 |
|
Despite grumbling, most Americans say they are happy at work
August 28, 2007Older, higher-paid workers likely to be happiest
Although some people may spend part of the Labor Day weekend complaining about their bosses or about job burnout, most Americans are satisfied with their jobs, a new University of Chicago study shows.
The survey found that job satisfaction increases with age, with workers over 65 among the most satisfied. The study shows that 86 percent of the people interviewed between 1972 and 2006 said they were satisfied at their jobs, with 48 percent saying they were very satisfied. Only four percent reported being very dissatisfied.
In addition to older workers, those with more education, those earning more money, and workers in the South Central states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississipi, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee were the most satisfied. Blacks, Hispanics and people doing unskilled labor were the least happy, according to the report "Job Satisfaction in America: Trends and Socio-Demographic Correlates" by Tom W. Smith, Director of the General Social Survey at the National Opinion Center at the University of Chicago.
"The most important the factors contributing to more job satisfaction in descending order of importance are holding a job with high prestige, being older, being non-black and earning more from a job," Smith said.
"Job satisfaction is especially high among those 65 and over because most people working at that age are not those forced to still work due to financial reasons, but those who choose to do so because they like their jobs," he said. Of the people still working after age 65, 71 percent said they were very satisfied at their job. Workers under 29 had the lowest amount of happiness on the job - 42 percent said they were very satisfied.
Workers in the least prestigious 10 percent of job categories - unskilled manual and service occupations - reported the lowest level of satisfaction, with 35 percent that were very satisfied, compared to 57 percent satisfaction among those in the most prestigious 10 percent of occupations.
Job satisfaction rises according to income. The study found that 40 percent of the people earning less than $12,500 per year said they were very satisfied while 68 percent for those making over $110,000 per year said they were very satisfied. African Americans are less satisfied with their jobs than whites are (40 percent vs. 53 percent) and Hispanics have somewhat lower job satisfaction than non-Hispanics do (46 percent vs. 51 percent).
A job satisfaction study released in April by Smith showed that professions that focus on serving other people, especially those involving caring for, teaching, and protecting others and creative pursuits, provide people with the most satisfaction. This study lists the top and bottom 12 occupations in both job satisfaction and general happiness.
University of Chicago
"The most important the factors contributing to more job satisfaction in descending order of importance are holding a job with high prestige, being older, being non-black and earning more from a job," Smith said.
"Job satisfaction is especially high among those 65 and over because most people working at that age are not those forced to still work due to financial reasons, but those who choose to do so because they like their jobs," he said. Of the people still working after age 65, 71 percent said they were very satisfied at their job. Workers under 29 had the lowest amount of happiness on the job - 42 percent said they were very satisfied.
Workers in the least prestigious 10 percent of job categories - unskilled manual and service occupations - reported the lowest level of satisfaction, with 35 percent that were very satisfied, compared to 57 percent satisfaction among those in the most prestigious 10 percent of occupations.
Job satisfaction rises according to income. The study found that 40 percent of the people earning less than $12,500 per year said they were very satisfied while 68 percent for those making over $110,000 per year said they were very satisfied. African Americans are less satisfied with their jobs than whites are (40 percent vs. 53 percent) and Hispanics have somewhat lower job satisfaction than non-Hispanics do (46 percent vs. 51 percent).
A job satisfaction study released in April by Smith showed that professions that focus on serving other people, especially those involving caring for, teaching, and protecting others and creative pursuits, provide people with the most satisfaction. This study lists the top and bottom 12 occupations in both job satisfaction and general happiness.
University of Chicago
Job Satisfaction Current Events and Job Satisfaction News RSSGreener offices make happier employees
According to the 2000 census, Americans office workers spend an average of 52 hours a week at their desks or work stations.
Get mobile, get promoted
Without that five minutes chat by the watercooler, the open-ended lunch break, or a boss's beckoning door, homeworkers can often feel isolated from colleagues and the opportunities for informal networking and mentoring that are wrought by the almost mythical 9-to-5.
Actions speak louder than words for diversity
Line managers play a critical role in the successful management of employee diversity in an organisation, and staff perceptions of how positively their manager handles diversity impacts their job satisfaction and commitment to the company.
Caring colleagues miss out at work
Caring colleagues are unlikely to be promoted because those with an 'agreeable' personality tend to neglect their own careers.
Call centres are not "satanic mills"
Call centres are not the "satanic mills'' they are often made out to be, although call handlers can suffer depression and low motivation if working conditions are not carefully managed. These are the findings of a study carried out by Christine Sprigg and Phoebe Smith, with support from Professor Robert Jackson, at the Health and Safety Laboratory in Sheffield. Ms Sprigg, now of the University of Sheffield, presented their research today, Wednesday 7 January 2004, at the British Psychological Society's Annual Occupational Conference held at the Moathouse Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon. Call centres are usually the sole point of contact for many customers but staff can be faced with low wag
Benefits of improved access to day care cancelled out by low pay trap
Mothers from socially disadvantaged families with access to good day care are more likely to take up paid work, but could actually see a reduction in their household income as a result, according to research published in today's British Medical Journal. The study was the first randomised controlled trial of the effects of day care to be conducted in the UK. 120 families, including 143 children, took part in the study. Half had been randomly allocated a place at the Mapledene Early Years Centre (a Government-designated Early Excellence Centre) on the Holly Street Estate in the London Borough of Hackney while the remainder had agreed to provide data through questionnaires and in-depth intervie
Pay freezes make workers just as unhappy as pay cuts
Pay freezes make workers just as unhappy as pay cuts, according to new research by University of Warwick economist Dr Jennifer Smith, to be presented at the Royal Economic Society's Annual Conference on Tuesday 8 April. But her research also shows that happiness (both satisfaction with pay and overall job satisfaction) is strongly affected by factors other than pay. In particular: * Older people are generally happier. * Educated people are typically less happy. * Women are happier than men. * Black and Asian workers are less happy than their white counterparts. * Workers lucky enough to have a source of income apart from their jobs are happier than those who rely only on their pay. * Poor he
Job satisfaction among senior doctors generally high
Levels of job satisfaction among senior doctors have been generally high, but many do not plan to work to the age of 65, finds a study in this week's BMJ. All traceable 1974 UK medical school graduates were sent questionnaires about their employment history, current job satisfaction, and plans for the future. Some 97% of those who responded were in medical employment and 85% worked in the NHS. Overall, job satisfaction was rated reasonably highly, but there were significant differences between occupational groups, with hospital doctors reporting greater satisfaction than GPs. Among GPs, women were more satisfied than men and part-timers were more satisfied than those worki
The boss's stress affects employees--differences between the sexes
Stress-related disorders have increased over the last few years, and a great many of these problems are ascribed to factors in the workplace. Bosses have a great influence on the working conditions of employees, and their own stress and ailments probably have an impact on their employees. This are results presented in a new dissertation by Peggy Bernin at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The dissertation presents a study carried out on three groups, one of them comprising managers in 24 countries. Questionnaires have been used in five reports to elucidate working conditions and how stress and strains are dealt with. A study base of more than 5,000 employees made it possible to compare white-
Dons in distress
Over half of UK academics report poor psychological health according to a paper presented today, Thursday 13 April, to The British Psychological Society's Annual Conference, held at the Guildhall, Winchester, by Gail Kinman of the University of Luton and Fiona Jones of the University of Hertfordshire. The national survey of 782 academics showed that 53 per cent of respondents reported poor psychological health according to a standard measure, although academics also indicated a considerable degree of job satisfaction. Findings also revealed that 25 per cent of respondents reported that they had experienced a stress-related illness over the last twelve months. The extent and pace of recent ch
More Job Satisfaction Current Events and Job Satisfaction News Articles
 | Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Causes, and Consequences (Advanced Topics in Organizational Behavior) by Paul Spector Job Satisfaction is the most frequently studied variable in organizational behavior research. This new book provides an overview of the vast literature on this topic. The nature of job satisfaction is discussed along with techniques for assessing job satisfaction including existing scales and new instruments. In addition, the book summarizes the findings concerning how people feel about... |
 | How to Love the Job You Hate: Job Satisfaction for the 21st Century by Jane Boucher Can’t Stand Your Job? Scared of Your Boss? Suspect Your Co-Workers Are Talking About You Behind Your Back? You’re not alone! Half of all American workers experience job dissatisfaction. Internationally respected author and executive coach Jane Boucher can help with her book: How to Love the Job You Hate: Job Satisfaction for the 21st Century. Boucher shows workers how to cope with keeping... |
 | The Relationships Between Job Characteristics, Job Satisfaction, And Turnover Intention Among Software Developers by Timothy Lee Dor Software developer turnover can have disastrous effects on an organization due to the loss of business process knowledge, as well as acquired technical skills. Annual rates of turnover in information technology (IT) departments have been estimated at 20% or more with the cost of replacing technology workers ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 times annual salaries. This study purposely focused only on... |
 | Measures of Job Satisfaction, Organisational Commitment, Mental Health and Job related Well-being: A Benchmarking Manual by Chris Stride, Toby D. Wall, Nick Catley Promoting the satisfaction, commitment, mental health and well-being of employees is important not only in itself, but also because evidence shows that those who are positive in these respects respond better to change and are more productive. Measures of Job Satisfaction, Organisational Commitment, Mental Health and Job-related Well-being is a unique source of benchmarking data across four widely... |
| Job Satisfaction: Theories, Models and Longitudinal Analysis by Itzhak Harpaz | |
| On the Job: Survival or Satisfaction? by Jerry E. White, Mary White | |
 | Its a Job Not a Jail: How to Break Your Shackles When You Cant Afford to Quit by Robert M. Hochheiser More and more, in cubicles across the nation, loyalty and hard work seem to be a waste of time, and many people stay at jobs they hate only because they see no other option. Now, from the authors of "How to Work for a Jerk", comes a collection of timely and time-proven techniques for surviving in an office from hell without losing your cool, your sanity, or your job National print ads &... |
 | The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (And Their Employees) by Patrick M. Lencioni A bestselling author and business guru tells how to improve your job satisfaction and performance. In his sixth fable, bestselling author Patrick Lencioni takes on a topic that almost everyone can relate to: the causes of a miserable job. Millions of workers, even those who have carefully chosen careers based on true passions and interests, dread going to work, suffering each day as they... |
 | The New Job Security by Pam Lassiter Today, job security refers to security within your chosen career, rather than moving steadily up the ranks within a single company. In THE NEW JOB SECURITY, executive career management consultant Pam Lassiter teaches early- to mid-career professionals how to navigate this new work environment by mastering five key skills: taking control, reciprocal marketing, not looking for jobs, career... |
 | 2007 Job Satisfaction: A Survey Report by the Society for Human Resource Management by Society for Human Resource Management Providing comprehensive information on valuable workplace factors, this report focuses on the perspectives of both employees and human resource professionals to assess overall job satisfaction. More than 20 aspects are examined, including career development, relationship with management, compensation and benefits, and work environment. The current results are compared with the most recent... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |