US – Most American employees are unhappy at work, viewing their workplace as a dictatorship that stifles their creativity.

According to a survey on employee attitudes by the Workplace Democracy Association, 80% of American employees feel they work better when they're given freedom to decide how to perform their job. Less than a quarter of respondents also say motivation would improve if employees were hired by a group of co-workers instead of by bosses.

“We live in a free and open society, but many of our workplace organisations use command-and-control style,” Asher Adelman, founder and president of the association which advocates democratic policies in the workforce, told Reuters.

“People go to work and they're told what to do and how to do it and they're not given any decision abilities whatsoever,” Adelman added.

The lack of empowerment can lead to employee discontent and have a subsequent impact on productivity and office turnover. “Employees who don't feel like they're contributing to the company and being rewarded for their hard work see a big impact on their engagement, and that affects their productivity,” said Adelman.

Some suggestions to improve workplace satisfaction include sharing company strategy, providing access to profit-sharing plans and giving employees more freedom to perform their job as they see fit.