We asked 110 people: Do you love your job?
Forty-seven percent say yes; another 47 percent, sometimes; and six percent, no.
To celebrate Labor Day, Super surveyed Filipino employees (35 percent male, 65 percent female) between the ages of 21 and 55 to find out how happy they are at work.
They were asked to reveal the job they dreamt of as children. Only 10 percent say that their current work is their childhood dream job. (Twenty percent of the respondents say they wanted to be a doctor when they were a kid—but none of the 20 percent pursued a medical career).
Sixty-nine percent say that their work is related to the course or major they took in college. Thirty-one percent have landed jobs that have nothing to do with their degrees.
The top three factors to consider in looking for a job, according to the respondents, are: salary (90 percent), job description (69 percent) and the company’s reputation (63 percent).
“Perfect job + perfect company hasn’t happened for me,” says Jilly.
Other factors they consider when choosing a job are work hours (49 percent) and the commute (36 percent).
Some don’t mind the long commute if the job is good. Abigail says, “I live in one of the villages along Commonwealth Avenue in QC. My office is in Alabang. If I didn’t love my job, I would’ve quit months ago. But I love my boss and my job too much to quit.”
Jeezel says she also considers security of tenure, while Joy says opportunity for growth is important to her.
Happy Panda says, “If there’s one thing I realized after almost nine years of working, it’s that it’s not always about the money. Choose an environment that makes you happy.”
Twenty percent of the respondents are currently holding their first job. Twenty-eight percent have had two jobs, 19 percent have had three, 14 percent have had four, and 19 percent have had over four jobs, including one respondent who has had 12 jobs and two who say they’ve had so many jobs that they’ve lost count.
Charanoid says, “It’s possible to move companies and not burn bridges. Always remain thankful to previous employers and at the same time remain humble in your current post.”
Asked why they quit their last job, 24 percent say they got a better offer, 16 percent say their salary was too low, 15 percent say their boss was horrible, 14 percent say they did not feel appreciated, 12 percent say their work hours were bad, nine percent say the commute was too long, seven percent say they did not like their coworkers, three percent say the work was too hard, and one percent say, “I didn’t quit, I was fired.” Thirty-six percent gave other reasons.
Jane says she quit because of her pregnancy. Grace says she resigned for her family. Anna says, “I underwent surgery and needed to rest.”
“It wasn’t fulfilling,” says Joey.
Chinx says, “There were times when all I needed to do was to clean my desk. The entire shift.”
“The environment wasn’t healthy, very political,” says Heeowa.
Hanzel simply says, “I didn’t like it anymore.”
Fired
Only nine percent of the respondents have experienced being fired. When asked why they were terminated, five percent say they broke the rules, two percent say their boss didn’t like them, one percent say they didn’t get along with their coworkers, and one percent say their company was down-sizing. Some don’t know why they were fired. Kitty says, “It’s still a mystery.”
Nineteen percent have had their current job for less than a year, 27 percent have been working at their company for one to two years, 26 percent have held their position for three to five years, nine percent for six to eight years, six percent for nine to 10 years, while 13 percent have been working for the same company for over 10 years.
Romer says, “Time flies when you’re having fun. I’ve been with the airline for almost 12 years now. We fly even on holidays, weekends, red-eye, and through bad weather. We’ve missed out on numerous get-togethers, birthdays, anniversaries, concerts, and Noche Buenas, but I was probably bitten by the flying bug, always ready to stand tall, smile and greet guests, ‘Hello! Welcome aboard!’”
Twenty-one percent say they want to quit their job, 51 percent say they sometimes want to quit their job, while 28 percent do not want to quit their current job.
Jesse says, “This survey couldn’t have arrived at the right time. I’m at a crossroads right now: Should I continue with this job? Or should I find a new one? It’s tiring to keep on saying that ‘I’m passionate’ about my job because I question that nowadays. Passion doesn’t pay the bills.”
JM C. says, “Do I still think of quitting? There are good and bad days… It’s a private joke of mine that I call this my ‘drug’—no matter how many times you tell yourself enough of this sh-t, you keep looking for the next hit. And then you crash so bad it’s worse than taking seven double shots of tequila and chasing it with vodka. But you remain hopeful, oddly enough. And jaded at the same time.”
Fifty-six percent would quit their job if they got a better offer from another company, 26 percent would quit if they won the lottery, 26 percent would quit if they get the chance to work abroad, 11 percent would quit their job if they find someone rich to marry.
Grace says she would quit if her family, especially her son, needs her. Venise echoes the same sentiment, saying, “I would quit if my child would require more of my time.”
Chloe says she will quit “if I got a better offer from another company, a better and more inspiring boss whom I can learn from, someone who is innovative and can serve as a mentor, someone who is a good leader…”
We asked the respondents about their superiors.
Fifty-three percent say they have a male boss, 47 percent have a female boss.
Fifty-two percent say they like their boss, 32 percent say they sometimes like their boss, 16 percent say they do not like their boss.
Asked to be more specific about just how much they like their boss, three percent of the respondents say they’re in love with their boss, 17 percent say they love their boss, 26 percent say they like their boss, 39 percent say their boss has good and bad days, 10 percent say they hate their boss and five percent say they want to kill their boss.
Chinx has a message for her boss: “Hi boss, I want to tell you that the entire department is waiting for you to take a leave. That would be the most-awaited vacation for all of us. Thanks.”
Devil boss
The respondents say they like that their boss is considerate (46 percent), supportive (41 percent), interested in their career growth (33 percent), fair (30 percent), funny (16 percent) and that their boss recognizes their hard work (32 percent) and respects them (36 percent). Twenty-six percent like that their boss is great at his or her job. Twenty-seven percent say that they like that they learn a lot from their boss.
Marlboro says she likes her boss because “Saktong boss lang.”
Asked why they hate their boss, 18 percent say their boss has a temper, 16 percent say their boss has unrealistic expectations, 12 percent say their boss does not do his or her job, eight percent say their boss doesn’t have boundaries, and six percent say their boss takes credit for their work.
Others say their boss is inconsiderate (14 percent), unfair (13 percent), unreasonable (12 percent), and does not respect weekends (12 percent).
Five percent say their boss embarrasses them in front of coworkers. Four percent say their boss is the devil.
Vina says, “My boss hits on me.”
“My boss can be a pressure cooker on high heat,” says The Only Qix.
“My boss is fickle and she nags,” says LittlemissC.
Four percent of respondents say they don’t like their coworkers.
Dominique says, “I’ve been working for almost four years. In my experience, having awesome officemates means a lot. It makes work and going to work easier. With awesome officemates, even the boss from hell becomes tolerable, mostly because you get to talk about your boss after office hours. A bad boss makes great friendships. Officemates make you want to stay in your present job or make you want to resign immediately.”
When asked about what they love about their current job, 55 percent of the respondents say they are passionate about their work, 31 percent say it’s the extra perks, 27 percent say it’s the money, 21 percent say their coworkers are the best, 13 percent say their boss is awesome, 26 percent say it’s the health benefits, and 38 percent say they get to have a life outside of work.
Joey says, “Do not let your job define who you are.”
Asked how happy they are at work, only two percent of respondents say they can’t wait to go to work every day, 54 percent say they love their work but they love weekends, too, and 20 percent say they just work to make money.
A. says, “I hate working in a call center, but it pays the bills.”
Twenty-one percent say they want to quit sometimes, and five percent say, “I hate my life, I want to quit right now.”
But for some, it’s a matter of perspective. Browny says, “I recently read in the news that about 13 million Filipinos are unemployed. That bit of info made me appreciate my job more.”
