Industry News and Information
Do Americans Still Value Hard Work?
William Frierson
Aaron Gouveia, Salary.com contributing writer
America is a country that has long prided itself on sweat, determination and hard work. We love stories about people putting in the hours, working harder than everyone else, and pulling themselves up by their bootstraps to enjoy financial success. Historically that’s been true, but is it still the case?
This country has changed dramatically over the years, but we wanted to find out if Americans still value work the way they used to. So we sent out our “Working Study” survey, and nearly 3,000 of you answered.
Do we live to work as our grandparents and great-grandparents did, putting in countless hours and living a life largely defined by what we do for a living? Or do we work to live, clocking in to jobs mainly so we can pay the bills? Are we lazier than people in other parts of the world? Are older workers more committed than young people? Which industry cares about work the most?
Find out whether we, as a country, are driven by our work or if work is a place we simply have to drive to in order to make ends meet. Some of the answers might surprise you.
“Live to Work” or “Work to Live?”
The basic premise of our survey was based on these two questions. And it appears the present has been largely influenced by the past.
Just less than one in every five respondents — 19% — agreed they live to work, while 70% said they work to live. When asked about their parents’ habits, 55% of those who live to work said they got that trait from their parents, while 83% of those who work to live followed in their parents’ footsteps.
Perhaps it has to do with shifting priorities and an increased focus on family, or the fact that job-hopping and having multiple careers is becoming the norm. But whether you consider it a positive or a negative, it’s clear the people in our survey are working as a means to an end as opposed to putting their careers first and foremost.
People Who Live to Work Are More Fulfilled
Overall, 59% of total respondents said they are personally fulfilled by their work, with nearly half (49%) willing to work extra hours simply because they enjoy their jobs.
But it stands to reason that if you make your job a priority, you’ll get more out of it than someone who is simply collecting a paycheck.
Ninety-one percent of people who live to work say they are fully committed to their work, compared to 65% among those who work to live. It makes sense that 80% of the live-to-work respondents claim to be personally fulfilled from their work, with just more than half (51%) of the work-to-live contingent reporting the same.
From a sheer enjoyment perspective, only 57% of people who work to live say they enjoy their jobs. But that number rises to a whopping 78% for those who live to work.
Are Younger Workers Lazy?
Let’s face it, most people think young workers are lazy and entitled. But while many articles and even entire books have been written about the supposed impending doom courtesy of Millenials, our survey data finds all is not as it seems.
Thirty-five percent of respondents ages 18-25 said they live to work — the highest amount in any age group. People between the ages of 33-39 were second with 29% saying they live to work, with people age 60 and above at coming in third at 27%.
Furthermore, younger workers said they are much more likely to continue to working even if they hit the lottery, with 59% agreeing they’d continue to punch the clock. That’s compared to the mere 32% of workers age 51-60 who said they’d do the same. Continue reading . . .
Article by Aaron Gouveia and courtesy of Salary.com
