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As we have discussed in previous posts, it should no longer be a surprise that people seek more from their employer than “just a paycheck.” A preponderance of evidence shows that ‘good work’ means satisfying an employee's psychological needs.
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A recent Gallop Great Job Study created a job quality index composed of worker’s importance and satisfaction ratings on ten workplace characteristics:
- Level of pay
- Stable and predictable pay
- Stable and predictable hours
- Control over hours and/or location (to work flexible hours or work remote)
- Job security
- Employee benefits (healthcare, retirement)
- Career advancement opportunities (promotion path, learning, new skills)
- Enjoying day-to-day work (good coworkers, managers, pleasant environment, manageable stress level)
- Having a sense of purpose and dignity in work
- Having the power to change things about your job that you are not satisfied with.
Study participants were asked to rate the importance of each characteristic and then to rate their satisfaction with their own jobs, both on a five-point scale.
A ‘good job’ was then defined as one with an importance-weighted average of 4; a ‘mediocre job’ as one with an importance-weighted score less than 4, but above 3. A ‘bad job’ has a score at or below 3. The study found 40% of American workers are currently in ‘good jobs’, 16% in ‘bad jobs; and 44% in ‘mediocre jobs.’
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These job quality scores correlate with how workers view the quality of their lives overall. 79% of workers in ‘good jobs’ evaluate their quality of life as high compared to 63% in ‘mediocre jobs’ and only 32% in ‘bad jobs.’
Beyond the moral case for creating ‘good jobs’, there is also a strong business case. Higher employee satisfaction yields higher productivity, increased retention, reduced costs, and time.
While the Gallop study showed that higher-income workers are more likely than their lower paid counterparts to say they enjoy their day-to-day work, have a sense of purpose at work, and have the power to change things they’re not satisfied with, it does not mean that these job characteristics are not important for lower-income workers.
The data indicates that not all of this is inherent in the job type. Some people even in the most repetitive and low wage jobs find meaning and purpose. A 2015 McKinsey study showed that at all income levels, the most important factors determining job satisfaction were interpersonal relationships and an interesting job.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was both right and wrong. It recognized that people have many desires in addition to basic needs such as water, food, and shelter. It assumed however, that belonging, and self-esteem become relevant only after these physical needs are met. Modern research has shown that these needs exist in parallel and that a person’s well-being can be enhanced by good social relationships.
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All jobs have the potential to inspire, as illustrated by the classic story of three bricklayers working at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London:
Three bricklayers were working on a scaffold, each with different levels of motivation and speed. Each was asked, “What are you doing?”
The first bricklayer, seemingly least satisfied with his position, said “I am a bricklayer. I’m working hard laying bricks to feed my family.”
The second, slightly more engaged replied “I am a builder. I am building a wall.”
The third bricklayer, the one working with the greatest amount of purpose said, “I am a cathedral builder. I am building a great cathedral to The Almighty.”
Today's leaders can create this same sense of meaning by emphasizing and reflecting with employees on the contribution that their organization is making to their community and the role their job plays.
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Employers should consider ways to improve the working experience of lower-income employees: Start by Appreciating that all people, at all levels of the organization are looking for more than just money and Recognize that worker’s circumstances may be very different than your own. Analyze how effectively psychological needs are currently met in each part of the organization. Then Identify how they can be better satisfied. Act to improve company culture, behaviors and working practices with input from employees. And, finally, Monitor and Evaluate the results and continue to Act.
A great story of how all this might play out with an individual employee can be found in John Dryer’s Industry Week article, Want to Achieve Real Improvement? Don’t Blame the People.
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Leaders can best accomplish this by creating a healthy organization in which the leadership team is aligned on what is important and how to get it done, communicating consistent messages, and embedding clarity into all management systems and interactions with employees.
Want to Learn to create such an organization? Join the next cohort of the SOS Essential Leader Master Class. Complete the Health Check and review your results on a Zoom with Susan.
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References:
- Allas, Tera and Brooke Weddle. “Meet the Psychological Needs of Your People - All Your People,” McKinsey Quarterly, June 2022.
- Dryer, John, “Want to Achieve Real Improvement? Don’t Blame the People,” Industry Week, July 26, 2022.
- Lencioni, Patrick. The Advantage: “Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business.” Jossey-Bass, 2012.
- Rothwell, Jonathan and Steve Crabtree. “Not Just a Job: New Evidence on the Quality of Work in the United States.” Gallop, Inc. 2019.
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