Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Job Satisfaction - Better or Worst 2011

Here we are almost at the close of another employment year. Has it been a better one than the last one? Do we expect next year to be less or more of the same? Well as you surf the net for the answers they vary by a wide margin based on the source you chose. I believe after you complete your research you walk away with varying degrees of concern. As you read the following you find job satisfaction has improved or remained the same in most sectors for those that are employed. There are a number of factors that impact job satisfaction with salary being one and not an all in all. However, those with higher salaries tend to have a higher degree of job satisfaction with a general belief that if you enjoy what you are doing you give more to the job or career. What follows are tidbits of information on job satisfaction for 2011 that paint a picture that rebound prior to the most recent recession is still not on the horizon…judge for yourself.

Fewer American employees are satisfied with their jobs today than were before the 2008 economic crisis, though the vast majority of American workers remain satisfied with their jobs. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found 87.5% of workers satisfied with their job in April, continuing the trend of lower levels found since early 2009. Satisfaction is, however, up from the low of 86.9% in July and August 2010, but still below the high of 89.4% in February 2008.

Similar to last year's results, the majority of respondents (42% or 700) are satisfied with their jobs. Nearly 12% (203) said they are extremely satisfied. About 38% (644) rated their job satisfaction as just "okay." Only 8% (137) report a low level of job satisfaction and less than 2% said they're not at all content. A total of 1,722 respondents participated in this year's survey. Source: Chemical Processing Magazine.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which has been polling over 1,000 adults every day since January 2008, shows that Americans now feel worse about their jobs — and work environments — than ever before. People of all ages, and across income levels, are unhappy with their supervisors, apathetic about their organizations and detached from what they do. And there’s no reason to think things will soon improve.

Employee engagement may seem like a frill in a downturn economy. But it can make a big difference in a company’s survival. In a 2010 study, James K. Harter and colleagues found that lower job satisfaction foreshadowed poorer bottom-line performance. Gallup estimates the cost of America’s disengagement crisis at a staggering $300 billion in lost productivity annually. When people don’t care about their jobs or their employers, they don’t show up consistently, they produce less, or their work quality suffers.

Which jobs truly lead to job satisfaction? It's a question that online salary database Payscale.com set out to answer by asking workers across a broad spectrum of employment to rate their overall job satisfaction. The results may surprise those who think that money alone brings job happiness.
"If pay was the only factor that leads to job satisfaction, you wouldn't have jobs like firefighter or senior pastor at the top of the list, because they are not $100,000-plus jobs," says Al Lee, Payscale's director of quantitative analysis.

What those lower paying, high satisfaction jobs do have in common is the ability to help others and/or some degree of authority. The jobs that came in the top 30 on PayScale's list all have one or more of these three factors in common: good salary, authority, and the ability to help others.

Even as hiring picks up, the odds can seem daunting to job seekers. In a struggling economy with a 9.6 percent unemployment rate, competition is stiff even for some jobs that made our list. For every job opening in September, there were about five unemployed people, according to the Labor Department. While that's an improvement from 6.2 people for every job opening in November 2009, the most recent peak, "it's still a very tough job market," says Steve Hipple, an economist at the Labor Department. During the three years before the recession, the rate averaged 1.7 unemployed people for every job opening. Source: ALEXIS GRANT US News Money

10. Psychological Keys to Job Satisfaction…what do they mean to you?
1. Little hassles (sometime it is the small stuff that gets in the way)
2. Perception of fair pay (many believe perception is fact until proven otherwise)
3. Achievement (how far and high can I go in this job or career)
4. Feedback (communication key to motivated employees…how am I doing)
5. Complexity and variety (keep it interesting…salary/money is not enough)
6. Control (empowerment to input to the environment))
7. Organizational support (not standing alone to be successful)
8. Work-home overflow (life balance)
9. Honeymoons and hangovers (keep it challenging, interesting and engaging)
10. Easily pleased? (No need to over do it you can’t please everyone all the time)
Source: Psyblog…Understand your mind.


Energy
Illinois, United States








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