Every job and every career has ups and downs associated with it. There are good jobs, great bosses, and excellent team members at every location, but sometimes the workplace can be stressful or taxing to the point of being a toxic environment for you.
Sometimes the issue is with poor clients, lousy management, or just a stressful job environment that may affect how employees and administration view their roles within the organization.
According to Pew Research, job satisfaction is tied to several factors.
One of the most essential components of job satisfaction is related to feelings of being valued at work and having work that is gratifying to perform. The correlation between higher education and job satisfaction is high. In fact, nearly 60% of higher educated earners claim to be highly satisfied with their jobs.
Compare that percentage of satisfaction with middle to lower-wage earners report job satisfaction much lower, in some cases as low as 30%.
So how can middle and lower-wage earners find better job satisfaction?
Higher satisfaction respondents are typically in management and professional decision-making positions of authority rather than team members and associate positions.
It seems that having a position where there is a level of decision-making, autonomy, and authority to work within the organization’s structure leads to higher job satisfaction.
The theory then is that lower job satisfaction may be an issue of leadership and not the job. However, there are obviously some jobs that won’t have a high level of satisfaction regardless of the internal administration.
Leaders in any organization should focus on three key areas to improve the quality of work and boost job satisfaction for all.
Three Ways To Create Better Job Satisfaction
1. The first is communication.
Having a two-way street of communication within the organization is crucial to empowering your team members. People like to feel valued and having lines of communication directly through an immediate chain of command is important.
Asking for input from people involved in the minutia of building and executing your business operations makes those individuals feel that they have some “skin in the game,” meaning that they are investing in the outcome objectives.
2. Second, define clear objectives and roles within your organization.
The roles aren’t strict, which can lead to tension. Instead, it’s a clear flowchart of the interrelations of all the jobs within your organization.
It’s easier for the sales team to be more effective in their roles, especially if they have a new or challenging client if they understand the design process in building the product they are selling.
3. Finally, you need to build teamwork throughout your organization.
If everyone involved in the process feels that their roles are crucial to the outlined outcomes, they will have a more invested approach to their jobs.
By building a team-first organization that is grounded in communication and interrelated roles, your staff’s job satisfaction will grow over time.
Regardless of the role and organization within a job, there are times a person just needs a break from things and wants to getaway.
This desire may be especially acute in light of all that we have endured the past year or so, and with the weather warming up, being outdoors is more and more appealing.
Whether you’re planning a vacation or just having a picnic, protecting yourself from overexposure outdoors is essential.
It’s recommended that you dress in loose-fitting clothes that cover as much of your body as possible, including wearing a wide-brimmed hat that covers your head, neck, and shoulders.
Also, playing and relaxing in the shade is one of the best ways to enjoy the outdoors without being overexposed.
You can find naturally occurring shade such as from a tall building or trees, or you can purchase any number of heavy duty canopies that you can take with and pop up quickly time and again.
Additionally, using sunscreen is important, but you need to understand that not all sunscreen is the same. You want one designed as a “broad-spectrum,” it will protect you from all types of UV rays which are the damaging rays from the sun.
Also, look for a sunscreen that is designed for sensitive skin to prevent the risk of allergic reactions.
Every job has its ups and downs, and sometimes you just need a break. If that sounds familiar, take a day or week off and enjoy yourself outdoors. Just do it responsibly.
