"SHRM/USATODAY.com Job Satisfaction Poll"
Evren Esen
Society for Human Resource Management, USAToday.com, December 2002.
According to a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management
and USAToday.com, HR professionals and employees differ in their assessment
of what is the key to overall job satisfaction. HR believed that employees
see communication as “very important,” while employees viewed
job security as most important. The greatest gaps between human resources’
and employees’ perceptions were in the areas of employee autonomy
and independence to make decisions, employee flexibility to balance life
and work issues, and the work itself. Each of these aspects were rated “very
important” by employees at higher rates than HR professionals.
Not surprisingly, age and gender shaped the respondents' answers. Female
respondents were more likely to list work/life balance as a “very
important” aspect of their overall job satisfaction, while men placed
a greater emphasis on benefits. Employees under the age of 35 were more
likely to list communication with management as “very important,”
while those 36-55 were more likely to value job security.
Human resources were less optimistic about employees overall job satisfaction
than the employees themselves. While HR professionals were correct in assessing
that three-quarters of the workforce was satisfied with their jobs, less
than 10 percent believed employees were “very satisfied.” One
third of employee respondents, however, reported to be “very satisfied”
with their work.
