Why Americans hate their work

Do you like your work? Based on a recent Gallup report, probably not. A whopping 70 percent of Americans don't feel engaged in their jobs.

"For most of us, in short, work is a depleting, dispiriting experience, and in some obvious ways, it's getting worse," wrote Tony Schwartz and Christine Porath for The New York Times.

Schwartz and Porath of The Energy Project partnered with the Harvard Business Review to figure out why Americans are so unhappy in their jobs:

Employees are vastly more satisfied and productive, it turns out, when four of their core needs are met: physical, through opportunities to regularly renew and recharge at work; emotional, by feeling valued and appreciated for their contributions; mental, when they have the opportunity to focus in an absorbed way on their most important tasks and define when and where they get their work done; and spiritual, by doing more of what they do best and enjoy most, and by feeling connected to a higher purpose at work.

The more effectively leaders and organizations support employees in meeting these core needs, the more likely the employees are to experience engagement, loyalty, job satisfaction and positive energy at work, and the lower their perceived levels of stress. When employees have one need met, compared with none, all of their performance variables improve. The more needs met, the more positive the impact.

On The Daily Circuit, we look at the common complaints from American workers and how employers can fix them.

If you could have 10 minutes with the leader of your company, what's the No. 1 thing you'd tell him or her? What's the one thing that would help make your company a more fulfilling place to work? Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Learn more about the American workplace:

• Fixing the 'I Hate Work' Blues
I believe the answer lies in the highly bureaucratic, multilayered organizations that companies are using to execute their plans. There is so much pressure to realize short-term results that middle managers are consumed by making this month's numbers rather than building teams that focus on achieving their company's mission. Innovating under intense operational pressure is nearly impossible. (Harvard Business School)

• You Don't Have to Hate Your Job
There are some deep and complicated reasons that only a small percentage of employees around the world feel truly engaged and satisfied at work. There are also some simple solutions that leaders and managers can introduce at virtually no cost that would make any workplace more humane and desirable -- and, in all likelihood, also increase profitability. (New York Times)

• Why You Hate Your Job (and How to Hate It Less)
"Choose and invest in relationships that are energizing to you," Porath says. "Positive connections at work fuel motivation, engagement, and well-being. De-energizing relationships, on the other hand, take a tremendous toll on people. They have four times the effect that energizing relationships do, highlighting the importance of managing your relationships." (US News & World Report)