"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.