tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/job-satisfaction-12457/articlesJob satisfaction – The Conversation2024-02-11T13:51:45Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2224922024-02-11T13:51:45Z2024-02-11T13:51:45ZNew research debunks the ‘unhappy worker’ narrative, but finds most still believe it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573929/original/file-20240206-18-uhr8gf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=39%2C78%2C8635%2C5696&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">After years of negative rhetoric, a mindset shift towards believing work isn’t a necessary evil couldn’t hurt.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As a sociologist who studies how people think and feel about work, I’ve been struck by the unflattering cultural narrative that has intensified around work in recent years. </p>
<p>The so-called “<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/01/why-2022-was-the-real-year-of-the-great-resignation.html">Great Resignation</a>” of 2021 and 2022 saw an increase in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/magazine/antiwork-reddit.html">anti-work rhetoric</a> and the <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2022-in-review/the-year-in-quiet-quitting">onset of the “quiet quitting” trend</a> — a variation on the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/thinking-about-quiet-quitting-heres-why-and-how-you-should-talk-to-your-boss-instead-189499">work to rule” concept</a> where employees do no more than the bare minimum required by contract. Quitting was also described <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/style/quit-your-job.html">as being fun</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/business/quitting-contagious.html">and contagious</a>. </p>
<p>A <em>Wall Street Journal</em> headline from November 2023 <a href="https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/workers-morale-pay-benefits-remote-52c4ab10?mod=workplace_trendingnow_article_pos1">summarized the sentiment aptly</a>: “Why is Everyone So Unhappy at Work Right Now?” </p>
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<img alt="A man walks toward the camera holding a cardboard box with a plant peeking out the top. Behind him, a man in a suit sits at a desk with his hands folded in front of him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Quitting has been framed as a trend in recent economics think pieces in American news media.</span>
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<p>We’re told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-show-sarah-jaffe.html?searchResultPosition=1">“work won’t love you back”</a> and that <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/11/danger-really-loving-your-job/620690/">loving your job is a “capitalist trap</a>.” Long-suffering workers reached their breaking point, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/14/opinion/workers-quitting-wages.html">according to some news commentators</a>, in what has been called the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220126-the-rise-of-the-anti-work-movement">anti-work movement</a>. Some interpreted the tumult in the labour market as evidence that workers were simultaneously fed up and empowered to seek better working conditions.</p>
<p>But not all commentators have bought into this narrative. Reflecting on the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/03/american-great-resignation-hate-work/627761/">Great Resignation</a>, American journalist Derek Thompson found “workers are more satisfied than the internet would have you believe.”</p>
<p>Thompson <a href="https://www.conference-board.org/pdfdownload.cfm?masterProductID=27278">based his argument on studies</a> that found consistently <a href="https://theconversation.com/vast-majority-of-american-workers-like-their-jobs-even-as-a-record-number-quit-them-173564">high levels of job satisfaction</a> among American workers — a pattern I have discovered in my own research.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/vast-majority-of-american-workers-like-their-jobs-even-as-a-record-number-quit-them-173564">Vast majority of American workers like their jobs – even as a record number quit them</a>
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<p>But I wondered about something else: could the adverse effects of anti-work rhetoric spread beyond one’s own job perception? If the portrayal of the Great Resignation — especially its purported personal causes — tainted work attitudes, then widespread discontent should be apparent. </p>
<h2>Americans’ perception of work</h2>
<p>In November 2023, with the help of the <a href="https://today.yougov.com/">research firm YouGov</a>, I conducted a national survey of 5,000 American workers to test my hunch. I call my study <a href="https://workandhealth.ca">the MESSI (Measuring Employment Sentiments and Social Inequality)</a>. The MESSI sample is designed to broadly reflect the socio-demographic, socio-economic, and geographic characteristics of the American working population.</p>
<p>I asked participants five work-related questions. To ground the MESSI in well-established benchmarks, I modelled these questions after the <a href="https://gss.norc.org/">General Social Survey</a>. </p>
<p>For each of the five questions, I identified “perception glitches” by comparing two data points: what respondents reported about their own job versus what respondents <em>believe</em> most American workers think or feel about their jobs. The distance between the two represents the perception glitch.</p>
<p><strong>1. Satisfaction: All in all, how satisfied are you with your job?</strong> The MESSI finds that 79 per cent of workers feel somewhat or very satisfied with their own job, but only 49 per cent think that most Americans feel somewhat or very satisfied. That’s a 30-point perception glitch.</p>
<p><strong>2. Stressed out: How often do you find your work stressful?</strong> Thirty-two per cent of workers describe their own work as highly stressful, but 69 per cent believe that most Americans are in highly stressful jobs. That’s a 37-point perception glitch.</p>
<p><strong>3. Underpaid: When you think about the pay you get for your work, do you feel you are underpaid, paid about right, or overpaid?</strong> Sixty-two per cent of workers feel underpaid, but 89 per cent think that most Americans feel underpaid. That’s a 27-point perception glitch. </p>
<p><strong>4. Management-employee relations: In general, how would you describe relations in your workplace between management and employees?</strong> Fifty-seven per cent describe management-employees relations in their workplace as quite or very good, but only 22 per cent believe that most Americans experience positive management-employee relations. That’s a 35-point perception glitch.</p>
<p><strong>5. Going above and beyond: How much effort do you put into your job beyond what is required?</strong> Fifty-two per cent say they put a lot of effort into their job beyond what is required, but only 13 per cent believe that most Americans go above and beyond. That’s a 39-point perception glitch.</p>
<p>Collectively, my MESSI findings both challenge the “unhappy worker” narrative and confirm that most people believe it. </p>
<h2>‘Everything is terrible but I’m fine’</h2>
<p>These perception glitches could reflect what Thompson calls the “<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/06/american-economy-negative-perception-inflation/661149/">everything is terrible but I’m fine</a>” mindset, or what American economist Paul Krugman calls the “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/opinion/american-economy-improvement-perception-data.html">yawning gulf</a>” between public perceptions of the economy and personal financial conditions. </p>
<p>They could also reflect a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/opinion/psychology-brain-biased-memory.html">cognitive bias</a> in which we pay attention to negative information about others, revealing our <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/optimism-and-pessimism">tendency toward individual optimism but social pessimism</a>. </p>
<p>My research with Paul Glavin, a sociologist at McMaster University, has started to measure the consequences of the “unhappy worker” narrative. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19053.56809">So far, we’ve discovered</a> that when Americans perceive widespread job dissatisfaction among the general public, they feel less committed to their own job and employer. Even if it’s just an illusion, there’s a misery spillover effect.</p>
<p>Moving the dials on these perception glitches might reduce the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?i=1000637232183">collective “bad vibes</a>.” These days, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/01/opinion/economy-crime-presidential-election.html?searchResultPosition=16">we seem resistant to good news</a> — and that extends to work as well. But a more accurate read on what most people think and feel about work might boost optimism. </p>
<p>That doesn’t negate the fact that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/opinion/economy-biden-vibes.html?searchResultPosition=3">many people are struggling financially</a>. And yet, after years of negative rhetoric, a <a href="https://justinmberg.com/wp-content/uploads/Berg-et-al_2023_JAP.pdf">mindset shift</a> towards believing work isn’t a necessary evil couldn’t hurt.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222492/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Schieman receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>Could the adverse effects of anti-work rhetoric spread beyond one’s own job perception? A sociologist’s recent research sheds light on the question.Scott Schieman, Professor of Sociology and Canada Research Chair, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2170802023-12-25T21:08:27Z2023-12-25T21:08:27ZOlder workers still struggle with work-life balance – and there’s no one-size-fits-all remedy<p>The idea that we can comfortably manage all the different facets of life – work, family, other responsibilities – is certainly appealing. But in reality, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2018/03/27/the-evolving-definition-of-work-life-balance/?sh=331a3c429ed3">work-life balance</a> – especially for older workers.</p>
<p>Making up a third of the New Zealand workforce, older workers (<a href="https://www.oecd.org/els/emp/Brochure%20OW%2028-08.pdf">aged 55 and older</a>) are a growing cohort in the economy. </p>
<p>There is the temptation to treat everyone in this age bracket as the same. But <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJM-04-2022-0181/full/html">our new research</a> shows this is a mistake. In fact, the support older workers want in order to achieve better work-life balance can <a href="https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/work-finances-retirement/employers-workforce/multicultural-work-jobs-study-2023.htm">differ as they age</a>.</p>
<p>Indeed, the lives of older workers can vary greatly when it comes to employment, family structure, financial resources, time and wellbeing.</p>
<p>As the number of older employees in the economy grows, it’s important to understand what will help keep them satisfied in their work as they move towards and beyond retirement age.</p>
<h2>Anxiety, depression and older workers</h2>
<p>The goal of our research was to better understand the effects of work-life balance on anxiety and depression caused by job stress among older workers. </p>
<p>We asked two key questions: what effect does work-life balance have on older employees? And are there differences between groups of workers?</p>
<p>We surveyed 512 New Zealand employees in three age groups: 55-59 years, 60-64, and 65-plus. Respondents had been in their current jobs for an average of 12.6 years. </p>
<p>Some 58.2% were in the private sector, 31.6% were in the public/government sector, and 10.2% were in the not-for-profit sector.</p>
<p>In terms of age, 43.8% of respondents fell into the 55–59 age group. Those close to retirement age (60–64) made up 31.3% of respondents, and a further 25% were 65 and older – still working despite being eligible for superannuation.</p>
<h2>Work-life balance at different ages</h2>
<p>The average levels of work-life balance among the older workers we studied were high, comparing well with <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09585192.2017.1314311">similar studies looking at other age groups</a>. Those reporting high levels of work-life balance said they were able to comfortably manage their work, family and other responsibilities.</p>
<p>Job stress (when the demands of work exceed the resources of the employee), job anxiety (when the job is mentally stimulating but not enjoyable), and job depression (when there is little mental stimulation or enjoyment), can all affect wellbeing at work. </p>
<p>The 55–59 year-olds reported higher levels of job stress than older respondents. These younger older workers reported juggling stress that was fuelled by high job demands. Workers in this group were also managing the needs of younger families, often including children in their teenage years. </p>
<p>But respondents reported they experienced less stress in their jobs when their work-life balance was high. They subsequently had lower levels of anxiety and depression.</p>
<p>The younger cohort (55–59 years) reported the strongest benefits of having work-life balance. This effect reduced but remained significant as employees aged.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-stereotypes-about-older-workers-debunked-99954">Five stereotypes about older workers debunked</a>
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<p>Respondents who were 65 and older reported a reduction in job stress, and at levels significantly higher than the younger cohort with greater work-life balance.</p>
<p>Our analysis also showed the “retirement” group (those aged 65 and older) had the highest work-life balance, perhaps highlighting the strength of being “retired” (and receiving government income) while also being in paid employment.</p>
<p>At low levels of work-life balance, there was a significant difference in levels of job stress. Those in the younger age group (55–59 years) reported higher levels of job stress than respondents in the older age group.</p>
<p>When we compared this with respondents with high work-life balance, these differences were reversed, with respondents in the younger age group (55–59 years) reporting significantly lower job stress than the older age group.</p>
<p>Overall we found age – and proximity to the traditional retirement age – are important factors in how workers respond to work-life balance. Workers in the 55-59 age group still have a relatively long career ahead. For them, balancing work and life is especially beneficial.</p>
<h2>Employers need to think differently</h2>
<p>Managers need to understand that older workers are not a uniform group. It is important to develop age-relevant approaches to support the work-life balance of older employees.</p>
<p>Employers also need to consider how to allocate resources to support employee work-life balance across their lifespan.</p>
<p>These measures could include discussing interventions for managing job stress, as well as wellbeing resources that position ageing as positive. For example, using older managers as speakers in organisational wellness initiatives.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-driving-current-labour-market-shortages-and-how-older-workers-could-help-200873">What is driving current labour market shortages and how older workers could help</a>
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<p>By encouraging work-life balance, companies can foster lower levels of anxiety and depression and help staff find lasting job satisfaction.</p>
<p>Older people are often <a href="https://www.tepou.co.nz/initiatives/working-with-older-people">invisible in conversations about mental health</a>. However, having <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/onemind/2022/08/04/the-decade-of-healthy-aging-cannot-ignore-mental-health-of-older-workers/?sh=4b071e296b87">older workers who are mentally strong</a>, healthy and productive is increasingly essential for businesses.</p>
<p>Older workers themselves should also seek to understand what drives and diminishes their own work-life balance. It is an <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09585192.2021.1961161">important predictor of wellbeing</a> – especially as workers 55 and over could be an “older” worker for decades to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217080/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Older workers can struggle as much with work-life balance as their younger counterparts. But employers need to avoid treating them as a single group – their needs are surprisingly diverse.Candice Harris, Professor of Management, Auckland University of TechnologyBarbara Myers, Associate Professor, Auckland University of TechnologyJarrod Haar, Dean's Chair in Management and Māori Business, Massey UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1950762022-12-06T20:56:30Z2022-12-06T20:56:30ZWorking one day a week in person might be the key to happier, more productive employees<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496648/original/file-20221122-11-hauiot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C3661%2C2132&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Employees and supervisors are more likely to rate their job satisfaction high while working remotely compared to when working in-person.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/working-one-day-a-week-in-person-might-be-the-key-to-happier--more-productive-employees" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/great-expectations-making-hybrid-work-work">global shift to remote work</a>, with the latest evidence suggesting <a href="https://fsc-ccf.ca/research/the-shift-to-remote-work/">almost half of workers in Canada are still regularly working remotely</a>. Employers are grappling with how to strike the right balance between flexibility for work from home and expectations for in-person time together.</p>
<p>In November, Elon Musk announced the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/elon-must-twitter-work-from-home-1.6647122">end of remote work at Twitter</a> — a move <a href="https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/80-per-cent-of-canadians-would-seek-new-job-if-forced-back-to-office-survey-finds-1.6104878">80 per cent of Canadians said</a> would cause them to quit. Some of Canada’s largest companies are taking diverging approaches, from Shopify’s “<a href="https://www.shopify.com/ca/careers/work-anywhere">work anywhere</a>” policy to some of the <a href="https://www.retailbankerinternational.com/news/royal-bank-canada-remote-work/">big banks moving to two or three in-person days a week</a>.</p>
<p>A new survey by Toronto Metropolitan University with the support of the <a href="https://fsc-ccf.ca/">Future Skills Centre</a> provides new insights into the ongoing transition to hybrid workplaces. The study, conducted in October 2022 with 1,500 employees and 500 supervisors who regularly work remotely, aimed to shed light on how Canadian workers are feeling and being supported.</p>
<h2>Remote workers like remote work</h2>
<p>The study’s first major finding will come as no surprise: remote workers like remote work. Both employees and supervisors were more likely to rate their job satisfaction as somewhat high while working remotely (78 per cent) than when working in person (41 per cent). </p>
<p>Compared to before the pandemic, 60 per cent of remote workers said their work-life balance has improved. More than half of employees (54 per cent) said the amount of work they got done increased as a result of remote work. A similar proportion of supervisors agreed (52 per cent), while just 15 per cent said their employees’ output decreased because of remote work.</p>
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<img alt="An over-the-shoulder shot of a woman waving to people she is on a virtual call with" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498090/original/file-20221129-13081-dfo64q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498090/original/file-20221129-13081-dfo64q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498090/original/file-20221129-13081-dfo64q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498090/original/file-20221129-13081-dfo64q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498090/original/file-20221129-13081-dfo64q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498090/original/file-20221129-13081-dfo64q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498090/original/file-20221129-13081-dfo64q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Working remotely impacts how connected employees feel with their colleagues.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>What’s the catch?</p>
<p>Remote work has impacted <a href="https://www.gendereconomy.org/the-future-of-work/">workers’ sense of connectedness</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/burnout-and-isolation-why-employees-and-managers-cant-ignore-the-social-and-mental-health-impact-of-working-from-home-192740">can result in loneliness and lack of social support</a>. When respondents were asked if the shift to remote work had impacted connection with their colleagues, 43 per cent said their connection had declined, while only 21 per cent said their connection had improved. </p>
<p>It’s understandable that many organizations are trying to set expectations for on-site work at least some of the time.</p>
<h2>Flexible in-person expectations</h2>
<p>The survey found nearly half of remote workers either had no fixed in-person work requirements or worked entirely remotely. Another 37 per cent were expected to work in person once or twice a week and only 17 per cent were expected to work in person three or more days a week.</p>
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<img alt="Bar graph showing requirements for working on-site: 21 per cent no fixed expectation; 23 per cent fully remote; 16 per cent once per week; 21 per cent twice per week; 13 per cent three days per week; 4 per cent four days per week" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496608/original/file-20221121-18432-7m0lqx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496608/original/file-20221121-18432-7m0lqx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496608/original/file-20221121-18432-7m0lqx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496608/original/file-20221121-18432-7m0lqx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496608/original/file-20221121-18432-7m0lqx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496608/original/file-20221121-18432-7m0lqx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496608/original/file-20221121-18432-7m0lqx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A survey of 2,000 remote workers in Canada finds nearly half have no fixed expectations for working in person.</span>
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<p>However, expectations did not always match reality. When remote workers were asked how often they actually worked on site in the week prior to the survey (the first week of October), about 67 per cent went worked the required amount of days, 17 per cent went in less often and 16 per cent went in more often.</p>
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<img alt="Table comparing remote workers' on-site expectations vs. attendance last week" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496650/original/file-20221122-11-opty9v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496650/original/file-20221122-11-opty9v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496650/original/file-20221122-11-opty9v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496650/original/file-20221122-11-opty9v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496650/original/file-20221122-11-opty9v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496650/original/file-20221122-11-opty9v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496650/original/file-20221122-11-opty9v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Two out of three remote workers went to the office the same number of days they were required to.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Remote workers without fixed in-person expectations, or who were fully remote, tended to report lower stress levels, higher levels of trust in their employers and better job performance. However, these same workers also reported lower levels of connection to their colleagues. To balance the costs and benefits of working remotely, one approach seems to hit a sweet spot: working one day per week in person.</p>
<h2>Flexibility increases satisfaction</h2>
<p>Job satisfaction with remote work didn’t fall significantly when people worked one day a week in person. Eighty-four per cent of workers (employees and supervisors) had high satisfaction working fully remotely and 83 per cent had high satisfaction working in person one day a week. For workers that worked two or more days in person, that number dropped to 70 per cent.</p>
<p>Similarly, the perceived level of trust workers said their employers had in them didn’t change significantly when people worked one day a week on site. </p>
<p>Eighty per cent of fully remote workers, and 76 per cent who worked one day a week in person, felt their employers had high trust in them. This number decreased to 62 per cent once workers started working two or more days in person.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Table comparing job satisfaction, perceived employer trust, connection with colleagues and amount of work done by employees by on-site attendance" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499078/original/file-20221205-5826-h665s4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499078/original/file-20221205-5826-h665s4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499078/original/file-20221205-5826-h665s4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499078/original/file-20221205-5826-h665s4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499078/original/file-20221205-5826-h665s4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499078/original/file-20221205-5826-h665s4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499078/original/file-20221205-5826-h665s4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One day per week on site has higher levels of job satisfaction and perceived trust than more days in person.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Hybrid work also impacted how management viewed the productivity of their employees.</p>
<p>Sixty-seven per cent of supervisors who worked in person one day a week believed their employees were more productive, while only 47 per cent of supervisors who worked two or more days a week did. Of supervisors who were fully remote, 53 per cent believed their employees were more productive. </p>
<p>But did working one day a week in person solve the challenge of connectedness with colleagues? Not quite — those working one day a week in person still reported an overall loss of connectedness to colleagues. But that reversed when employees worked three or more days in person, which correlated with significant drops in perceived job satisfaction and performance.</p>
<h2>The future of remote work</h2>
<p>Most Canadians who work remotely are still very satisfied and able to <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2021001/article/00012-eng.htm">get more work done with less stress</a>. This latest survey suggests about half of employers are letting their employees choose when to work in-person. And of those with specific expectations, many employees work less or more in-person than they are expected to. </p>
<p>The biggest issue for employers is how to maintain flexibility while keeping teams connected and productive. Employers across the country are grappling with the right approach to mandating back-to-work requirements, while also balancing concerns about team performance and culture.</p>
<p>In this new world of hybrid work, managers need to support their teams with high-quality working conditions that build and maintain interpersonal connections while allowing for both high productivity and superior job satisfaction.</p>
<p>For employers requiring on-site attendance, this new survey indicates that working one day a week in person might be a sweet spot for maintaining job satisfaction and performance, while still providing opportunities for building in-person connections.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195076/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Andrey receives funding from the Future Skills Centre to support this research.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cory Searcy receives funding from the Future Skills Centre to support this research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Patrick Neumann receives funding from Future Skills Centre to support this research.</span></em></p>In this new world of hybrid work, managers need to create working conditions that build and maintain interpersonal connections, while allowing for both high productivity and superior job satisfaction.Sam Andrey, Director of Policy & Research, Leadership Lab, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityCory Searcy, Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, & Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityPatrick Neumann, Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1837082022-06-29T12:06:07Z2022-06-29T12:06:07Z5 drawbacks to following your passion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471188/original/file-20220627-12-niphao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=33%2C22%2C7315%2C4858&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Employees are more likely to put in long hours when they're passionate about their work.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/job-interview-first-impressions-royalty-free-image/498941586?adppopup=true">sturti / Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After earning bachelor’s degrees in engineering and sociology, I was determined to do what I love. I headed straight to graduate school to investigate the social problems that frightened and fascinated me. </p>
<p>For almost a decade, I told everyone I encountered – students, cousins, baristas at the coffee shop I frequented – that they should do the same. “Follow your passion,” I counseled. “You can figure out the employment stuff later.”</p>
<p>It wasn’t until I began to research this <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520303232/the-trouble-with-passion">widely accepted career advice</a> that I understood how problematic – and rooted in privilege – it really was. </p>
<h2>The passion principle</h2>
<p>As a sociologist who <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=UnCxN24AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">examines workforce culture and inequalities</a>, I interviewed college students and professional workers to learn what it really meant to pursue their dreams, which I will refer to here as the passion principle. I was stunned by what I found out about this principle in the research for my book “<a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520303232/the-trouble-with-passion">The Trouble with Passion</a>.”</p>
<p>I examined surveys that show the American public has held the passion principle in high regard as a <a href="https://www.erinacech.com/the-trouble-with-passion">career decision-making priority</a> since the 1980s. And its popularity <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211068660">is even stronger</a> among those facing pandemic-related job instability.</p>
<p>My interviews revealed that proponents of the passion principle found it compelling because they believed that following one’s passion can provide workers with both the motivation necessary to work hard and a place to find fulfillment. </p>
<p>Yet, what I found is that following one’s passion does not necessarily lead to fulfillment, but is one of the most powerful cultural forces perpetuating overwork. I also found that promoting the pursuit of one’s passion helps perpetuate social inequalities due to the fact that not everyone has the same economic resources to allow them to pursue their passion with ease. What follows are five major pitfalls of the passion principle that I discovered through my research. </p>
<h2>1. Reinforces social inequality</h2>
<p>While the passion principle is broadly popular, not everyone has the necessary resources to turn their passion into a stable, good-paying job.</p>
<p>Passion-seekers from wealthy families are better able to wait until a job in their passion comes along without worrying about <a href="https://educationdata.org/student-loan-default-rate">student loans</a> in the meantime. They are also better situated to take <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-shows-why-its-time-to-finally-end-unpaid-college-internships-152797">unpaid internships</a> to get their foot in the door while their parents pay their rent or let them live at home.</p>
<p>And they often have access to parents’ social networks to help them find jobs. Surveys revealed that working-class and first-generation college graduates, regardless of their career field, are more likely than their wealthier peers to end up in low-paying unskilled jobs when they pursue their passion.</p>
<p>Colleges and universities, workplaces and career counselors who promote the “follow your passion” path for everyone, without leveling the playing field, help <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520303232/the-trouble-with-passion">perpetuate socioeconomic inequalities</a> among career aspirants.</p>
<p>Thus, those who promote the “follow your passion” path for everyone might be ignoring the fact that not everyone is equally able to find success while following that advice.</p>
<h2>2. A threat to well-being</h2>
<p>My research revealed that passion proponents see the pursuit of one’s passion as a good way to decide on a career, not only because having work in one’s passion might lead to a good job, but because it is believed to lead to a good life. To achieve this, passion-seekers invest much of their own sense of identity in their work.</p>
<p>Yet, the labor force is not structured around the goal of nurturing our authentic sense of self. Indeed, studies of laid-off workers have illustrated that those who were passionate about their work felt as though they <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo16668097.html">lost a part of their identity</a> when they lost their jobs, along with their source of income.</p>
<p>When we rely on our jobs to give us a sense of purpose, we place our identities at the mercy of the global economy.</p>
<h2>3. Promotes exploitation</h2>
<p>It’s not just well-off passion-seekers who benefit from the passion principle. Employers of passionate workers do, too. I conducted an experiment to see <a href="https://www.erinacech.com/the-trouble-with-passion">how potential employers would respond</a> to job applicants who expressed different reasons for being interested in a job.</p>
<p>Not only do potential employers prefer passionate applicants over applicants who wanted the job for other reasons, but employers knowingly exploited this passion: Potential employers showed greater interest in passionate applicants in part because employers believed the applicants would work hard at their jobs without expecting an increase in pay.</p>
<h2>4. Reinforces the culture of overwork</h2>
<p>In conversations with college students and college-educated workers, I found that a substantial number were willing to sacrifice a good salary, job stability and leisure time to work in a job they love. Nearly half – or 46% – of college-educated workers I surveyed ranked interest or passion for the work as their first priority in a future job. This compared to only 21% who prioritized salary and 15% who prioritized work-family balance. Among those I interviewed, there were those who said they would willingly “eat ramen noodles every night” and “work 90 hours a week” if it meant they could follow their passion.</p>
<p>Although many professionals seek work in their area of passion precisely because they want to avoid the drudgery of working long hours doing tasks they aren’t personally committed to, passion-seeking ironically perpetuates the cultural expectations of overwork. Most passion-seekers I spoke to were willing to work long hours as long as it was work about which they were passionate. </p>
<h2>5. Dismisses labor market inequality</h2>
<p>I find that the passion principle isn’t just a guide that its followers use to make decisions about their own lives. For many, it also serves as an explanation for workforce inequality. For example, compared to those who don’t adhere to the passion principle, proponents were more likely to say women aren’t represented well in engineering because they followed their passion elsewhere, rather than acknowledging the deep <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0003122411420815">structural and cultural roots</a> of this underrepresentation. In other words, passion principle proponents tend to explain away patterns of labor market inequality as the benign result of individual passion-seeking.</p>
<h2>Avoiding pitfalls</h2>
<p>To avoid these pitfalls, people may want to base their career decisions on more than whether those decisions represent their passion. What do you need from your work in addition to a paycheck? Predictable hours? Enjoyable colleagues? Benefits? A respectful boss?</p>
<p>For those who are already employed in jobs you are passionate about, I encourage you to <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520303232/the-trouble-with-passion">diversify your portfolio of the ways in which you make meaning</a> – to nurture hobbies, activities, community service and identities that exist wholly outside of work. How can you make time to invest in these other ways to find purpose and satisfaction?</p>
<p>Another factor to consider is whether you are being fairly compensated for the extra passion-fueled efforts you contribute to your job. If you work for a company, does your manager know that you spent weekends reading books on team leadership or mentoring the newest member of your team after hours? We contribute to our own exploitation if we do uncompensated work for our job out of our passion for it.</p>
<p>My research for “<a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520303232/the-trouble-with-passion">The Trouble with Passion</a>” raises sobering questions about standard approaches to mentoring and career advising. Every year, millions of high school and college graduates gear up to enter the labor force full time, and millions more reevaluate their jobs. It is vital that the friends, parents, teachers and career coaches who counsel them begin to question if advising them to pursue their passion is something that could end up doing more harm than good.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183708/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin A. Cech receives funding from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and the National Science Foundation</span></em></p>A sociologist took a critical look at the cherished career advice to ‘follow your passion.’ What she found is that this advice often brings unintended consequences.Erin A. Cech, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1735642021-12-14T13:30:04Z2021-12-14T13:30:04ZVast majority of American workers like their jobs – even as a record number quit them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437377/original/file-20211213-39268-15kyxy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=255%2C162%2C5435%2C3626&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Surveys suggest job satisfaction is still quite high. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/businessman-sitting-with-arms-outstretched-at-desk-royalty-free-image/1073867624">Maskot/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/JTSQUR">record share of American workers</a> are quitting their jobs, thanks in part to a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-weekly-jobless-claims-hit-52-year-low-economy-regaining-speed-2021-11-24/">strong economy</a> and a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/potential-reasons-explain-labor-shortage-open-jobs-not-enough-workers-2021-12">labor shortage</a>. </p>
<p>Does that mean Americans are unhappy with where they work? </p>
<p>The answer would seem to be yes, according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1055412277">many</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-betsey-stevenson.html">economists</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-show-sarah-jaffe.html">other</a> <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/12/how-care-less-about-work/620902/">observers</a>. That’s the narrative driving the Great Resignation, in which workers are simply fed up with their current jobs and demanding something better. </p>
<p>Survey data I’ve been collecting during the pandemic, along with social survey results from previous years, however, suggests this is far from the whole story. Rather than being motivated simply by dissatisfaction, it appears many of them are simply taking advantage of a strong economy to look around, while for others, the pandemic has prompted them to consider their options.</p>
<h2>Are you satisfied?</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://gss.norc.org/">General Social Survey</a>, a reputable national survey of American adults, has been asking workers questions about how they feel about the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/stress/qwlquest.html">quality of their working life</a> since 2002. </p>
<p>There are actually three key types of questions it asks that help us get at this idea: the level of dissatisfaction with current work, turnover intention and confidence in finding a new job. </p>
<p>Let’s start with dissatisfaction. The <a href="https://gssdataexplorer.norc.org/variables/548/vshow">question is</a>: “On the whole, how satisfied are you with the work you do – would you say you are very satisfied, moderately satisfied, a little dissatisfied or very dissatisfied?” </p>
<p>In 2002, about 12% of respondents said they were very dissatisfied or a little dissatisfied with their work, a figure that barely changed in subsequent surveys through 2018. In 2021, a tad over 16% said they weren’t satisfied – an increase, but not a big one. And on the flip side, a little over 83% said they were moderately or very satisfied. </p>
<p>This means that by and large the vast majority of Americans – at least according to this survey – express moderate to high satisfaction with their work. </p>
<p><iframe id="eGIp1" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/eGIp1/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Looking for a change</h2>
<p>Turnover intention is another important indicator. The General Social Survey <a href="https://gssdataexplorer.norc.org/variables/2820/vshow">asks</a>:</p>
<p>“Taking everything into consideration, how likely is it you will make a genuine effort to find a new job with another employer within the next year – would you say very likely, somewhat likely or not at all likely?” </p>
<p>My interpretation of a “very likely” response to this question is that it signals an immediate interest in leaving their present job. In 2002, about 19% said they were very likely to try to find a new job soon. Over the years, the share who said this rose and fell a little, but has remained very consistent. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the survey hasn’t posed the question since 2018, so I partnered with polling company Angus Reid Global to conduct two large national surveys of American workers in November 2020 and November 2021. One of the questions I asked was the one on turnover intentions, though I extended the period of time in which they expected to look for a new job to two years.</p>
<p>As you might expect given the rising quit rate, the share saying they were very likely to hunt for a new position jumped. It rose to 26% in 2020 and to 29% in November 2021. </p>
<p>While it’s likely that my number is a bit elevated just because of the extended time horizon – two years instead of one – the increase is consistent with the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/19/the-great-resignation-why-people-are-quitting-their-jobs.html">Great Resignation narrative</a> that workers are keen to find a better workplace.</p>
<p>But these two figures – job satisfaction and turnover – reveal an interesting paradox: A greater share of people say they are contemplating quitting than express dissatisfaction with their current job. There are several possibilities for why a worker might be happy with their job, yet eyeing a move to another company. Perhaps they’re seeking more status or <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2021/04/06/the-pandemic-is-making-people-rethink-their-careers/">reconsidering their career</a>, or maybe they’re worried about possible layoffs. </p>
<p><iframe id="mxmbJ" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/mxmbJ/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Confidence in the job search</h2>
<p>An additional theme in the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/10/great-resignation-accelerating/620382/">Great Resignation narrative</a> is that workers <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/upshot/jobs-rising-wages.html">feel more confident</a> about finding alternative job prospects – and that’s one reason they have been quitting in droves.</p>
<p>Fortunately, the General Social Survey asks that very <a href="https://gssdataexplorer.norc.org/variables/547/vshow">question</a>: </p>
<p>“How easy would it be for you to find a job with another employer with approximately the same income and fringe benefits as you now have – not at all easy, somewhat easy or very easy?” </p>
<p>Two years before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2018, about a quarter of respondents said finding another job would be very easy. I asked the same question in my 2021 survey and found that number had actually decreased to around 22%. </p>
<p>This means that worker confidence or optimism about finding a palatable alternative job has not climbed all that much, making it less likely to be a factor in driving the current wave of resignations. </p>
<h2>What’s going on here?</h2>
<p>While the data doesn’t show that Americans overwhelmingly love their jobs or anything like that, they do suggest most people like them enough to hold on to them. </p>
<p>Of course, this isn’t the end of the story. The data does show important differences depending on the type of job we’re talking about. For example, workers in the service sector were more dissatisfied with their jobs and much more likely to express an intent to quit than the average respondent.</p>
<p>But all in all, the survey data doesn’t support the common narrative that it’s a “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-sarah-jaffe.html">take this job and shove it</a>” economy, in which increasingly unhappy workers are finally sticking it to their managers. </p>
<p>Rather, when you dig down into the data, something different appears: A slice of workers are always considering leaving their jobs – and as the labor market looks brighter, the pent-up impulse to quit kicks in. But the shift in worker sentiment – or at least the way it has been portrayed – seems exaggerated.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation’s politics, science or religion articles each week.</em><a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-best">Sign up today</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173564/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Schieman receives funding from Social Science and Humanities Research Council (#435-2020-1125) </span></em></p>The narrative of the Great Resignation is that workers hate their jobs and are desperate to quit. The data tells a somewhat different story.Scott Schieman, Professor of Sociology, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1619662021-06-17T15:50:03Z2021-06-17T15:50:03Z4 ways companies can avoid post-pandemic employee turnover<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406484/original/file-20210615-3808-227svz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C88%2C8487%2C4980&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some workers, irritated that their employers didn't trust their work habits during the COVID-19 pandemic, may be thinking of jumping ship once the crisis passes. Here's how organizations can build morale and stop valued employees from leaving. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With pandemic-related lockdowns being lifted around the world, businesses are announcing plans to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/17/success/going-back-to-the-office/index.html">bring employees back</a> into the office. </p>
<p>Considering the <a href="https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/all-things-work/pages/dealing-with-social-isolation-due-to-coronavirus.aspx">widespread isolation</a> and <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions/">Zoom fatigue</a> of the past year, one might expect employees to welcome a return to the office. Instead, they’re resisting. In fact, early reports are suggesting that many employees <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-01/return-to-office-employees-are-quitting-instead-of-giving-up-work-from-home">would rather quit</a> their jobs rather than return to the office. Why?</p>
<h2>Reasons for employee resistance</h2>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has had big implications for the relationship between employees and employers. </p>
<p>For one, it’s revealed how many employers <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/07/remote-managers-are-having-trust-issues">profoundly mistrust</a> their employees’ ability to get their work done without in-person supervision. It’s no wonder that when faced with a hot post-pandemic economic recovery, employees are choosing to find a new employer over returning to a boss and organization that <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/02/wfh-is-corroding-our-trust-in-each-other">lacked trust</a> in them during the pandemic. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-canadas-top-ceos-think-about-remote-work-149778">What Canada’s top CEOs think about remote work</a>
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</p>
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<p>Second, working from home has revealed that employees can have it all and <a href="https://www.inc.com/mary-yang/envoy-zynga-hybrid-model-remote-work-survey.html">they don’t want to lose</a> this privilege. A <a href="https://envoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/BreakoutAsset-ReturnToWorkplace-032521-1.pdf">recent survey</a> showed that almost half of employees would look for a new employer rather than give up the ability to work from home at least part of the time. </p>
<p>The ability to pop out for a spin class in the middle of the afternoon or pick up the kids from school early reflect the type of flexibility that many employees simply don’t want to give up. They’re resisting a return to the nine-to-five facetime culture of pre-pandemic times. </p>
<p>Third, firms have been inept at maintaining a cohesive workplace culture during the pandemic. Many employees report feeling “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-banks-talent-idUSKBN29W0I9">left behind</a>” by bosses who did not provide adequate support during the pandemic. A <a href="https://www.achievers.com/resources/white-papers/workforce-institute-2021-engagement-and-retention-report/">recent survey</a> by an employee engagement company suggests that 46 per cent of employees felt less connected to their employer during the pandemic, while 42 per cent say company culture has become worse during the crisis. </p>
<p>This isn’t surprising because research has shown that, if not managed properly, employees in virtual teams can feel “<a href="https://hbr.org/2017/11/a-study-of-1100-employees-found-that-remote-workers-feel-shunned-and-left-out">shunned and left out</a>.” The new “<a href="https://hbr.org/2020/11/our-work-from-anywhere-future">work from anywhere</a>” movement is allowing employees to choose flexibility over allegiance to employers they have become disconnected from over the last year and a half. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman slumps on her laptop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406277/original/file-20210614-131485-13l5s4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406277/original/file-20210614-131485-13l5s4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406277/original/file-20210614-131485-13l5s4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406277/original/file-20210614-131485-13l5s4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406277/original/file-20210614-131485-13l5s4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406277/original/file-20210614-131485-13l5s4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406277/original/file-20210614-131485-13l5s4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some workers on virtual teams report feeling shunned and left out.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Anna Tarazevich/Pexels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What can employers do about it?</h2>
<p>High employee turnover is unwelcome news for employers. Given the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2019/05/09/the-cost-of-turnover-can-kill-your-business-and-make-things-less-fun/?sh=245a84917943">high costs</a> of employee training, keeping a good employee is far cheaper than hiring a new one. Her are four proposals for employers to stave off employee turnover during the return to in-person work: </p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Offer flexibility</strong> The major reason employees want to continue working remotely is flexibility and the ability to improve their work-life balance. While there are undeniable <a href="https://www.inc.com/dana-sitar/5-benefits-of-working-in-an-office-and-how-to-reclaim-them-with-a-remote-team.html">benefits for in-person work</a> like spontaneous interactions, better supervision and more opportunities for mentoring, they don’t negate the advantages of working from home. Employers must consider the possibility of allowing employees to work from home at least part-time, moving towards <a href="https://www.ey.com/en_ca/workforce/leveraging-a-distributed-workforce-model-to-accelerate-your-busi">a hybrid workplace</a> that allows both in-person and remote working opportunities. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Reinforce the best of your workplace culture</strong> The move towards a hybrid workplace creates the <a href="https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/redesigning-the-post-pandemic-workplace/">challenge</a> of fostering a workplace culture that is consistent online and in-person. What matters to your organization? If inclusion is a priority, remote work can provide the opportunity to bring in hires from around the world that otherwise would not be available. If training and mentorship are most important, think about how online tools can be used to foster these types of relationships. Whatever it is that makes an organization unique should be fundamental to the practices that underpin the return to work. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Show employees you care</strong> The post-pandemic economy is revving up. With many <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/11/16/the-pandemic-has-permanently-changed-the-job-market---heres-how-to-stand-out-in-2021/?sh=3fe34cd3610b">new opportunities for jobs</a> both at home and abroad, employees will be able to choose where they want to work. The time is now for employers to show employees how they appreciate the resilience and flexibility they’ve shown during the pandemic. Supervisors should also meet with their employees and discuss their personal and professional goals. Retaining employees will depend on the ability to keep them motivated and engaged. This can include offering employees financial incentives while also offering the chance to get involved on new projects or on new work teams. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Keep tabs on top performers</strong> The most expensive employees to replace (and the most in demand) will be top performers. Employers should hone in on these individuals and make sure that they are being offered the growth opportunities and recognition they desire.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hopefully, the post-pandemic return to work will provide an opportunity for employers and employees to reconsider their relationships with one another. This is the time for a “new normal” that provides employees with opportunities for respect and empowerment in the workplace.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161966/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erica Pimentel receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>The post-pandemic return to work will provide an opportunity for employers and employees to reconsider relationships. Here’s how organizations can build morale and stop valued employees from leaving.Erica Pimentel, Assistant Professor, Smith School of Business, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1590182021-04-19T15:42:38Z2021-04-19T15:42:38ZWhat makes a job meaningful and why that matters<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395477/original/file-20210416-21-1i0btzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C0%2C994%2C663&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Clapping for carers in April 2020.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/uckfield-sussex-united-kingdom-april-30-1718817454">Sarah Bardsley/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the most iconic memories of the first lockdown of the pandemic is the sound of applause echoing across our cities and towns each week as the people of Britain said thank you to the NHS and all key workers doing essential work in challenging times. That “clap for carers” reveals a lot about how we value the work done by ourselves and others. Work is not just something we do to put food on the table. It does – or at least can – mean much more than that.</p>
<p>Work provides many things over and above the monthly pay cheque: status and identity, community and social connection, doing tasks that we find stimulating, and the opportunity to make a positive contribution to society. All of these things make work feel meaningful.</p>
<p>My <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/paper/shfwpaper/2018004.htm#:%7E:text=RePEc%20plagiarism%20page-,Finding%20meaning%20through%20work%3A%20eudaimonic%20well%2Dbeing%20and%20job%20type,in%20the%20US%20and%20UK&text=I%20find%20that%20jobs%20that,for%20selection%20into%20these%20jobs.">research explores</a> how paid work is experienced as meaningful compared to the other activities people do in their everyday lives. I also identify the types of job in which people experience the most meaningfulness and explore how these results can be explained by the particular qualities of different occupations.</p>
<p>The research uses the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/tus/">American Time Use Survey</a>, which collects data on how people in the US spend their time. The survey asks people not only to report what activities they did in a given day, but how meaningful they felt these activities were on a scale of 0-6.</p>
<p>For the average American, work is not the most meaningful thing they do in their everyday lives. In fact, it is significantly less meaningful than many other activities classified in the survey, including caring for family members and others, volunteering, sport and exercise, and religious and spiritual activities. However, work is significantly more meaningful than shopping, housework and leisure activities.</p>
<h2>What jobs are the most meaningful?</h2>
<p>This picture changes when we take into account the type of paid work that people do. People in community and social service occupations (which includes social workers, counsellors and clergy) experience the most meaningfulness in their work. </p>
<p>The other top-ranking occupations are: healthcare practitioner and technical occupations; education, training and library occupations; and, perhaps surprisingly to some, legal occupations. More broadly, people working in the non-profit sector and self-employed people report significantly more meaningfulness in their work than those employed in private sector for-profit firms.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black woman solicitor reads a law book at her desk." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395478/original/file-20210416-13-1tckn5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395478/original/file-20210416-13-1tckn5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395478/original/file-20210416-13-1tckn5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395478/original/file-20210416-13-1tckn5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395478/original/file-20210416-13-1tckn5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395478/original/file-20210416-13-1tckn5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395478/original/file-20210416-13-1tckn5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Legal occupations also make the cut for meaningful work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/black-female-lawyer-courthouse-1315339481">Elnur/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These results suggest that jobs where people have more control over their work tend to be more meaningful. However, the type of good you produce also matters. Jobs where the main output is helping others with important aspects of their lives (for example, their health, education or legal problems) are also the most meaningful.</p>
<p>I found similar results for the UK, using the <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/annualpopulationsurveyapsqmi">Annual Population Survey</a> and the <a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/explore/find-a-project/view/117804-skills-and-employment-survey-2012">Skills and Employment Survey</a>. There is a significant correlation between occupations deemed worthwhile and those where there is a high level of organisational commitment. This suggests that employees who believe in what their organisation is doing and are committed to the mission of their employer are also those who find their work meaningful.</p>
<h2>Meaningful does not always mean pleasurable</h2>
<p>Another interesting finding from the American data is that you do not have to enjoy something to find it meaningful. Even though their work is meaningful, people working in the health and education professions are ranked lower than average in terms of how pleasurable their work is relative to their other daily activities. </p>
<p>More strikingly, on this indicator for “pleasure” (which combines assessments of happiness, sadness, stress, tiredness and pain), the legal profession is by far the lowest-ranked occupation of all. This implies that work can be difficult, stressful or tiring but at the same time meaningful. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, community and social services occupations are both the most meaningful and the most pleasurable of all occupations, showing that it is possible to have the best of both worlds.</p>
<h2>Why we clap for carers but don’t pay for them</h2>
<p>As we emerge from the pandemic and life gets back to normal, the clap for carers will soon become a fading memory. But what have we learned about the true value of work?</p>
<p>In 2021, the UK government was widely criticised for offering <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/56294009#:%7E:text=The%201%25%20increase%20was%20recommended,the%20NHS%20across%20the%20UK.">a 1% pay rise to NHS staff in England</a> and freezing pay for other public sector workers. The prime minister cited budgetary constraints, but maybe there are more basic laws of supply and demand at play. When work is meaningful, then that becomes a reward in itself and generous pay offers are not prioritised to motivate people and retain staff. In contrast, less meaningful work has no such intrinsic value, so a monetary reward is needed <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/0002828054201413">to get people to do these jobs</a>.</p>
<p>This of course leads to the perverse situation where the most socially useful jobs are those that are paid the least. It may seem unfair but it’s the reality of how the labour market works.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159018/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Bryce receives funding from the Health Foundation (although not in relation to the research discussed in this article). </span></em></p>Work can mean more than just a pay cheque but some of the most meaningful jobs are paid the least.Andrew Bryce, University Teacher, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1284442020-01-17T13:55:06Z2020-01-17T13:55:06ZWhy bosses should let employees surf the web at work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310582/original/file-20200116-72765-rd0oxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=155%2C94%2C5596%2C3733&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Cyberloafing may not be a waste of time after all. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">GaudiLab/Shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you’re like most workers, you don’t spend 100% of your time at the office doing what you’re supposed to be doing. </p>
<p>In fact, on average, U.S. workers spend about <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1080/01449290903353054">10% of their work day</a> surfing the internet, emailing friends or shopping online. This so-called cyberloafing <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-key-to-getting-workers-to-stop-wasting-time-online-1457921545">costs employers</a> up to US$85 billion a year. </p>
<p>But it turns out, these behaviors may not be a sign a worker is lazy or just wasting time. New research <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=MogCKaMAAAAJ">I conducted</a> with several colleagues suggests cyberloafing can help workers cope with an exceptionally stressful work environment.</p>
<h2>Cyberloafing and stress</h2>
<p>Existing research on cyberloafing, a term <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1002/job.161">first coined in 2002</a> by researchers from the National University of Singapore, typically assumes that this behavior is problematic and counterproductive. </p>
<p>Therefore, the majority of cyberloafing research focuses on ways to deter employees from engaging in this behavior through interventions such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378720614000986">internet monitoring</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074756321200310X">computer use policies</a>. </p>
<p>However, more recent research has found that using the internet at work for personal purposes may also have some positive outcomes. For instance, social media use at work has been linked to higher levels of employee <a href="https://www.www.doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2017.1367736">engagement</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216309098">job satisfaction</a>.</p>
<p>And other studies indicate that cyberloafing may provide a way for employees to manage workplace stress. For instance, empirical research suggest that employees surf the web as a response to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563218302048">boredom</a> and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40604617?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">unclear instructions</a>. </p>
<h2>Impact on employee stress</h2>
<p>But is cyberloafing actually effective at reducing employee stress levels? </p>
<p>That’s the question <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HYJ2tXwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Stacey Kessler</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2mmDeBcAAAAJ&hl=en">Shani Pindek</a>, <a href="https://business.montclair.edu/directory/kleinmang">Gary Kleinman,</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bFSDHc4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Paul Spector</a> and I wanted to answer in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563219302560">our new study</a>. Our hypothesis was that cyberloafing may serve as a mini break during the workday, giving employees an opportunity to recover from stressful work situations. </p>
<p>To test this, we recruited 258 university students who also worked at least 20 hours per week to complete an online survey about their experiences on the job. Specifically, we asked them to rank how much time they spent doing a variety of cyberloafing behaviors such as checking non-work email and shopping, ranking them from “never” to “constantly.” We also asked participants to rank job satisfaction, their desire to quit and how often they’ve experienced mistreatment at work, such as being bullied, threatened or yelled at.</p>
<p>As you might expect, we found that participants who reported more <a href="https://theconversation.com/work-bully-victims-deal-with-higher-levels-of-stress-5501">workplace mistreatment</a> had lower levels of job satisfaction and were more likely to want to leave their companies. </p>
<p>More interestingly, we found that cyberloafing effectively buffered this connection. That is, mistreated workers who spent more time surfing the web and checking emails reported higher job satisfaction and were less likely to want to quit than similar participants who didn’t cyberloaf as much. </p>
<p>This suggests that cyberloafing acts as a sort of relief valve for workers, helping them recover from stressful experiences. </p>
<p>Overall, about 65% of participants reported spending at least some time at work cyberloafing, in mostly moderate amounts, with the most common form being the use of personal email. </p>
<p>While we did not directly assess how cyberloafing affects worker performance, we believe that by relieving stress this buffering effect may ultimately help employees be more productive. This fits with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000308">other recent research</a> that suggests taking short breaks throughout the work day is indirectly associated with higher levels of daily job performance. </p>
<p>That isn’t to say that cyberloafing is always good. Too much time spent on non-work activities likely causes performance to suffer.</p>
<h2>Cut ‘em some slack</h2>
<p>All in all, managers should cut workers a bit of slack when it comes to cyberloafing. </p>
<p>Our results do not mean, however, that they should simply let employees cyberloaf instead of directly addressing workplace problems like bullying. If managers only focus on cyberloafing, they would be addressing a symptom rather than the root of the problem.</p>
<p>And of course, there are other reasons workers cyberloaf. For instance, some individuals do it to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2002-17448-008">“get back” at their organizations</a> for a perceived slight or <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/1548051818813091">simply because they see coworkers cyberloaf</a>. Future research needs to be done to better understand the factors that motivate employees to cyberloaf.</p>
<p>But maybe, just maybe, a little bit of shopping or surfing at work could make you more productive in the long run.</p>
<p>[ <em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128444/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephanie Andel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Employers tend to see ‘cyberloafing’ as a waste of time, but a new study suggests it serves an important function for workers.Stephanie Andel, Assistant Professor of Psychology, IUPUILicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1281982020-01-02T16:25:28Z2020-01-02T16:25:28ZEveryone wants meaning in their work — but how do you define it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304992/original/file-20191203-67017-i4b4so.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1356%2C667&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Finding meaning in their work is a new goal for employees, along with well-being and happiness. It's an objective for companies as well. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The end of the year and the dawning of a new one can be a great time to examine happiness and well-being. That quest for meaning will often turn its attention to the workplace.</p>
<p>Working people often try to figure out that elusive ingredient that will help them reach their full potential in an organization. </p>
<p>It’s a search that can sometimes prompt this same employee to change organizations – and even professions. </p>
<p>This is what I’ve observed in <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/79874076.pdf">my research</a> highlighting the motivations, as well as the processing of a loss of meaning at work, that can lead managers in particular to a radical change in their professional lives. </p>
<h2>A widely shared concern</h2>
<p>Recently, <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/fr/fr/pages/talents-et-ressources-humaines/articles/etude-sens-au-travail.html">a study by Deloitte </a>, a global professional services network, focused on the issue of meaning in the workplace. It found that nearly 87 per cent of the workers surveyed attach importance to it. Having purpose at work is therefore a widely shared concern.</p>
<p>However, the understanding of “meaning” is diverse. Respondents don’t all see the same aspects of work the same way. For some, its meaning is tied to their actual daily activity (29 per cent), for others to teamwork (26 per cent), to organizational values (26 per cent), to the trade (12 per cent), to the sector of activity (five per cent) or to the product sold (two per cent).</p>
<p>Although employees consider meaning to be a permanent process of balancing their own aspirations with what their company offers them, a majority (63 per cent) still expect clear direction from their supervisors, their management or the Human Resources department.</p>
<p>Injecting meaning into work is a new mission that companies are willingly taking on in order to attract, retain and motivate employees. Under these conditions, finding meaning in one’s work becomes an additional aim for the employee.</p>
<p>However, the question of meaning cannot be reduced to simply a new objective for companies that will benefit employees.</p>
<h2>An intersectional notion</h2>
<p>Understanding the notion of meaning requires going back to its origins. From the Latin <em>sensus</em>, the word meaning is polysemic. </p>
<p>It refers to the ability to experience impressions, to represent an idea or image in the face of a sign or experience. It’s also linked to the notion of purpose and raison d'être.</p>
<p>In addition, the senses represent the psychophysiological functions by which individuals receive information (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch).</p>
<p>More specifically, with regard to the meaning of work, it is necessary to distinguish the meaning <em>at</em> work from the meaning <em>of</em> work. The first makes it possible to qualify the working environment in which the employee operates (work team, purpose of the organization, type of premises, etc.). The second refers more to the work activity (missions, activities, skills implemented).</p>
<p><a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends/2019/workforce-engagement-employee-experience.html">Meaning, from the point of view of work, can be broken down into three aspects</a>:</p>
<p><strong>-</strong> The meaning of the work (the representations and value it has for the subject)</p>
<p><strong>-</strong> The subject’s orientation in his work (which guides his actions)</p>
<p><strong>-</strong> The coherence between the subject and the work he or she does (expectations, values).</p>
<p>The subject of meaning therefore goes well beyond organizational or <a href="https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en/knowledge/publications/f1d8c939/ten-things-to-know-about-labour-and-employment-law-in-france">quality of work life</a> issues, but also concerns skills development, remuneration, personal and professional balance, working conditions and career prospects. The notion of meaning at work is transversal, but above all it is guided by a concern for consistency between the employee’s needs and what the organization offers.</p>
<p>Indeed, meaning includes both an individual and a collective dimension. The word <em>sinni</em> in Icelandic, the oldest Germanic language, means “the travelling companion.” The word seems to exclude the idea of a solitary meaning. </p>
<p>But in our modern society there is no longer a system of collective meaning as we structure our common lives. The two systems of meaning considered dominant during the 20th century, namely Communism and liberalism, have both shown their limits. The former has seen many of its regimes collapse while the latter has evolved towards a world <a href="https://www.odilejacob.fr/catalogue/sciences-humaines/sociologie/une-societe-en-quete-de-sens_9782738103529.php">in which consumption has become a value.</a></p>
<p>Faced with this lack of fundamental pillars, the search for the meaning of life can only be individual, and built on our own individual value system and beliefs.</p>
<h2>How to generate meaning (or not)?</h2>
<p>Generating meaning in work organizations means providing collective references that employees can adopt to build their own individual meaning.</p>
<p>This includes, for example, clearly stating the aims and values of the company with which employees can identify. Implementing a skills development policy that promotes professional development is also a strong signal to employees. However, care must be taken not to fall <a href="https://www.prweek.com/article/1663068/five-kinds-purpose-washing-brands-guilty-doing">into <em>purpose washing</em></a>, which can include directives on an organization’s supposed values that would exist only rarely in practice.</p>
<p>Indeed, since one of the components of meaning is the coherence between the employee and their actual work, discordant speeches and paradoxical goals that shift words and actions will therefore be harmful. And it is precisely this type of paradox that leads many employees to think of leaving companies and creating their own activity that <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/79874076.pdf">will be built in coherence with their values and their goals</a>.</p>
<p>[ <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=expertise">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128198/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elodie Chevallier ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>The search for meaning in their work is inevitable for employees seeking job satisfaction. Defining that meaning, however, can mean different things for different people.Elodie Chevallier, Spécialiste du sens au travail, Université de Sherbrooke Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1247802019-10-08T18:57:29Z2019-10-08T18:57:29ZUniversities don’t control the labour market: we shouldn’t fund them like they do<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295948/original/file-20191008-128681-784nma.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some people are more employable than others. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>From 2020, universities will receive a certain amount of government funding based on four performance measures: student drop-out rates; participation of Indigenous, lower socioeconomic status and regional and remote students; student satisfaction with the university experience; and employment outcomes.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://ministers.education.gov.au/tehan/future-australian-universities-focuses-achievement">government finalised</a> the funding model in recent days and announced:</p>
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<p>Graduate employment outcomes will be the most important factor under the performance-based funding model for universities[…]</p>
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<p>This model will determine more than A$80 million of extra university funding (on top of the <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/health-and-education/university-funding-to-be-tied-more-to-producing-students-who-get-jobs-20191001-p52wkz">A$7 billion annual government subsidies</a>), which is based on population growth estimates in the Commonwealth Grant Scheme. </p>
<p>Graduate employment outcomes will account for 40% of this money. That’s double the weighting of the other three funding criteria. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/government-funding-will-be-tied-to-uni-performance-from-2020-what-does-this-mean-and-what-are-the-challenges-121694">Government funding will be tied to uni performance from 2020: what does this mean, and what are the challenges?</a>
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<p>Universities can do some things to improve graduate employment prospects, but their power over this aspect of “performance” is limited. Employment opportunities and outcomes are dictated mainly by the labour market. </p>
<p>And focusing on churning out employable graduates could, in fact, lead universities to discriminate against students who statistically have lower employment outcomes, such as those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.</p>
<p>Here are three reasons giving employment outcomes twice the weight of other performance measures is a problem.</p>
<h2>1. The labour market determines employment outcomes</h2>
<p>Universities can make a difference to how employable a student is. They can do so through curriculum initiatives such as work-integrated learning, where students engage with industry and the community as part of their degree. </p>
<p>Research <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-017-0216-z">shows</a> internships during study were a key reason for graduates’ ability to secure a quality job.</p>
<p>But it’s the wider market factors that ultimately account for how many graduates find work. Figures show employment outcomes for graduates steadily improved for the last three years, in line with the falling rate of overall unemployment in Australia. </p>
<p>Between 2016 and 2018 – when the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/ABDB6FDCF59668D5CA2583A70011CA69?opendocument">unemployment rate fell</a> from 5.8% to 5% – the overall <a href="https://www.qilt.edu.au/docs/default-source/gos-reports/2018-gos/2018-gos-national-report-2018.pdf?sfvrsn=a729e33c_4">graduate employment rate rose</a> from 86.4% to 87%.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/graduate-employment-is-up-but-finding-a-job-can-still-take-a-while-109654">Graduate employment is up, but finding a job can still take a while</a>
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<p>External factors determine the availability of graduate job roles, recruitment bias (such as institution <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-013-9696-7">status</a>), as well as wider domestic economic conditions (such as economic uncertainty and business confidence) and globalisation (including trends in outsourcing labour). </p>
<h2>2. It’s a blunt measure</h2>
<p>The government-commissioned <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/52995">final report on performance-based funding</a>, released in August 2019, recommends employment outcomes be measured by “overall graduate employment rates for domestic bachelor students”. </p>
<p>These are tracked in the <a href="https://www.qilt.edu.au/about-this-site/graduate-employment">Graduate Outcomes Survey</a>. Graduates complete this survey four months after they finish their course.</p>
<p>Using “overall rates” is a blunt measure that doesn’t take into account the type of employment the graduate is in. It applies to any kind of employment – including full-time, part-time or casual work – as a percentage of graduates available for employment. </p>
<p>Nor does this measure give any insight into whether the work is related to the graduates’ degrees or is meaningful and satisfying for them.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-university-funding-be-tied-to-student-performance-75385">Should university funding be tied to student performance?</a>
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<p>Rising <a href="http://theconversation.com/the-problem-isnt-unskilled-graduates-its-a-lack-of-full-time-job-opportunities-90104">graduate underemployment</a> means graduates are increasingly overqualified in their roles and not drawing on the skills acquired at university. This is particularly problematic for those in more general <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1475-4932.12413">degrees</a> such as humanities, creative arts and social sciences.</p>
<p>Because the survey is conducted four months after course completion, the data represent graduates’ transition to the workforce, rather than giving much insight into their actual labour market achievements.</p>
<h2>3. It could lead to discrimination</h2>
<p>Some people are more employable than others. This means a university’s graduate employment outcomes will depend on its cohort of graduates. </p>
<p>One of the performance-based measures encourages universities to engage with equity groups – Indigenous, lower socioeconomic status and regional and remote students. But <a href="https://www.qilt.edu.au/docs/default-source/gos-reports/2018-gos/2018-gos-national-report-2018.pdf?sfvrsn=a729e33c_4">evidence shows</a> low socioeconomic status students are less likely to find work than their peers.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295955/original/file-20191008-128681-1uu8q9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295955/original/file-20191008-128681-1uu8q9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295955/original/file-20191008-128681-1uu8q9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295955/original/file-20191008-128681-1uu8q9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295955/original/file-20191008-128681-1uu8q9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295955/original/file-20191008-128681-1uu8q9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295955/original/file-20191008-128681-1uu8q9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295955/original/file-20191008-128681-1uu8q9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Giving employment outcomes more weight may lead to unis discriminating against student groups that could lower it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>Giving “employment outcomes” double the weight of “participation by equity groups” may lead universities to prioritise enrolling students who are more likely to help them score better on the first measure. </p>
<h2>What could the government do instead?</h2>
<p>The measure of “overall employment” does acknowledge not all graduates can, or want to, work full-time. Yet, whether they have a job or not doesn’t give any insight into quality. In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2019.1646377">recent study</a>, graduates rated enjoyment and interest in their job higher than job security when it came to defining career success.</p>
<p>It’s important for universities to support their graduates in finding quality roles. But whether or not this is happening can only be realistically gauged over a longer period than four months.</p>
<p>The United Kingdom <a href="https://www.hesa.ac.uk/files/NewDLHE_model_rationale_v2.pdf">now includes measures</a> for satisfaction and well-being in its own graduate outcomes survey, which it has shifted from six to 15 months after course completion. The UK has done this in recognition of the importance of intrinsic measures, such as career satisfaction, and the need to give graduates time to find their feet in the labour market.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/surveys-are-not-the-best-way-to-measure-the-performance-of-australian-universities-90166">Surveys are not the best way to measure the performance of Australian universities</a>
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<p>The purpose of education is not just about getting a job. It’s also about empowering students to achieve meaningful and sustainable careers for social and economic good. If the government wants to link universities’ performance to graduate outcomes, it needs an outcomes-based performance measure that universities have greater control over and that is related to students’ career readiness. </p>
<p>Universities could have some control of this by gauging the professional capabilities of students that employers consider important. These include teamwork, communication, critical thinking and problem solving. </p>
<p>Students complete the <a href="https://www.qilt.edu.au/about-this-site/student-experience">Student Experience Survey</a> when they start and complete their studies. These data on self-reported capability development could also be linked to later post-graduation responses on career success. This could be done with a more meaningful measure, such as career satisfaction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124780/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Denise Jackson has received funding from Spacecubed, Queensland University of Technology, Australian Business Deans Council, and AFAANZ.
Denise Jackson sits on the national board for the Australian Collaborative Education Network, the professional association for work-integrated learning in Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ruth Bridgstock has received funding from the ARC and Graduate Careers for research in related topic areas.
</span></em></p>Graduate employment outcomes will determine 40% of the $80 million extra government funding for universities. This is a problem for three reasons.Denise Jackson, Associate Professor / Coordinator of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) programs, ECU School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan UniversityRuth Bridgstock, National Senior Teaching Fellow, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1237802019-10-01T14:39:05Z2019-10-01T14:39:05ZWhy having both male and female teachers is a good idea for schools<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294749/original/file-20190930-194819-bsez1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">By working in roles that are typically viewed as being more appropriate for women, men can break down the notions that foster gender inequalities.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In South Africa, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1060826519873860">one in five teachers</a> in the foundation phase – roughly from ages 6 to 9 – is male. This is consistent with a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272775717303278">global trend</a> that see men being more likely to teach adolescents than young children.</p>
<p>A lack of male teachers for young children has become the focus of a growing body of research internationally. Typically, this research has examined the experiences of male educators and explanations for their absence. </p>
<p>This work has appeared amid a global gender equity movement and adjacent to calls for greater female representation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and in senior managerial positions.</p>
<p>In South Africa, research focusing on male teachers has emerged alongside <a href="https://www.westerncape.gov.za/assets/departments/social-development/white_paper_on_families_in_south_africa_2013.pdf">recent calls</a> to increase the involvement of men in the lives of young children. Around 43% of children under the age of 5 live without a biological father. Here, young children’s observations of men as caring are particularly limited.</p>
<p>To date, our research has considered how <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14681811.2019.1620008">experiences of childhood</a> are shaped by <a href="https://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/girlhood-studies/12/2/ghs120208.xml">gender</a>, sexuality, race, class and culture, and affected by poverty, violence, and the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2989/16085906.2016.1259172">spread of HIV</a>. In addition, we’ve investigated how <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X14000396">interactions and relationships</a> between teachers and students are shaped by gender and behaviour. Together, this work has contributed to understanding child development and the social forces that construct and reinforce “traditional” views of masculinity and femininity.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09575146.2019.1651697">In our most recent research</a>, we explored how masculinity is constructed and perceived by female and male teachers in the early years of schooling. To better understand why few men teach in the early years of schooling, we investigated the experiences of male teachers and how they were perceived by their female colleagues. </p>
<p>In doing so, we came to better understand why men might avoid this work, but also the reasons why schools should include both female and male teachers.</p>
<h2>Stereotypes</h2>
<p>For men to choose to work as teachers of children in the early years of schooling, they must first overcome gender barriers.</p>
<p>For example, gender expectations and stereotypes strongly influence why men shy away from teaching – with teaching often viewed as “women’s work” and associated with the care and nurturing of young children. Consequently, men who teach young children may have their masculinity <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1097184X19865317">questioned or scrutinised</a>, and not be seen as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13603116.2017.1390002">“real men”</a>.</p>
<p>Teaching young children, however, requires a balance of stereotypically feminine and masculine traits: the teacher must be caring, yet authoritative, a listener, and a leader. Schools also benefit when teachers reflect the interests, needs and backgrounds of their students. One important way this can be done is by including both male and female teachers.</p>
<p>To understand how men are perceived in the teaching profession, we spoke to male teachers and their female colleagues.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03054985.2019.1644995">Our research found</a> that there were conflicting accounts of men’s roles. Some teachers welcomed men, and others strongly condemned associations between men and young children.</p>
<p>Those that thought that men were important in children’s lives connected men with stereotypical male roles. They reported an expectation that male teachers should display traditional masculine traits, and be “sportsmen” and “disciplinarians”.</p>
<p>In this way, male teachers were seen as socially acceptable when their behaviour conformed with pre-existing ideas of men: reproducing the dominant notions of masculine power that position men as being <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131911.2016.1223607">more suitable</a> for management positions.</p>
<p>On a more progressive note, some of our findings show support for male teachers who can show children caring and non-violent ways of being a man. The need for such male teachers stems from a wider societal problem in South Africa. </p>
<h2>Why gender diversity matters</h2>
<p>In a recent announcement capturing <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49739977">global attention</a>, the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, described the rates of violence against women and children as being similar to <a href="http://www.presidency.gov.za/speeches/address-president-cyril-ramaphosa-joint-sitting-parliament-crisis-violence-south-africa%2C">a country at war</a>; announcing an emergency action plan to deal with gender-based violence.</p>
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<p>As gender scholars, we are greatly concerned about how existing gendered perceptions about men may affect perceptions of male teachers too: particularly if men are uniformly positioned as bad. The fact is that male teachers can provide a source of hope. Indeed, men are not a single group of perpetrators, and some care for children deeply.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1060826519873860">recent collaboration with researchers in Australia</a>, and focusing on a shortage of male teachers in both countries, we identified additional reasons why teacher gender diversity is important for children, for classrooms, for schools, and for society.</p>
<p>For young children, male teachers can contribute to children’s gender knowledge. This may be particularly important for some children — allowing them to observe men who are non-violent and whose interactions with women are positive. For other children, male teachers may increase their understanding of how to interact with adults who are different to themselves — promoting <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09540253.2013.796342">positive relationships</a> between men and young children.</p>
<p>For schools, having a diverse workforce of teachers in foundation phase can also enhance <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09589236.2019.1642739">decision making processes</a>. People from different backgrounds may see the same problem in different ways, leading to innovative solutions. Workforce diversity has also been linked to <a href="https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/research-evidence/spotlight/spotlight-diversity-in-school-leadership.pdf?sfvrsn=93effa3c_2">improved performance</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.01977.x">job satisfaction</a>.</p>
<h2>Diversity</h2>
<p>The presence of male teachers in the early year of schooling may help promote gender equitable versions of masculinity. By working in roles that are typically viewed as being more appropriate for women, men can break down the polarised differences that foster gender inequalities.</p>
<p>Much remains to be done in creating a diverse workforce — one which recognises men and women outside of gender stereotypes.</p>
<p>But in South Africa there is little policy imperative in addressing the missing men in the early years of schooling. For communities to promote positive representations of men, including men at this schooling phase, the focus must be on creating gender harmony and peace.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123780/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deevia Bhana is a Professor and SARChI Chair at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and receives funding from the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Innovation and National Research Foundation of South Africa 98407.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kevin F. McGrath is a member of the Australian Men's Health Forum and an ambassador for White Ribbon, Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shaaista Moosa is Post-doctoral research fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Penny Van Bergen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>South Africa has a low number of male teachers in the foundation phase. Why this must change.Deevia Bhana, Professor Gender and Childhood Sexuality, University of KwaZulu-NatalKevin F. McGrath, Affiliated Researcher, Alumnus, Macquarie UniversityPenny Van Bergen, Associate Professor in Educational Psychology, Macquarie UniversityShaaista Moosa, Post-doctoral research fellow, University of KwaZulu-NatalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1005872018-08-10T02:03:35Z2018-08-10T02:03:35ZGender differences at work: relishing competence or seeking a challenge?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229747/original/file-20180730-106505-gy6eng.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=389%2C285%2C3492%2C2299&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People who love their jobs get different things out of it - and there's a difference between women and men when it comes to job satisfaction.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5LoVcVsiSQ">Oceans 8</a>, when Debbie Ocean is asked why she felt the need to organise a multi-million-dollar jewellery heist, she replies: “Because it’s what I’m good at.” </p>
<p>Within the workplace, deriving genuine enjoyment from being skilled at something, and using those skills and abilities to succeed, is a very rewarding experience. This feeling, along with the jewels, is what Debbie was after. </p>
<p>On the other hand, risking failure with unfamiliar tasks, or when taking on new and difficult assignments, can be a terrifying experience, even though ultimately rewarding if we succeed. </p>
<p>Both experiences relate to “self-efficacy beliefs” – workers’ <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001879108000973">perceptions about their competence or ability</a>. Our <a href="http://www.nzjhrm.org.nz/Site/Articles/2018_folder/2018_issue.aspx">research</a> shows interesting gender differences in whether people prefer feeling either truly capable or else challenged to stretch their abilities. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/happiness-at-work-doesnt-just-depend-on-your-employer-97036">Happiness at work doesn't just depend on your employer</a>
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<h2>Imposter phenomenon</h2>
<p>High self-efficacy beliefs (“I can do this”) predict both enjoyment and success at work. Low self-efficacy beliefs (feeling incompetent) characterise what has become known as the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hrdq.21304">imposter phenomenon</a>.</p>
<p>The imposter phenomenon is characterised by feelings of inadequacy or being a fake. It implies self-doubt and is usually associated with a level of anxiety. The phrase was coined by the feminist psychotherapist <a href="http://www.paulineroseclance.com/">Dr Pauline Clance</a>, who described it as an “internal experience of intellectual phoniness” and “<a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1979-26502-001">feeling like a fraud</a>”. </p>
<p>Not only is this very unpleasant, it is also extraordinarily common, both anecdotally and in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/nha3.20098">research findings</a>. <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1979-26502-001">High-achieving women</a> (but far fewer men) often retrospectively report feeling anxious and expecting people to notice they had been hired “by accident” into senior roles. </p>
<p>Even Facebook COO <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sheryl">Sheryl Sandberg</a>, in her 2013 book <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/03/04/10-things-sheryl-sandberg-gets-exactly-right-in-lean-in/#61d9ba167ada">Lean In</a>, admits to feeling like an imposter as a young woman. She states:</p>
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<p>I was sure that I was about to embarrass myself … And, every time I didn’t embarrass myself – or even excelled – I believed that I had fooled everyone yet again and that one day the jig would be up.</p>
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<h2>A hard job, done well</h2>
<p>Relating to both of these constructs – the high self-efficacy driving Debbie Ocean and the imposter phenomenon experienced by the young Sheryl Sandberg – our <a href="http://www.nzjhrm.org.nz/Site/Articles/2018_folder/2018_issue.aspx">recent research</a> on a particular subset of workers who report “loving” their jobs, has revealed an intriguing gender difference in how employees describe these loved jobs. Those who reported loving jobs that gave them a feeling of competence were almost all women. Those reporting gaining enjoyment from work that challenged and stretched them were mainly men. </p>
<p>It is important to note here that the women in the study were not describing “easy” work, nor did they have stress-free roles. They included international aid workers, lawyers, doctors, academics and senior administrators. It was not that they weren’t challenged in their jobs, but it was not the challenge, specifically, that they enjoyed.</p>
<p>Instead there was a sense of intrinsic satisfaction and enjoyment from a hard job done well. In other words, they loved their work and gained enjoyment because they had the skill, capacity and ability to do their jobs – and were using these to the fullest.</p>
<p>Many of the women wrote about the sense of satisfaction that came from knowing their skills were a good fit for the role and helped them to make a meaningful contribution. They said things like:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[This job demonstrates my] … ability to argue and use my legal knowledge and research skills.</p>
<p>A patient came in with an injury that was misdiagnosed. After assessing the patient I referred them on for specialist care and further X-rays – correct diagnosis was then established which led to a much better functional outcome for the patient.</p>
<p>Commercial invoices and proforma invoices must match letters of credits exactly. I never had an invoice returned by the bank because it did not match the requisitions. This proved to me that I knew my job very well.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Biting off more than you can chew</h2>
<p>Male respondents, on the other hand, when describing their “most loved job” tended to talk about deriving pleasure from being stretched or tested in some way, and of overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges. Stating for example:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>As [a small New Zealand business], working with the team to win a large contract with one of the world’s biggest companies, headquartered in the USA. Up against large and sophisticated competition, but winning the work – David and Goliath stuff!</p>
<p>We get challenges that haven’t been solved before. We get asked to work on things that haven’t been worked on before.</p>
<p>Preparing an athlete to compete for a game they did not think they would be able to compete in due to an injury; satisfaction with beating the odds and being behind the scenes in important sport history.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Organisations are often very ready to praise the adventurous risk-takers and go-getters who are willing to <a href="https://businessblueprint.com.au/tips-to-be-a-great-entrepreneur/">push themselves</a> and their team to (and perhaps beyond) the limits of their ability. Advice such as “bite off more than you can chew, and then chew like crazy” exists throughout practitioner literature and the internet.</p>
<p>While there is little doubt these over-confident workers can be beneficial to organisations, especially small and entrepreneurial ones so common in Australasia, perhaps more attention and appreciation should be awarded to those who do excellent work within their capabilities. </p>
<p>We should be just as quick to recognise that a skilled worker who is keenly aware of her abilities and competence, and who takes on tasks they know they can excel in, is as, or more, valuable than someone who opens themselves to ruin by being willing to “give it a go”, perhaps refusing to admit to being out of their depth. </p>
<p>It is those adventurous, but potentially reckless, daredevils who may risk not only their own career, but potentially the safely and well-being of their team, or the organisation they work for, in the quest for opportunities to stretch themselves.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100587/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Morrison does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New research reveals gender differences in what we most enjoy in a job: women enjoy being competent while men are more likely to seek a challenge.Rachel Morrison, Senior Lecturer, Business School, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1012122018-08-08T15:34:05Z2018-08-08T15:34:05ZHigh turnover of staff spells trouble – just ask Donald Trump and Theresa May<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231083/original/file-20180808-191044-a1fijb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Turnover seems pervasive. It’s most visible in Donald Trump’s White House where <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/03/07/591372397/white-house-staff-turnover-was-already-record-setting-then-more-advisers-left">staff departures</a> rose to a record 43% by March 2018. In comparison, the turnover rate for the same period of Barack Obama’s tenure was just 24%. </p>
<p>Yes, a new administration must put its own stamp on things, but governments need qualified experts with situational knowledge to manage effectively. Familiar with havoc, Trump <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44823349">recognises in Theresa May’s turbulent</a> cabinet “a hotspot with lots of resignations”. The Brexit turmoil has included <a href="https://theconversation.com/theresa-may-has-survived-chequers-but-what-comes-next-could-be-worse-99771">many an exit</a> of British politicians from the front bench, which undermines the smooth order of government stability.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"971006379375972354"}"></div></p>
<p>While companies should not seek zero change, this level of turnover disrupts the important continuity of business as usual. It’s an issue that many businesses are increasingly facing. Insurance company Willis Towers Watson, in a <a href="https://www.towerswatson.com/en/Insights/Newsletters/Americas/insider/2015/06/seven-things-to-know-about-employee-retention-risks">global workforce study</a> of 32,000 employees, found that 70% of top performers, across industry sectors, felt compelled to quit for career advance. Talent seeks challenging opportunities and skilled workers have greater confidence they’ll find another position.</p>
<h2>Easy come, easy go</h2>
<p>Staff turnover is natural. Employees leave for family reasons, poor health or new opportunities. By contrast, many staff prefer to stay with a known employer; the longer people have worked with one company, the more likely they are to stay. In short, length of service is a common predictor of intention to remain. But lethargic or frustrated employees are of low value to an organisation. So zero turnover is not a pragmatic goal, as new blood can invigorate an organisation.</p>
<p>When experts resign, a company can lose firm-specific knowledge, suffer damage to productivity and workforce morale. Curiously, few employers attempt to limit the rate at which people leave the organisation. More than half of UK employers, 56% <a href="https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/resourcing-talent-planning_2017_tcm18-23747.pdf">surveyed</a> by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, don’t even measure the cost of labour turnover. </p>
<p>Perhaps, “good riddance” is an employer’s first reaction or an instinct the leaver wasn’t right for the job. Both <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/09/the-guardian-view-on-boris-johnsons-resignation-good-riddance-to-a-national-embarrassment">these sentiments echoed</a> around the resignations of Brexit secretary, David Davis, and the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, who quit the UK Cabinet in the same week.</p>
<h2>Paying the price</h2>
<p>But high turnover has repercussions. The messy drain of talent can affect team morale as skill gaps surface with shaky transitions in knowledge. The cost of replacing a uniquely skilled worker is roughly one and a half <a href="http://www.hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/recruitment/it-costs-over-30k-to-replace-a-staff-member">to two times the employee’s annual salary</a>. A turnover myth is that specialists only leave to earn more money elsewhere. Many cases show that poor management, adverse work conditions or restricted career opportunities inform decisions to quit. </p>
<p>And certain staff can be hard to replace. Low-cost airline Ryanair, for example, had <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/over-700-pilots-left-ryanair-in-last-financial-year-ialpa-claims-1.3225145">700 pilots leave in one financial year</a>, according to the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa). A qualified pilot is <a href="https://theconversation.com/ryanair-crisis-aviation-industry-expert-warns-600-000-new-pilots-needed-in-next-20-years-84852">hard to replace</a>, as training is costly and requires a large amount of flying experience.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231082/original/file-20180808-7141-7090hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231082/original/file-20180808-7141-7090hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231082/original/file-20180808-7141-7090hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231082/original/file-20180808-7141-7090hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231082/original/file-20180808-7141-7090hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231082/original/file-20180808-7141-7090hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231082/original/file-20180808-7141-7090hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Grounded.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/michalo/19602638108">flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Keeping key people</h2>
<p>Lady Bracknell, Oscar Wilde’s character, <a href="http://www.importanceofbeingearnest.co.uk/lady-bracknell-quotes/">would perhaps declare</a>: to lose one executive may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose several seems like carelessness. A growth in unwanted turnover suggests poor leadership and obtuse management. Still, there are ways to effectively manage staff turnover and retain key people, which I outline in my book <a href="https://bookboon.com/en/talent-retention-ebook">Talent Retention: Strategies to Keep the Best People</a>. </p>
<p>Skilled workers stay with a stimulating job, a supportive boss and a conducive working environment. Research shows that a measure of job satisfaction, rather than reward, helps to predict the likelihood of employee intentions to stay. Retention bonuses, for example, generally postpone, rather than remove, an individual’s decision to leave. And bonuses paid to retain key staff can distort existing agreements on fair pay. A lack of equity in a reward system then increases disgruntlement and turnover as a result.</p>
<p>A company is like a ship that needs a qualified captain and crew to steer it into the future. Specialists enjoy autonomy and are motivated by intrinsic qualities of work such as mastery, shared purpose and growth. Some employers talk of <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2016.1166710">hiring buccaneers to lead innovation</a>, yet, in practice, research shows that managers want recruits with business know-how to navigate the basic rules of an organisation. </p>
<p>To retain key staff, it is important to improve existing managers’ people skills to support, coach and develop talent. Keeping the best employees who share the company’s values and vision can avoid trouble at sea and prevent a skilled crew from jumping ship.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101212/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Margaret Mackay does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>High turnover can damage stability which is why keeping talent is so important to organisations.Margaret Mackay, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1003752018-07-24T20:08:38Z2018-07-24T20:08:38ZWorking four-day weeks for five days’ pay? Research shows it pays off<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228920/original/file-20180723-189310-w9jfoo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=324%2C198%2C5464%2C4499&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A four-day week trial showed that if workers have more control over their job, they feel and perform better.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Employees at a New Zealand company behind an innovative <a href="https://www.perpetualguardian.co.nz/our-services/four-day-working-week-trial">trial of a four-day working week</a> have declared it a resounding success, with 78% saying they were better able to manage their work-life balance.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.perpetualguardian.co.nz/">Perpetual Guardian</a>, which manages trusts and wills, released its <a href="https://www.4dayweek.co.nz/">findings</a> from the trial, which was prompted by <a href="https://www.vouchercloud.com/resources/office-worker-productivity">research</a> that suggests modern workers are only productive for about three hours in a working day. </p>
<p>The analysis shows that employees working four-day weeks felt better about their job, were more engaged and generally reported a better work-life balance and less stress – all while maintaining the same level of productivity. Interestingly, they also experienced a small but significant decrease in work demands. </p>
<h2>The setting</h2>
<p>The company asked its 240 office workers to work a four-day week (at eight hours per day) instead of five days, while still being paid their usual five-day salary. The trial was inspired by growing evidence that modern open-plan workplaces can be distracting for workers and reduce productivity. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-study-should-be-the-final-nail-for-open-plan-offices-99756">A new study should be the final nail for open-plan offices</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Managing director <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Barnes_(businessman)">Andrew Barnes</a> thought a shorter working week might be an innovative way to get employees to focus on their work and maintain overall productivity, while providing benefits such as an enhanced work-life balance, better mental health and fewer cars on the road. </p>
<p>The results show a 24% increase in employees saying their work-life balance had improved, a significant improvement in engagement and a 7% drop in stress levels – all without a reduction in productivity. </p>
<h2>The challenge</h2>
<p>The first challenge for the company was that not everybody does the same work across a varied workplace. It is not a production line making widgets, where productivity can be measured easily. </p>
<p>The solution was to ask teams (and their managers) to detail what they actually did in their job and how they might do it over four days instead of five. This involved organising coverage within teams so that they could still meet deadlines and maintain performance and productivity. In practice, the four-day week meant employees within a team all had a day off each week, but this day moved from Monday to Friday across the trial period. </p>
<p>The expectation was that if workers could maintain the same level of productivity and do so in four days, they should achieve greater personal benefits and the company would make other gains through enhanced reputation, recruitment and retention, as well as energy savings (20% reduction in staff at work). </p>
<p>There is a large body of research showing that if organisations care about their employees’ well-being, staff will respond with better <a href="http://classweb.uh.edu/eisenberger/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2015/04/01_Perceived_Organizational_Support.pdf">job attitudes</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296308001203">performance</a>. In addition, research shows that work-life balance is important for <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001879114001110">job satisfaction</a> and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09585192.2013.775175">general well-being</a>, and that by being able to spend more time away from their job, employees <a href="http://nzjhrm.co.nz/includes/download.ashx?ID=149678">engage better with their work</a>. </p>
<p>However, there is the potential that employees might report greater stress and issues around work demands because they are now, in effect, doing their current workload in four days rather than five.</p>
<h2>The findings</h2>
<p>To enable analysis of the trial, employees and managers completed pre- and post-trial surveys. Additional employee data were collected at the end of last year. Thus, analysis is based on five different data sets, from employees and managers. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a93121d3917ee828d5f282b/t/5b4e4237352f53b0cc369c8b/1531855416866/Final+Perpetual+Guardian+report_Professor+Jarrod+Haar_July+2018.pdf">results</a> show that employees’ perceptions of support changed across the trial. Employees felt that the four-day week (with five days’ pay) showed how much their employer cared about their well-being. This type of perception helps organisations because their employees work harder, are more satisfied and want to stay in their jobs longer. They also perform better. </p>
<p>The employees reported better job satisfaction and engagement. They felt their teams had become more cohesive and skilled at doing their work together. This likely reflects the team focus at the start of the trial when they spent time developing the new four-day approach. </p>
<p>Another finding was that employees reported a small but significant decrease in work demands. This is interesting because there was a potential issue of staff feeling more stressed, but <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/job.441">research</a> shows that having more control over one’s job enhances psychological well-being. The fact that Perpetual Guardian allowed employees to plan their work week actually aided their ability to do it in a timely and stable manner. </p>
<p>Finally, the supervisors rated their team performance as no different across the trial. However, supervisors found their teams had greater creativity and engaged in more helpful behaviours, as well as giving better service performance. </p>
<p>The four-day week trial showed that workers can complete their work satisfactorily, or even better in some aspects, while enjoying greater work-life balance and reduced stress. This reflects the power of organisational support and highlights the performance benefits that can be achieved when an organisation takes the risk to trust employees and support them in a new approach to work. </p>
<p>The eight-week trial was a success and the organisation is now refining the approach before rolling it out full-time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100375/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jarrod Haar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A trial of a four-day working week shows that employees felt better about their job, were more engaged and reported better work-life balance and less stress.Jarrod Haar, Professor of Human Resource Management, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/930372018-03-29T10:30:05Z2018-03-29T10:30:05ZWhy are more people doing gig work? They like it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212467/original/file-20180328-109175-bbj2a5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Having some control over your workday can make it easier to bear.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/business-woman-working-on-laptop-computer-530237623?src=UQk0BV3e_ZMrmrZqFwIXvA-1-19">Branislav Nenin/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Thanks to companies like Lyft, TaskRabbit and Instacart, it’s never been easier for Americans who can afford it to zip from place to place, get groceries delivered or let someone else walk their dog. Likewise, the number of Americans who are <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/01/22/578825135/rise-of-the-contract-workers-work-is-different-now">self-employed or independent contractors</a> is soaring. </p>
<p>The share of Americans doing everything from accounting to driving as independent contractors rose from <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w22667">10.7 percent in 2005 to 15.8 percent in 2015</a>, according to a study by economists Lawrence Katz at Harvard University and Alan Krueger at Princeton University. The trend was more pronounced among women, they found, rising from 8 to 17 percent.</p>
<p>Based on my prior <a href="https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/eca/facstaff.html">research regarding labor markets and job satisfaction</a>, I wanted to know if this number was rising so fast partly because Americans enjoy the flexibility these jobs offer. To find out, I teamed up with a colleague of mine at Villanova University.</p>
<h2>Greater flexibility</h2>
<p>We already knew people take these jobs <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/employment-and-growth/independent-work-choice-necessity-and-the-gig-economy">for many reasons</a>, whether it’s as a primary source of income or as a side hustle.</p>
<p>Either way, many of these workers get enough flexibility on the job to give them some control over what they do and when they do it. That’s one reason why these arrangements are increasingly common, as a more recent study <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.p20171092">Katz and Krueger</a> carried out suggests.</p>
<p>My colleague <a href="http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/business/facultyresearch/facultydepartment/biodetail.html?mail=mary.kelly@villanova.edu&xsl=bio_long">Mary Kelly</a> and I <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/RePEc:vil:papers:32">analyzed data</a> gathered through <a href="http://gss.norc.org/">surveys conducted by University of Chicago</a> researchers in 2006, 2010 and 2014 to compare job satisfaction levels among Americans with different kinds of occupations and employment status.</p>
<p>The approximately 3,600 people in this nationally representative sample included workers holding down regular jobs, as well as independent contractors and self-employed workers with some degree of control over their schedules. It also included contract employees lacking autonomy and flexibility, such as those working for temp agencies or with on-call obligations. </p>
<p>We also contrasted job satisfaction for employees in managerial or professional roles with workers in blue-collar occupations, and checked whether there were any differences for men and women. </p>
<h2>More satisfaction</h2>
<p>As you might expect, we found that people with more control over their schedules and who could choose to some extent which tasks they would take on are significantly more satisfied with their work than their peers who hold regular salaried jobs – despite losing out on benefits and security.</p>
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<p>This satisfaction bump ranged between 6 and 8 percent for men and 4 and 8.5 percent for women. Perhaps surprisingly, this edge was bigger among people in nonprofessional jobs than for professionals.</p>
<p>And interestingly, women were generally more satisfied with jobs that gave them more control over their workdays than were men. That was true whether they were in professional occupations or had blue-collar status.</p>
<p>However, we detected no such added satisfaction for the workers without regular salaried positions, but whose jobs gave them little or no extra control over their responsibilities. Male and female employees in that situation were between 3 and 4.5 percent less satisfied with their work than their salaried counterparts.</p>
<p>To be sure, we cannot say exactly what it is about these jobs that Americans seem to find more satisfying. Most likely, different attributes appeal to different workers. For some it may be the flexibility, while for others it may be not being tied to a single employer. And some people, such as single parents or full-time students, may believe that these arrangements are the only way for them to work at all. Surely there are some aspects, such as having scant benefits and job security – or none at all – that they do not like, even if they find them satisfying in general.</p>
<p>But our findings do suggest that no matter how they make a living, American men and women are more satisfied with jobs that provide more control over their work day than with regular salaried jobs. We believe this signals that these kinds of jobs will probably keep growing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93037/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cheryl Carleton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Whether they do it full-time or as a side hustle, Americans who have some say over their schedules and tasks seem to covet the flexibility.Cheryl Carleton, Assistant Professor of Economics, Villanova UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/846172017-09-27T12:14:40Z2017-09-27T12:14:40ZHow transitioning leads to better mental health –
and job satisfaction<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187798/original/file-20170927-24162-1ss6ess.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">True identity.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the EU and the US there is a growing number of trans people who are beginning to change their outward appearances to reflect their gender identity. This physical change might, but does not always, involve medical treatment. Either way, the effects are overwhelmingly positive. </p>
<p>Transitioning improves trans people’s mental health. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001879116300690">New research</a> I’ve carried out found that a positive attitude toward life, the ability to cope with stress and optimism about the future are all boosted by transitioning. These factors all shape one’s mental health status. </p>
<p>What’s more, I also found that transitioning is related to greater job and life satisfaction. People’s happiness with their appearance, body shape and self-esteem were all increased when they transitioned. It led to better communication and negotiation skills, better self-organisation, and a more innovative, constructive approach to problem-solving. These factors all shape job satisfaction.</p>
<p>This can be seen in what I call the <a href="https://wol.iza.org/articles/trans-people-well-being-and-labor-market-outcomes/long">Trans Curve</a>. It presents the gains in mental health and life and job satisfaction as people change their outward appearance to match their gender identity.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187792/original/file-20170927-24197-1tcs6bt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187792/original/file-20170927-24197-1tcs6bt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187792/original/file-20170927-24197-1tcs6bt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187792/original/file-20170927-24197-1tcs6bt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187792/original/file-20170927-24197-1tcs6bt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187792/original/file-20170927-24197-1tcs6bt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187792/original/file-20170927-24197-1tcs6bt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187792/original/file-20170927-24197-1tcs6bt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Drydakis</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Similarly, a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09540261.2015.1115753?journalCode=iirp20">review</a> that looks at 38 international studies on trans people indicates that levels of psychopathology and psychiatric disorders reduce with transitioning and, in many cases, reach average levels.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, however, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brynn-tannehill/myths-about-transition-regrets_b_6160626.html">myths about transition regrets</a> proliferate. Misrepresentation of scientific results on transitioning creates a biased environment against trans people. Although the vast majority of studies find that transitioning improves quality of life, information is regularly fabricated advocating against transition-related care. </p>
<p>This misrepresentation of research into transitioning can even enhance transphobia, where trans people face prejudice. At least 858 transphobic hate crimes were recorded by UK police during 2015-16. And between 2008 and 2016 the <a href="http://transrespect.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/TvT-PS-Vol14-2016.pdf">number of murders of trans people</a> globally increased by 96%. Trans people also experience higher poverty <a href="https://wol.iza.org/articles/trans-people-well-being-and-labor-market-outcomes/long">than the general population</a>. Trans people often feel that they are citizens who are not allowed to be themselves and practice their authentic identity.</p>
<h2>Work issues</h2>
<p>Not having to stress about hiding your true identity allows trans employees <a href="http://www.scottishtrans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/changing_for_the_better.pdf">to focus and enjoy their work more</a>. Traits such as optimism, happiness and self-esteem enhanced by transitioning can enable trans employees to overcome challenges at work and to perceive their job as more fulfilling and satisfying. A positive mood might induce trans people to spend more of their time on more creative tasks, thereby improving their performance.</p>
<p>There is also <a href="https://wol.iza.org/articles/trans-people-well-being-and-labor-market-outcomes/long">research suggesting that</a> workplace colleagues report that their trans co-workers are more productive, more approachable and more gregarious after transition. As well as being good for productivity, this may also promote more genuine and satisfactory relationships with colleagues, which is good for the workplace. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, trans people still face a number of issues in the world of work. <a href="http://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2014/being-trans-eu-comparative-analysis-eu-lgbt-survey-data">EU surveys</a> demonstrate that more than a third of trans people are discriminated against because of being trans when looking for a job (37%), and a quarter (27%) reported discrimination at work. The biased climate in relation to trans people pervades multiple facets of life, including education, healthcare and access to credit. As a result, trans people’s integration and well-being suffer. </p>
<p>In order for trans people to have better access to job vacancies, to cope smoothly in employment and to <a href="https://wol.iza.org/articles/trans-people-well-being-and-labor-market-outcomes/long">integrate into society</a>, they should be able to change their sex on government ID documents without having to undergo sex reassignment surgery. This policy would minimise employment and societal exclusion for those who are not keen, ready, or financially able to undergo such a surgical procedure.</p>
<p>Based on the UK Equality Act 2010, which protects individuals from gender reassignment discrimination, people do not need to have undergone surgery to change from their birth sex to their preferred gender. Theresa May backed this up by telling <a href="http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/05/18/theresa-may-law-must-changed-help-trans-people-change-gender-without-medical-checks/">Pink News</a> that: “Law must be changed to help trans people change their gender without medical checks.” </p>
<p>Bias against trans people could be prevented if legal protections and inclusive workplace practices were in place. Firms should not refuse to hire and promote trans people. Nor should they refuse to step in if colleagues or customers are harassing an employee for being trans (as suggested by <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/484855/The_recruitment_and_retention_of_transgender_staff-_guidance_for_employers.pdf">government guides</a> on the issue), let alone fire trans people for being themselves. Firms should also make it clear that it is unacceptable for managers, colleagues and customers to act in a biased manner, as this behaviour reflects on the company.</p>
<p>As well as being an important issue of equality and fairness, an active trans population enjoying equal treatment in the labour market will better serve their workplaces and help build the wider economy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84617/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Drydakis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are huge benefits for trans people – and society – when they change their outward appearance to reflect their gender identity.Nick Drydakis, Reader in Economics, Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/663592016-10-13T01:27:21Z2016-10-13T01:27:21ZShould I grade-skip my gifted child?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141500/original/image-20161012-16242-6lwruw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When should you let your gifted child skip grades?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-141206683/stock-photo-pupils-in-class-using-digital-tablet.html?src=QwXiFSL6QZhsJ1cIS5mL9w-1-13">Children image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The American school system puts students in grades based on age. However, for a large number of students, being with same-age peers in the classroom does not work.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://education.jhu.edu/edpolicy/commentary/PerformAboveGradeLevel">recent report</a> from Johns Hopkins University shows that about two out of every seven children are ready for a higher-grade curriculum. These children are not learning something new each day, and are likely bored in class. </p>
<p>This has serious implications: Research has shown that <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/56143/the-concept-educational-dose.pdf">greater intellectual stimulation</a> is important for helping talented kids achieve their full potential.</p>
<p>One effective way to help talented students remain intellectually challenged and engaged in school is to have them skip a grade. <a href="http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/research/grade_acceleration_wells_lohman_marron.pdf">Research shows</a> that about 1 percent of students grade-skip. Students can skip grades at any level, and they can even skip multiple grades. </p>
<p>Grade-skipping has led to many concerns. In particular, <a href="http://sengifted.org/archives/articles/should-gifted-students-be-grade-advanced">concerns have been raised</a> related to students’ social adjustment and emotional health.</p>
<p>We are scholars of gifted education. Our research – <a href="http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/nation_empowered/">A Nation Empowered</a> – shows many advantages to grade-skipping for talented students. However, students skipping grades need to be socially and emotionally ready for it.</p>
<h2>What studies show</h2>
<p>A <a href="http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/nation_empowered/">synthesis of many studies</a> by a professor of gifted education, <a href="https://www.stthomas.edu/celc/aboutthecollege/facultyandstaff/karen-b-rogers-phd.html">Karen B. Rogers</a>, on the impact of grade-skipping showed uniformly positive effects across a range of academic outcomes.</p>
<p>These outcomes included higher grade point average, school satisfaction, honors received, success on exams, number of university credits awarded, education level attained, income as an adult and innovations made.</p>
<p>When gifted students who grade-skipped were compared to similarly gifted students who did not grade-skip, the grade-skipped students came out ahead in all academic categories.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141495/original/image-20161012-16248-1qojr05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141495/original/image-20161012-16248-1qojr05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141495/original/image-20161012-16248-1qojr05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141495/original/image-20161012-16248-1qojr05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141495/original/image-20161012-16248-1qojr05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141495/original/image-20161012-16248-1qojr05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141495/original/image-20161012-16248-1qojr05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Grade-skippers have been found to do well academically.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90974638@N05/8767899087/in/photolist-emMLVV-QXY1-dGwmqL-dLxmWe-88euwL-dHyKgx-dGwkNC-endnfQ-endofh-pWsidA-dLxmU8-dGwhhf-dArkVy-dGwjaL-6QbvCt-emMKPn-cNV6vm-ea8sX9-dAkUtR-6V8yDw-u8yLeS-che3bY-4ewqCq-dArnnw-jDeQXa-4z6P5D-oGrfMn-dArhnE-6webF-iKtVqz-dAkPiT-9rGyfZ-64WAea-6h7bUM-dAkPha-najQpW-53nouv-chcBLo-dLxmZB-84aCRm-5a1JcK-dLCU7y-chbe6Y-9GCbxv-51Fkxh-2U1QjU-6viwZc-28KrS-chckbN-aNS43g">MJGDSLibrary</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, a <a href="http://gcq.sagepub.com/content/59/1/3.abstract">study</a> by K–12 educational research and policy expert <a href="http://www.questarai.com/about-us/leadership/leadership-katie-mcclarty/">Katie L. McClarty</a> found that grade-skippers were more likely than non-grade-skippers to have more prestigious jobs, higher earnings and job satisfaction. </p>
<p>Another study, by researchers <a href="http://gregorypark.org/">Gregory J. Park</a>, <a href="https://my.vanderbilt.edu/smpy/publications/david-lubinski/">David Lubinski</a> and <a href="https://my.vanderbilt.edu/smpy/publications/camilla-benbow/">Camilla P. Benbow</a>, that followed highly gifted children 40 years into their adulthood and examined the <a href="https://my.vanderbilt.edu/smpy/files/2013/02/Park-Lubinski-Benbow-2013.pdf">long-term impact of grade-skipping</a> related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) came up with similar findings.</p>
<p>Grade-skippers were found to be significantly more likely to achieve Ph.D.’s, publish their first paper at an earlier age and achieve highly cited publications by age 50. Grade-skippers compared to non-grade-skippers were 1.6 times as likely to earn a doctorate of any kind, twice as likely to earn a STEM Ph.D., 1.6 times as likely to earn a STEM publication, and 1.6 times as likely to earn a patent.</p>
<h2>More social skills, better mental health</h2>
<p>However, there have been concerns whether grade-skippers are able to make <a href="http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/nation_empowered/">social and psychological adjustments</a>.</p>
<p>Psychologist <a href="http://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/neihart-maureen-frances">Maureen Neihart</a>, who <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.404.6692&rep=rep1&type=pdf">reviewed many studies</a> on the social and psychological outcomes of grade-skipping, concluded that there was no major positive or negative impact.</p>
<p>However, the <a href="http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/nation_empowered/">meta-analysis</a> by <a href="https://www.stthomas.edu/celc/aboutthecollege/facultyandstaff/karen-b-rogers-phd.html">Karen B. Rogers</a> described earlier showed, in fact, positive effects on a range of social and psychological adjustment outcomes, including greater social skills, maturity, peer acceptance, motivation and persistence. </p>
<p>Additionally, a <a href="http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ746290.pdf">20-year longitudinal study</a> by gifted education expert <a href="https://www.arts.unsw.edu.au/about-us/people/miraca-gross/">Miraca Gross</a> also found social and psychological benefits to grade-skipping. </p>
<p>Gross found that students who had skipped two or more grades (37 percent of the sample) in early elementary school had higher social self-esteem in childhood and built better social relationships later in life.</p>
<h2>Should I grade-skip my child?</h2>
<p>Overall, we found that grade-skipping is a highly effective method of challenging talented students and helping them stay engaged in school. We did not find any negative social or psychological impact of grade-skipping. </p>
<p>So how should parents and students decide whether or not to skip a grade?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141498/original/image-20161012-16238-18p1lu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141498/original/image-20161012-16238-18p1lu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141498/original/image-20161012-16238-18p1lu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141498/original/image-20161012-16238-18p1lu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141498/original/image-20161012-16238-18p1lu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141498/original/image-20161012-16238-18p1lu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/141498/original/image-20161012-16238-18p1lu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Should you grade-skip your gifted child?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-264079463/stock-photo-smart-toddler-reading-a-book.html?src=BtJPnsucZU8FE54XJRVRFA-3-51">Girl image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>The answer to this question depends largely on the degree to which students are bored in school and whether they are mature enough to be able to interact with older peers. It is not recommended for all gifted students.</p>
<p>Researchers have now developed <a href="https://www.accelerationinstitute.org/Resources/IAS.aspx">a scale</a> that can help a parent make such a decision for their child in kindergarten through eighth grade. The scale helps parents or teachers look at the main factors they need to consider when making such a decision. It also provides guidelines on how to weigh the relative importance of each of these factors. </p>
<p>Generally, decisions on whether to grade-skip center on academic and social readiness. Parents also need to understand that students can grade-skip at any point of their academic trajectory. For example, it could be as early as entrance to kindergarten or much later, such as <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02783193.2014.976324?journalCode=uror20">an early start to college</a>. <a href="http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/nation_empowered/">Research shows</a> the benefits are the same whatever the age.</p>
<h2>Decision carries costs</h2>
<p>Despite the positive evidence on grade-skipping, however, the number of students who are academically ready to grade-skip is much larger than the actual number of students that utilize this opportunity. This has costs for both schools and students. </p>
<p>Teaching millions of students content they already know <a href="https://edexcellence.net/articles/stop-wasting-money-teaching-millions-of-students-content-they-already-know">wastes tens of billions of dollars</a> each year.</p>
<p>For parents concerned about the negative impact on social and psychological adjustment, it may also be important to consider the potential fallout even when a student does not skip a grade.</p>
<p>Unchallenged students can become bored and disengaged from school and lose their joy of learning, and this can lead to underachievement. This can be a loss both for the student and for society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66359/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Wai is affiliated with the Duke University Talent Identification Program which serves talented students with educational programs.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The original acceleration research was funded (2004-2010) by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. That funding made possible the production and dissemination of A Nation Deceived and the establishment of the Acceleration Institute.</span></em></p>About two out of seven children are likely bored in their classrooms, as they aren’t learning much that is new. Should these children skip grades? What’s the evidence on grade-skipping?Jonathan Wai, Research Scientist, Duke UniversityAnn Lupkowski Shoplik, Administrator, Acceleration Institute and Research, University of IowaSusan Assouline, Professor of Education, University of IowaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/574652016-04-11T10:30:24Z2016-04-11T10:30:24ZFive ways to boost your job satisfaction<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118118/original/image-20160411-21979-1ioy35a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Are you part of the whopping <a href="https://www.investorsinpeople.com/press/60-cent-uk-workers-not-happy-their-jobs">60% of people in both the UK and US</a> who are feeling unhappy at work? Now that it’s spring – a time of new beginnings – perhaps you are scratching your head, wondering if it’s worth leaving your job and looking for something new, something more exciting and meaningful, something more satisfying. </p>
<p>Some of our <a href="http://jom.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/01/23/0149206315624962.abstract">recent research</a> analysed data spanning 40 years from 21,670 people in a diverse array of occupations and found that people’s job satisfaction goes in cycles throughout their lives. Here are five job satisfaction tips we discovered.</p>
<h2>1. Change jobs</h2>
<p>We found that job satisfaction generally increases as people get older – but not for the reasons you might think. Paradoxically, as people progress in a given job over the years, their job satisfaction tends to decrease. </p>
<p>This is because when people switch jobs and start in a new organisation, they get a boost in job satisfaction. Think of the early days in a new job as the “honeymoon” phase. Remember, however, that this phase is temporary and the “hangover” phase of decreasing job satisfaction begins almost right away – typically <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16162061">after just a few months</a>.</p>
<p>People proactively can leverage this honeymoon/hangover cycle by changing organisations periodically, thus shifting themselves from “hangover” at an old job to “honeymoon” at a new organisation.</p>
<p>It is the switching of jobs over your career that tends to result in older people having greater job satisfaction. You can think of it as two steps forward in job satisfaction when you switch organisations, then one step back as your years on the job increase. Over time, therefore, job satisfaction increases, thanks to the boosts people get from changing workplaces.</p>
<p>That is not to suggest that moving organisations will guarantee an increase in job satisfaction, nor do I suggest that increasing one’s job satisfaction is the only key factor when making the decision to change jobs. The below considerations are important, too.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118121/original/image-20160411-21986-cn5cb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118121/original/image-20160411-21986-cn5cb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118121/original/image-20160411-21986-cn5cb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118121/original/image-20160411-21986-cn5cb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118121/original/image-20160411-21986-cn5cb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118121/original/image-20160411-21986-cn5cb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118121/original/image-20160411-21986-cn5cb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More is more.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Earn more</h2>
<p>Our research highlights one reason why people become more satisfied with their jobs as they become older and move across organisations: they earn more. Indeed, people can even experience higher job satisfaction within the same job – and so buffer against the natural decline in job satisfaction over the years – if their pay increases.</p>
<h2>3. Expect ups and downs</h2>
<p>Don’t fall prey to the career myth that once you start your career, job satisfaction will be on a positive, straight upward trajectory until you retire. Instead, expect the unexpected – including that job satisfaction ups and downs are entirely normal throughout your career.</p>
<p>If you understand this as an employee, you can manage your expectations about the likely trajectory of your job satisfaction levels over time and make better-informed career decisions.</p>
<p>If you’re a manager, on the other hand, you can anticipate seeing your employees’ – and your own – levels of job satisfaction decline as their time in the organisation continues. You can then calibrate their – and your – expectations accordingly.</p>
<p>Indeed, one reason older workers may experience higher job satisfaction is that they have more realistic expectations of work.</p>
<h2>4. Mimic changing jobs</h2>
<p>If a change of jobs isn’t on the cards, both employees and employers can still prevent a decline in satisfaction levels by mimicking the novelty of a new job. This can be done through things such as job rotations, temporary or permanent relocation assignments, sabbaticals, or other forms of leave. It is important for managers to help create these opportunities and for employees to take advantage of them.</p>
<h2>5. Make work more meaningful</h2>
<p>Meaningful work is also linked to higher job satisfaction. People who view their work as particularly meaningful are often referred to as experiencing a strong sense of calling. Some of my research <a href="http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/50026/">shows</a> that rather than seeking and finding a calling, people can develop one – through being more involved in a particular work domain, for instance, and socially engaging in this area.</p>
<p>Employees and managers can also find ways to redesign work <a href="http://justinmberg.com/berg-grant--johnson_org.pdf">to make it more meaningful</a>. For instance, savvy managers can deploy more satisfied older members of the team to mentor younger members of staff – re-energising older workers and motivating younger workers at the same time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57465/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shoshana Dobrow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A whopping 60% of people in the UK and US report feeling unhappy at work. Here’s how you can boost your job satisfaction.Shoshana Dobrow, Assistant Professor of Management, London School of Economics and Political ScienceLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/319352014-09-22T15:40:05Z2014-09-22T15:40:05ZDoes work leave you tired, stressed with no time for family? You’re not alone<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59705/original/8ngsp4pv-1411383120.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Living the dream.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s <a href="http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/articles/employers/national-work-life-week/national-work-life-week-2014">Work-Life Week</a>, when employers and employees are asked to think about how they juggle their working lives and to perhaps try to strike a balance.</p>
<p>In the UK, we’re more likely than others in neighbouring countries to feel that our <a href="http://wafproject.org/tag/work-life-balance/">working lives are at odds</a> with our family lives.</p>
<p>In 2012 respondents across 29 European countries <a href="http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/data/download.html?r=6">were asked in the European Social Survey</a>: “How satisfied are you with the balance between the time you spend on your paid work and the time you spend on other aspects of your life?” On average, Britons answer just below seven (6.8) out of a scale of 0 (extremely unsatisfied) to 10 (extremely satisfied) – placing them smack in the middle of the countries surveyed.</p>
<p>This relative satisfaction is quite surprising when you take into account <a href="http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/data/download.html?r=5">how Britons answered other questions</a> relating to work-life balance. In 2010, more than a quarter of UK respondents told the European Social Survey that they often or always worry about work when not working – and a fifth said they felt their jobs prevented them from giving time to their partner or family. Meanwhile almost a third of all people surveyed said they felt too tired after work to enjoy life at home.</p>
<p>Just to put this into perspective, only about one in seven Norwegians said they worried about work when not working and felt that their jobs prevented enjoying things at home, and only one in eight felt their work prevented them from giving time to their families. In other words, Britons are about twice as likely as Norwegians to feel various types of conflict between their work life and family life. </p>
<p>It isn’t just the Norwegians – most of the UK’s Western European neighbours appear to be doing better in striking a balance between work and life.</p>
<h2>Modern families</h2>
<p>So <a href="http://kar.kent.ac.uk/36192/">why exactly</a> do people feel like their work and family life are in conflict with one another? Of course, people with children – especially young children – are those who are more likely to feel that their jobs are preventing time with their families. They are also more likely to feel that they are not able to give time to other things, including housework, due to the time and energy they spend at work. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.citsee.ed.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/88979/Chung_-_Stream_12.pdf">most important factors</a> in explaining why workers feel that their work life and family life, or other aspects of life, at are odds with one another are the number of hours spent at work and the demands at work. But what is also interesting is that it is not just your working hours, but <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-008-9436-z#page-1">your partner’s working hours</a> that contribute to the amount of conflict you feel. </p>
<p>In other words, if your partner is putting long hours in the office, and you are left to take care of the children and put dinner on the table, you start feeling like your own work may be a bit too much.</p>
<h2>Making our jobs work for us</h2>
<p><a href="http://wafproject.org/tag/work-family-conflict/">Work-family conflict</a> not only leads to negative outcomes for one’s own mental and physical well-being but it can have a devastating impact on one’s family, and can in turn lead to problems for the company, low productivity and high levels of sickness, absenteeism as well as societal issues such as lower fertility rates or loss of human capital from people leaving the workforce. </p>
<p>If governments and businesses want to solve this problem there are a number of things they can address, including policies to reduce household demands – such as generous childcare provision. The <a href="http://www.acas.org.uk/flexibleworking">right to request flexible work</a> has also been extended to all workers and can help, but only to an extent and <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-reality-new-flexible-working-rights-could-mean-longer-days-and-less-family-time-28564">not for some</a>. If general working conditions and the <a href="http://wafproject.org/how-flexible-working-really-works-for-dual-earner-couples/">gender division of labour</a> don’t change, the right to flexible working cannot be the sole solution to our problems.</p>
<p>Can shorter <a href="https://theconversation.com/every-weekend-could-be-four-days-long-if-the-will-was-there-25623">working hours be a solution</a>? There are many who have maintained that this will not only lead to better work-life balance but <a href="http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/entry/10-reasons-for-a-shorter-working-week">a stronger and greener economy</a>. </p>
<p>When asked what was important when choosing a job in the 2010 survey, 85% replied that combining work and family responsibilities was important or very important. It is clearly time that these issues are taken much more seriously, with employers and society especially coming up with real solutions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31935/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heejung Chung receives funding from the ESRC for the project "Working-time flexibiilty and work-life balance" (Grant ref: ES/K009699/1)</span></em></p>It’s Work-Life Week, when employers and employees are asked to think about how they juggle their working lives and to perhaps try to strike a balance. In the UK, we’re more likely than others in neighbouring…Heejung Chung, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy, University of KentLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.