‘Santa Barbara Independent’ Reader Survey Says Workplace Attitudes Are Evolving

The Way We Work Survey Delves Into Values and Attitudes

By Leslie Dinaberg | June 30, 2022

Sifting through dozens of data points and surveys (including our own), one thing stands out: our workforce, our workplaces, and the way we work are moving forward and evolving in ways both large and small.

The last two pandemic-filled years have forced businesses of every size to adapt to a fundamental upheaval in the way people work. With a forced timeout from some of the busyness of life, it has also been a time for people to reflect upon what matters most to them. In response to a recent online survey about “the way we work,” when they were asked “What do you value most about your job?” Independent readers ranked “interesting work,” “my colleagues,” and “challenging work” as their highest categories.

In our reader survey, flexibility as a positive job value ranked behind creativity, and “the way it contributes to society/to the greater good.” But when Independent readers were asked about what they disliked about their jobs, they told a different story. “Money” and “lack of flexibility” were the top dislikes, followed by “lack of vacation,” “colleagues,” “boredom,” and “don’t feel valued.”

A large-scale PwC 2022 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey of 52,195 workers across 44 countries and territories also found that meaning matters to employees. When considering a change in work environment, the most important factors identified were: I am fairly rewarded financially (71 percent); I find my job fulfilling (69 percent); I can truly be myself (66 percent); My team cares about my well-being (60 percent); and I can be creative/innovative in my job (60 percent).

On the local employer side, finding affordable housing for employees loomed large as a challenge. For example, “Over the years, a large portion of my staff have had to travel from Lompoc, Santa Maria, or Ventura because they could not afford to live in Santa Barbara,” said a participant, a sentiment echoed by several others. Recruitment and finding employees with the right skill set were also top survey answers to a question about challenges. When asked what they valued most about their employees, “competence” was the overwhelming winner, with 56 percent of employers surveyed choosing that over any other qualities.