Job Satisfaction

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Job Satisfaction
We literally spend a third of our lives at work
Why hard work makes people happy Hard work may be the last thing people want as they return to their jobs after the festive break, but experts say it could be the key to happiness. BBC Online Jan 2006 Researchers from Gothenburg University in Sweden have been studying published data on what makes people happy. They believe working to achieve a goal, rather than attaining it, makes people more satisfied - although they said good relationships were important. UK experts agreed, but said the work had to match an individual's strengths. The Gothenburg team have been studying hundreds of interviews carried out with people across the world to find out what makes them feel fulfilled. They said winning the lottery or achieving a goal at work gave a temporary high, but it did not last. Instead, they found that working hard to reach a target was more fulfilling. Lead researcher Dr Bengt Bruelde, from the university's philosophy department, said: "The important thing is to remain active. "From our research the people who were most active got the most joy. It may sound tempting to relax on a beach, but if you do it for too long it stops being satisfying." He said the full research would be published in the summer. Averil Leimon, of the British Psychological Society, said: "Hard work is satisfying, but only if it suits you. "The work has to use a person's strengths otherwise it can be demoralising. "If it does, research has shown that the happiness is not even linked to the rewards that are on offer. But she added: "Relationships can also have a significant impact. Strong relationships whether through family, the church, friends or work can inoculate you against feeling low."
'Dull work a heart attack risk' Having an unexciting occupation may increase your risk of a heart attack, believe researchers. BBC NEWS 2005/06/07 Dull, steady work is associated with a faster and less variable heart rate, which, in turn, is linked to heart disease, say UK scientists. The team from University College London studied more than 2,000 male civil servants. The British Heart Foundation said the Circulation study findings could be linked to underlying depression. It is already known that people in low-paying jobs and with lower educational achievements have a higher risk of heart disease. Depression has also been linked with heart disease. Many of the men with low-grade jobs that Dr Harry Hemingway and colleagues studied also reported being depressed. Heart rate variability Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of the heart's ability to adapt to current circumstances. For instance, during exercise the heart needs to beat faster to pump more oxygen to the muscles, while during sleep a fast heart rate is unnecessary. A decreased HRV therefore means that the heart is less able to adapt. It also increase the risk of developing an irregular heart beat - known as an arrhythmia - which in extreme circumstances can trigger sudden death. The heart beat is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for regulating basic body functions that are not under our conscious control. Therefore, a decreased HRV is a sign that the autonomic nervous system is not regulating heart beat in the way that it should. Dr Hemingway's team found that men with lower-grade jobs - meaning they had little control over their daily tasks - and those in low social positions had unchanging heart rhythms compared to the other men. The effect was apparent even when the researchers considered other factors that can change heart risk, such as smoking and lack of exercise. Dr Hemingway said: "We hope this information provides insight into the mechanisms at work so that there is a possibility for interventions that will change this outcome." He said it might be possible to help prevent heart disease by changing workplace conditions. Alison Shaw, medical spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation, said: "Over recent years researchers have suggested that psychological factors, such as depression, are linked with reduced heart rate variability, which in turn has been linked to coronary heart disease (CHD). "This study helps to increase our understanding of the mechanisms that link depression with CHD and the way it may affect people working in jobs in which they have little control. "It is important that we learn more about the influence of depression on heart rate variability and its effect on cardiac disease. "It must be remembered that heart rate variability is also dependent on age and inactivity. "Although depression and isolation are clear factors that need to be addressed, it is also vital to consider lifestyle issues such as levels of physical activity, diet and smoking to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease."
Follow Your Passion "Follow your passion," Ray Kurzweil advised graduates at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 21. "That's the only way to create knowledge that has value," he added. "Find a challenge that you can feel passionate about. Then find the ideas that rise to the challenge. They exist, and you can find them. "Decide to succeed, rather than to fail. It's entirely in your control. Edison tried thousands of filaments, and they all failed. He easily could have decided that all those skeptics who said that his light bulb project would never work were right after all. "Well, you know the rest of the story. If your goal is worthy, then never give in. As Winston Churchill said, 'never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in.' Congratulations once again. I wish for all of you a long life -- a very long life -- filled with success, creativity, health, and happiness. And may the force be with you!" WPI also awarded an hononory doctorate to Dr. Kurzweil. From: KurzweilAI.net, May 22, 2005
Hairdressers top happiness poll Hairdressers are the happiest workers, while civil servants, social workers and architects are the unhappiest, a new poll shows LONDON, England 25 Feb 2005 CNN Two out of five hairdressers said they were extremely happy in their job, according to a survey of 1,200 employees by UK qualifications body City & Guilds. Next in the happiness league were members of the clergy, chefs, beauticians and plumbers. The poll, released Friday, also showed that workers were happier than a year ago.
Vocational workers such as builders, electricians, cooks and hairdressers were happier in their jobs than white collar staff and felt more appreciated in work. Tradesmen and women also had a better social life at work than white collar employees such as accountants, bankers, estate agents or scientists. "Nowadays true job satisfaction and happiness is about fulfilling your full potential, tapping into your own creativity and feeling that you can make a difference," says Chris Humphries, director general of City & Guilds. "More people than ever are swapping their desk-bound jobs for a vocation that enables them to be hands-on, use their brains and be in charge of their own destiny. "As we spend so much time at work, it's important that we enjoy what we do and build on the skills that we're good at."
Games at work may be good for you Playing simple computer games at the office could improve productivity and job satisfaction, research suggests. BBC Online Nov 2003 Scientists from the University of Utrecht have studied the effects of game playing on 60 employees in a Dutch insurance firm. The team measured changes in work and job attitudes and found that game players felt better about their job. Many big companies ban games which come as standard on many computers, saying they are just a waste of workers' time. All work and no play? But, says research leader Professor Jeffrey Goldstein, there has been little research to show how playing games might positively change employee productivity, job satisfaction or reduce absenteeism. After a long search for a company which would agree to host their experiment, the research team randomly split workers from five departments into groups. Some were allowed to play simple Windows games like Solitaire and Minesweeper, while other "control" groups were denied the chance. "We told them from now on for the next month you are allowed to play games for up to one hour a day, and you can choose when you want to play," Professor Goldstein told BBC News Online. The game players kept logs of their playing habits and feelings, and were asked how they used their game playing during their working day. The results were measured against how they felt about the work they do and their job. "The groups that played games showed improvement on both of these measures," says Professor Goldstein. The results suggest that, instead of games being a waste of time at work, they might help personal productivity and make people feel better about their jobs. A round of Solitaire could be used as a strategy to break up the day and help people work more effectively because it gives their brain a break from complex work tasks. "I compare games with a coffee break. If you are like me, you use them in strategic, functional, useful way," Professor Goldstein says. Also being free to play games within certain limits, and having more choice over how they spend their work day, could contribute to job satisfaction. Professor Goldstein says the research is at a very early stage and any findings are purely preliminary. He says he is intending to do a much larger-scale study, using more complicated games which involve strategy decisions or role playing. "I can imagine different games would have different effects," he says. "If you made a competitive league table, for example, and your business was competitive, like sales, you might want to increase competition in this way." More significantly, if the results show games can make people happier in their work, it could impact the amount of absenteeism in the workplace. Brain power Simple computer games like Solitaire and Minesweeper have social advantages because they are fun, they provide distraction, involvement, and elements of competition against yourself and others, he says. "People even talk about their games over coffee or on the bus," says Professor Goldstein. Some of the Professor's previous research involved elderly residents of a women's nursing home. After playing computer games for some time, there was evidence suggesting their cognitive skills and general sense of well-being were significantly improved. Professor Goldstein and his team presented their most recent findings at the first ever Digital Games Research Association conference, Level Up, in the Netherlands.