Tech workers make more money but are less happy
Tech seems like the sector to work in. Coders and IT experts are always in demand, they command big paychecks, and work in creative environments with free lunch and ping pong tables.
But in a recent survey of 5,000 software engineers, developers and IT personnel, people working in tech reported being less happy at work than their analog counterparts.
TinyPulse, a company that tracks employee happiness, released its "State of Employee Engagement in Tech" report Wednesday, comparing its survey results with data from other industries, such as marketing and finance. The report found that only 19 percent of IT workers feel happy at work, compared with 22 percent of non-IT employees, a statistically significant difference that TinyPulse said, "makes us worry."
Drilling down into the data, it seems that techies are disproportionately affected by aspects of office life that can have a major negative impact on worker satisfaction. While half of non-tech employees reported that they can see a clear road to advancement, only 36 percent of IT professionals could say the same.
Only 17 percent said they feel strongly valued at work.
The problem may be endemic to the sector.
"They're experts in their fields, they're well compensated, but they're also interchangeable in a lot of ways," CNET's Dan Ackerman told CBS News. "Because they're doing coding, they're doing engineering and the companies they might give them lot of perks -- here's a foosball table, here's a fun party, but you know what? You better come in on the weekends."
Amazon recently came under fire after a New York Times article exposed a seething culture of endless hours, high standards and low tolerance, where many employees stick around for just a year.
"I think it ties in very closely to what we've been talking about over the last couple weeks with Amazon and how these really big companies have these very intense corporate cultures," Ackerman said. "You may be well paid but it may not be satisfying in other ways."
Software developers, computer research scientists, network architects and security analysts all took in average salaries north of $80,000 in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But in the TinyPulse report, these same people feel trapped. Compared with non-tech workers, they see less chance for advancement and professional growth, feel out of sync with their companies' mission and vision, and even have worse relationships with coworkers.
The report concludes that workplace dissatisfaction undermines happiness and engagement, which erodes innovation -- and that is what the tech space is supposed to be all about.