U.S. Workers Report High Job Satisfaction Levels

By Dennis McCafferty

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Steady Satisfaction

81% of U.S. employees in the survey are satisfied with their current job, a statistic that's unchanged from 2012.
Top Satisfaction Drivers

Compensation/pay: 60%, Job security: 59%, Opportunity to use skills/abilities: 59%, Relationship with supervisor: 54%, Benefits: 53%
Peer Perspective

73% of these employees are satisfied with their relationship with their co-workers, down slightly from 79% in 2012.
Utilized Potential

70% are happy about the opportunities they have to use their skills and abilities, down slightly from 75% in 2012.
Boss Bond

70% are satisfied with their relationship with their immediate supervisor, about the same as it was in 2012.
Job Evaluation

68% of surveyed employees are satisfied with "the work itself," about the same as it was in 2012.
Fully Charged

79% are determined to accomplish their work goals and are confident they can meet them, about the same as in 2012.
"A" Game

69% said they frequently feel they're putting all their effort into their work, down from 77% in 2012.
Inherent Value

62% of surveyed workers said they get excited about their work, which is about the same as it was in 2012.
Dialed In

66% said they are completely focused on their tasks at work, which is the same as it was in 2012.
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Almost everyone gripes about work occasionally, but the vast majority of us are actually happy with our job and our employer, according to a recent survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Overall, certain key engagement factors are trending slightly downward from 2012, but those factors—which include the status of employees' relationships with colleagues and bosses, the opportunity they have to use their skills, and their feelings about the work they do—generally remain high. Meanwhile, pay and overall compensation has now emerged as the top job-satisfaction driver in SHRM's survey for the first time since the pre-recession days. That means organizations that have been keeping their salaries stagnant may need to reconsider their thinking if they want to retain high-performing employees. "Incomes have grown slowly since the recession, and that undoubtedly is having an impact on workers' priorities," says Evren Esen, director of SHRM's Survey Research Center. A total of 600 U.S. employees took part in the research.

This article was originally published on 2014-05-29

Dennis McCafferty is a freelance writer for Baseline Magazine.

U.S. Workers Report High Job Satisfaction Levels

Steady Satisfaction

Top Satisfaction Drivers

Peer Perspective

Utilized Potential

Boss Bond

Job Evaluation

Fully Charged

"A" Game

Inherent Value

Dialed In