Maybe “excitement” is a bit much to ask, but there are people all over who have jobs that are enthralling, involving, and that continue day-to-day with cliffhangers and ongoing challenges like an adventure serial from the 1940s. For these people, work is more adventure than drudgery. But how many employees can say that about their job? We asked employees, “Are You Typically Excited About Going To Work Each Day?”
The information comes from the latest reading of an ongoing study by Comparably. Over 10,000 employees responded to the query.
More men than women say they get excited at the prospect of another workday. Over two-thirds of men answered our question affirmatively, with just under two-thirds of women responding in similar fashion. This may imply that there are cultural standards in place for how enthusiastic men are meant to react to questions about enjoying their work, or that the system has favored men so long that it’s generally more pleasurable for men than women to work in the U.S.
African-Americans said they were excited to go to work at the same rate as all female employees (as seen above.) It goes without saying that both groups have seen long histories of inequality in the U.S. workplace, and that there may be a generally lessened excitement of returning to work each day for both. Hispanic/Latinos, Caucasians, and Asian/Pacific Islanders all voted closer to the higher average for all male employees.
Responses were fairly consistent from age bracket to age bracket. In fact, there’s an unexpected slight upward tendency with each progressive age group. While one might have expected a younger worker to be more optimistic about all things, it may be that peaceful acceptance of the workday as a necessary part of most of our lives comes with a bit more age., and that any limit on the freedom of younger people registers for them as a negative.
Excitement about each new day is highest early among high school grads, then dips for a few consecutive education levels. The least excited to work are those with an Associate’s degree. After that milestone, however, each successive education level begins to rise again in terms of positive responses. The implication is that those with more substantial schooling are more likely to end up in jobs that they find exciting.
As with overall averages, men in most departments are happier about reporting to work than their female counterparts. Departments where the women are happier than the men about each new workday: Admin, Customer Support, and Operations.
Latest reading as of August 1.
