Job Satisfaction = Productivity = Profitability

We typically spend about one third of our life at work. We also spend more waking hours outside of the home (excluding those who work from home). Wouldn’t it be nice to spend those hours happy, feeling rewarded and validated?

Validation for giving up our precious time for the benefit of others is something that we all yearn for. It gives us a sense of pride and gratification knowing that our time is valuable, and the company acknowledges this and appreciates us for it.

Job satisfaction is defined as the extent to which an employee feels self-motivated, content & satisfied with his/her job. Job satisfaction happens when an employee feels he or she is having job stability, career growth and a comfortable work life balance.

Feeling motivated, content and satisfied with your job is beneficial to both you and the company. Chopra shares the 5 key factors to job satisfaction which are 1) Engagement 2) Respect, Praise and Appreciation 3) Fair compensation 4) Motivation and 5) Life satisfaction.

Being unhappy in a job has a negative flow on effect throughout both our work life and home life. Productivity declines and motivation decreases. When staff are happy, productivity increases which also increases profitability. That should be the number one focus of every company.

Having had 3 part time jobs, over the past 5 years, that left me feeling undervalued and underappreciated, I developed a list of questions to ask during future interviews to determine if the company is the right fit for me.

Hopefully, these questions can help you do the same.

Quite often we are just so excited to get shortlisted for an interview that we forget to use the opportunity to read between the lines of the job description and identify if the position is something we would be happy doing.

Not only that, would the workplace be somewhere where we are excited to be in and feel valued and appreciated?

 Here are some questions to ask during an interview:

1.      What form of feedback do you give staff and how often do you give it?

2.      Are you open to receiving feedback?

3.      How do you handle conflict in the workplace?

4.      How do you boost staff morale?

5.      Will the remuneration reflect experience and skill set?

6.      Do you provide performance appraisals and pay scale reviews? If so, how often are these carried out?

7.      How did this position become available?

It is also a good opportunity to speak to staff who are currently employed by the company to get honest feedback about the type of workplace it is and what the environment is like. That way you can determine if you would enjoy being part of that environment as well.

Job satisfaction is vital for our health and wellbeing. We are less stressed and more motivated to succeed. Be sure to use your next interview to your advantage. Good Luck.