Kenya’s Happiest Employees Also Have Questionable Loyalty

Kenyans aged between the ages of 25-35 are the happiest age group at work followed by those who just joined the workforce at 18-24.

Those falling
outside these groups are stuck with jobs and employers they are not happy with
but with little courage to leave.

Interestingly,
the happiest are also those who will not stick a minute longer with their
employer if a better opportunity knocked.

Too Unhappy to Leave

In the annual
BrighterMonday Best 100 Companies to Work For, the report shows that the
oldest age group is the least happy group but not willing to leave their
current employer.

Speaking during
the launch of the report, BrighterMonday Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel
Mutuma revealed that most Kenyans were willing to switch jobs. 

He added, “In
Kenya, employees are most satisfied when they can relate to a company’s vision,
have full transparency with management and have flexibility in the execution of
their tasks.”

Mutuma advises that a company is only as good as its staff on any given day and so ensuring that staff are happy and satisfied not only increases a company’s productivity but its reputation as well.

The report shows
that many youths are entrepreneurial and felt that mentorship and coaching were
integral to their career growth.

This is
despite their being considered a flight risk in search of greener pastures.

Another key
insight is that the gender pay gap still exists and this is affecting the
satisfaction levels amongst women in the workplace, who feel less valued and
more likely to switch
jobs.

The younger workers’
entrepreneurial spirit could be inspired by the search for diversification of
multiple income streams. They also turned to mentorship and coaching since
they’re still fresh in the workplace.

Women not valued

On the flip side, 50% of women were happy to leave their current employer because they felt that the workplace is not conducive for them. This is because they don’t feel valued or their employers do not meet their desired traits.

The women
could also be leaving for greener pastures in pursuit of their ideals and
probably higher salaries

“It is vital
for employers to understand that employee satisfaction is a major factor that
can help determine the organization’s overall well-being; thus rigorous
strategies to ensure, measure, track and improve employee satisfaction should
always be held in high regard,” said Mutuma.

Out of the
companies surveyed, mobile telecom company Safaricom emerged the best company
to work for as well as the most ‘desired’, and ‘respected’ brand.

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