Weekly Spark #48: Are You Satisfied with Your Job?
A positive message of reflection to start your week
Hope you had a relaxing and restorative weekend! When you meet someone new, typically one of the first few questions is “so what do you do?” followed by “so do you like it?” If you’re anything like me, you’ll hear a range of responses, including “eh it’s ok,” or “not really but it pays the bills,” or perhaps a “yes I love it; I have my dream job.” When I break down the responses to two simple categories, enthusiastic or apathetic, I seem to see the latter more frequently. This is fascinating given how much of a role work plays in our lives. If you break down a 24-hour day, let’s imagine you sleep 8 hours a night and you are left with 16 waking hours. If you work the standard 40 hours per week, at least 50% of your time awake is spent at work. And when you factor in the amount of waking time THINKING about work, it’s probably a much greater percentage. Given both of these considerations, job satisfaction, defined as a feeling of fulfillment or enjoyment that a person derives from their job, is vital to consider. Job satisfaction impacts mood, well-being, energy, and permeates into other areas outside of work. But what makes a job satisfying?
Job satisfaction is a topic that I studied in my freshman year Management 121 class at SJU, and I found the principles to be fascinating. They’re not only important to understand as a manager or leader, but for anyone with a vested interest in making work more enjoyable, whether it’s for themselves or others. There are two main theories relating to job satisfaction: the Value-Percept Theory and the Job Characteristics Theory. The Value-Percept Theory argues that job satisfaction depends on whether you perceive that your job supplies the things that you value. It outlines five main facets we tend to value: pay , promotion, supervision (feelings about your boss/bosses), coworker (feelings about your coworkers), and satisfaction with the work itself. Often we hear about a job’s pay or opportunities for advancement. However, of the five facets, these two have the weakest correlation with overall job satisfaction. Supervision satisfaction and coworker satisfaction have moderate correlation with overall job satisfaction, while satisfaction with the work itself is the single strongest driver of overall job satisfaction. Intuitively, this makes sense; you could make as much money in the world, be able to fly through the ranks, have a great boss, or enjoy your coworkers, but when the rubber meets the road and you have to perform your daily tasks for work for 40 hours a week and you HATE them, you probably won’t be too satisfied at work.
Given the clear importance of satisfaction with the work itself, let’s break it down into further detail, with the help of the Job Characteristics Theory, which describes the key characteristics of intrinsically satisfying jobs:
Variety- the degree to which the job requires different activities that involve different skills and talents
Identity- the degree to which the job requires completing a whole, identifiable piece of work from beginning to end with a visible outcome
Significance- the degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives of other people
Autonomy- the degree to which the job provides freedom, independence, and personal discretion to the individual performing the work
Feedback- the degree to which carrying out the activities required by the job provides the worker with clear information about how well he/she is performing
The theory contends that if our job fits these five characteristics, we will experience satisfying psychological states in regards to how we feel about our work itself.
So what does this all mean? If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that life is short. Life is too short to spend too much time doing something that you don’t genuinely enjoy. Now this is not to say that everything will be easy, sunshine, and roses; that’s certainly not the case. Sometimes you need to work jobs that you don’t “love” in order to get somewhere “better” (though it’s important to do research to know that better really is better). Through the lens of these two theories and intentional reflection, think about how you feel about your job. Think about how you can use this information to help others who are navigating career decisions. Whether it’s analyzing current jobs, prospective future jobs, guiding a younger scholar on potential career paths, or simply being aware, spend some time in reflection and ask yourself:
How satisfied am I with my current job?
What do these two theories tell me about my feelings towards my current job?
If I like my current job, how can I continue to make it better and more enjoyable?
If I don’t like my current job, what changes do I need to make, whether it’s in my current role or finding another?
How can I use these theories on job satisfaction to help others navigate career decisions?
Mental Diet
Podcast of the Week: WorkLife with Adam Grant- Is it Safe to Speak Up at Work?
A major contributor to job satisfaction is psychological safety, which describes the climate in which one feels they can be candid/open. This term was coined by Amy Edmundson, Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. In this podcast, Adam breaks down psychological safety and how we can create environments where people feel comfortable speaking up at work. My biggest takeaway is how to respond when we make mistakes, to promote learning and growth; ask “What did I/you learn from this?” and “What can I/you do differently next time?” No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes; this is a good way to react to them.
Quote of the Week:
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." - Steve Jobs
I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. As always, I welcome any thoughts, comments, or feedback. If I can help you in any way, whether it’s with my knowledge, connections, or resources, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s stay positive and make it a great week for everyone around us!
Nathan