As most people spend the majority of their life at work job satisfaction is an important element of everyone’s individual well-being. “Job satisfaction is a positive feeling that one gets about a job resulting from an evaluation of its characteristics (Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. pg. 75, 2013).”The top five factors and why they are important to me would have to be job security, relationship with co-workers, safety with in the work place, compensation / pay, and benefits.
Job security
Job security is important to me so that I can avoid any financial problems in this bad economy that we are living in. Even if we are unsatisfied with our job we have to continue with it. This does not mean do a poor job because this is not a job that you would have chosen. Ultimately most that are unhappy with a job could say that happiness comes only when your needs are fulfilled and priorities are met. My priorities would be paying my bills and providing for my family.
Relationship with Co-workers
My relationship with my co-workers is important to me because if I am going to spend most of my time with them then I need to be able to work with them. I want to know can they help me get the job done. Are they lazy? Do they work with an attitude? Will I enjoy being around them? We need to be able to work together as a team to get the job done correctly and efficiently. Sometimes we find that work can be a little overwhelming. Having a friend at work will allow us to open up during stressful times. By having a relationship with people within the work place it would allow us to celebrate our work-related victories, such as promotions, pay raises, and retirement. Workplace accomplishments can turn into memorable experiences with a group of friends at your side.
Safety
I feel more comfortable in a place where safety is a top priority. I want to be able to go to and leave work safe. For me safety issues and accidents cut down on production time with repairs and employee recovery. If there have been a lot of safety issues in the past the company could get in trouble with the labor board, unions, or OSHA. If this were to happen then this could also put my job at risk if it was a habitual issue. There is also the liability of a lawsuit brought by someone within the company. This could cause the company to close the doors altogether putting me without a job. I want to be able to recommend my place of employment to others and brag about the work environment, but I cannot do that if it is an unsafe place.
Compensation / Pay
For me compensation is important to a certain degree. We all have to live in this world and as the cost of goods is rising the rate of pay is not. I am a very hard worker and I go above and beyond to do my job. I will even step in and help others do their job if they need a hand. I will work any hours that the company needs me to work or even change my hours if it is needed. So I feel that I should receive a fair compensation for the hard work that I do. I do not want to do the job of five people and get the pay of one. I have been in a position where I was doing the job of three people yet only receiving the pay of one. I loved this job but it soon became very over whelming and I was working very long hours. As I said before I do not mind doing whatever I can but this company (which I choose not to name) had me in a salary position and just kept adding more things for me to do. First I was a regular staff member and eventually moving up to the director of the company. Later on it was revealed to me that I would need to do both jobs while keeping up with books, banking, and weekly shopping for the groceries and supplies that was needed to run the business. I dealt with it for a long time until I was able to find a something else that I would enjoy doing that would not take as much of my personal life away. I had to take a pay cut which really hurt in the beginning, but have since almost made up for it. Now I am in the same position again with my current company. I am not sure if it’s happening because I am just too nice and let others take advantage of me or what. I started out as help in a small mom and pop place. I would come in on Thursday at 8 am and work till I was done which was normally 1:30 or 3 depending on what all had to be done. I would come in at 9 AM and work till 7 pm Friday and Saturday, and on Sunday it was 9 AM till 4:30 pm. Well things have changed and I now go in at 5:30 on the weekend and work till 4:30 every day. This is doing my job and the job of another. I like my job but feel that I am not being compensated as I should be. So this leads me on another hunt to find a job that I do not have to do the work of three and get the pay of one. Compensation for my hard work is a must for me. According to our text this week, “Recent data show a dramatic drop-off in average job satisfaction levels during the economic contraction that started in late 2007, so much so that only about half of workers report being satisfied with their jobs now.” (Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. pg. 80, 2013) Benefits
When I first started working at the age of fifteen I did not think benefits such as health care was very important. As long as I had a job and was making money to be able to do things was all that mattered to me. As I grew older I was no longer covered under my parents insurance. I soon began to realize why it was important after having to pay a hundred and twenty dollars to see a doctor on top of cost of the medication. Insurance is not the only thing that is important when we talk about benefits. I believe that child care, life insurance, vacation/sick days, retirement plan and health insurance are among the top benefits. Healthcare, cost of living, and disease related to stress are continuing to rise as such these benefits are increasingly sought after by job seekers. I currently do not have any of the above benefits although I plan to move into a position that would afford me such possibilities.
Final Thoughts
Relationships with co-workers influence how team morale is affected. Attitudes and laziness affect the whole group and diminish production. Compensation at a reasonable level makes employees feel valued and want to come to work. A safe working environment means less downtime and medical bills for employers and employees. Benefits help cover accidents and sickness while allowing for future retirement and stress relief from work. In these troubling times it is easy to see why job security would be my top choice in job satisfaction. The economic crash left a hole in the average American family. Job losses were being reported daily on the news with no relief in sight. Many Americans were finding themselves without homes and access to basic medical care. What once was considered a luxury soon became a necessity.