There must be something in the air because I keep finding interesting articles on employment. I am going to have to create a category specifically for the topic if this keeps up.
This time around it is a piece by Arthur C. Brooks in The American called “I Love My Work.” In it, Brooks talks about how important work is to providing meaning and direction in day to day living.
As I have noted before, the feeling that one’s work is meaningful, at least by ones own standards, is a powerful motivator.
“…people who think their work allows them to be productive are about five times more likely to be very satisfied with their jobs than people who do not feel they can be productive. And those who are proud to work for their employers are more than ten times as likely to be very satisfied with their jobs as those who are not proud.”
Brooks cites a survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago which showed that 89% of people who worked at least 10 hours a week were very to somewhat satisfied with their jobs. The percentages remained about the same whether people were in high income or low income jobs, whether they completed college or not and regardless of working in private, non-profit or government jobs.
And given an opportunity to be financially secure for life without having to work again, 69% of American adults would continue working in some capacity.
One of the areas that I was a little skeptical about was the idea that pay and benefits such as vacations actually detracted from people’s enjoyment of work.
“Indeed, there is strong evidence that compensation such as pay and vacation