisfaction climbed to 56.9% in the Conference Board’s annual November survey, the highest in 20 years, despite the pandemic, economic crisis, mass layoffs and the increase in the unemployment rate, reported the think tank Monday. Nielsen canvassed 5,000 U.S. employees in its consumer confidence survey, finding job satisfaction improved because respondents “gave higher marks this year to many factors within the company’s control," like health plans and performance reviews, it said. Remote work “did not boost job satisfaction” among the nearly four in 10 who say they worked mainly from home during the pandemic. “There may have been offsetting factors that precluded remote work from affecting job satisfaction,” said the board. “While some respondents may have appreciated the increased flexibility and the elimination of the daily commute, others may have suffered from the lack of in-person interaction and perhaps a less-than-ideal working environment at home.”