Job dissatisfaction widespread, Conference Board finds.(WORKPLACE ISSUES)(Brief Article)

A new report from the Conference Board, New York City, found that many of today's workers are dissatisfied at work. Fifty percent of Americans are satisfied with their jobs, down from 60 percent in 1995. And only 14 percent of this contented 50 percent say that they are "very satisfied."

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"Rapid technological changes, rising productivity demands, and changing employee expectations [about the role of work in their lives] have all contributed to the decline in job satisfaction," says Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board's Consumer Research Center.

Among the survey's key findings were the following:

* Forty percent of workers report that they are disconnected from their employers.

* Twenty-five percent of employees say that they are "just showing up to collect a paycheck."

* Job satisfaction has declined across all income brackets since 1995, with the largest decline--from 60.9 percent to 49.2 percent--occurring among workers aged 35-44. The smallest decline--from 60.8 percent to 58 percent--occurred among workers aged 65 or older.

* Employees are least satisfied with their organizations' bonus plans, promotion policies, health plans, and pensions.

* The majority of workers are most satisfied with their commutes and their relationships with colleagues.

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