1 in 3 are fed up with their pay

NEW YORK — Why do so many workers suddenly quit their jobs with little to no warning? It turns out that money and stress are still the main issues that quietly turn pleasant workplaces toxic. Salary dissatisfaction, lack of appreciation, and poor work-life balance rank as corporate America’s top frustrations — according to the nation’s HR profs.

The new survey of 1,000 human resource professionals revealed the biggest challenges facing the workforce today, along with the pain points HR problem solvers are feeling in their departments. Twenty-nine percent of respondents said feeling underpaid is the most common source of discontent for workers at their company, along with being unappreciated (26%), poor work-life balance (25%), and dissatisfaction with benefits (23%).

According to the survey, the most common issues brought to the HR department are poor communication (44%), rule violations (40%), toxic negativity (38%), and gossip (37%). Training and upskilling talent (39%) and finding the right talent (36%) top the list of HR challenges. Meanwhile, 31% of HR professionals often deal with workplace etiquette issues, and 20% frequently mediate romance-related conflicts. 

Conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by isolved for Human Resource Professional Day on Sept. 26, the report also found that only 9% of HR professionals complete their to-do list daily. Almost half (42%) of respondents work off-hours, while 28% feel overwhelmed by their workload, estimating they’d need to outsource 31% of their tasks to manage effectively.

To alleviate this, more than three-fourths of HR professionals surveyed (77%) said it’s important that they are trained to use AI (artificial intelligence) in their job roles. Of those whose companies have already adopted AI, 81% said it’s being used within their HR department’s workflow. Another 34% of HR tasks are handled by AI, on average.

Seeing how this frees up space for other pressing matters, more than eight in 10 (81%) of those using AI to streamline and automate everyday tasks say it increases capacity for interpersonal connections.

“In the ever-evolving landscape of HR, efficiency is key,” says Amy Mosher, chief people officer at isolved, in a statement. “It’s imperative that HR leaders advocate on behalf of their departments for advanced tools and resources that empower HR professionals to truly support workers. This study revealed that HR roles are incredibly challenging, especially when it comes to solving interpersonal issues. Providing HR departments with better tools and resources will allow them to be fully present so they can better handle sensitive challenges effectively.”

Stories from the survey revealed some of the problems America looks to HR to solve and ranged from expected to sad to outright bizarre. In fact, 41 percent of the HR pros surveyed said that many of the interpersonal issues they are tasked with solving would shock the average person. 

One respondent reported having to prevent strange rituals in a colleague’s office, while there were several cases where employees brought unconventional pets, like snakes or large reptiles, to the office without prior approval. Other unusual occurrences included incidents of stalking, dealing with an interviewee’s enraged mother, and reports that the workplace was haunted, leading to requests for office exorcisms. 

Given these challenges, 30% of HR professionals feel mentally drained, 24% are burnt out, and 34% are considering a career change. 

“AI advancements and adopting better resources can ease the strain on an already stretched HR department, allowing for better productivity and happiness within companies,” Mosher adds.

Lastly, when asked what they wish the rest of corporate America knew about HR professionals, 57% said they just want everyone to know that “We’re people too. We have feelings and hard days at work, just like everyone else.”