And that's pretty much been the case ever since. "HR is now in the position of trying to get those beleaguered managers to follow procedures and practices without having any direct power over them. This is euphemistically called 'managing with ambiguous authority,' but to those on the receiving end, it feels like nagging and meddling," Cappelli concluded.
In its State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, Gallup found that, along with dissatisfaction, workers are experiencing staggering rates of both disengagement and unhappiness. Sixty percent of people reported being emotionally detached at work and 19% as being miserable. Only 33% reported feeling engaged — and that is lower than in 2020.
In the U.S. specifically, 50% of workers reported feeling stressed at their jobs on a daily basis, 41% as being worried, 22% as sad, and 18% as angry.
Beyond unfair treatment at work, job dissatisfaction and burnout correlate most highly with unmanageable workloads, unclear communication from managers, lack of manager support, and unreasonable time pressure.
While HR can't solve all of these issues alone, it facilitates the much-needed superior-subordinate communication that often becomes problematic in times of despair.
