There are a lot of factors that employees take into consideration when gauging how happy they are with their job situation. One of the more influential ones is salary, as positions that are highly compensated bring added freedom to pursue some of the finer things in life.
However, based on the results of a recent survey, there may be something to the notion that money doesn't buy happiness.
Just 22 percent of employed adults said that the amount of money they made had the biggest impact on their overall level of contentment in their professions, according to new polling data conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion, a staffing services firm.
In many instances, respondents said that they'd be open to settling on circumstances that made them more comfortable, if they knew that by doing so it would make them happier. For example, more than three-quarters of workers said they'd be at least "somewhat willing" to have an office space that wasn't as private. Additionally, 6 in 10 said they'd be alright with a job that wasn't as flexible, requiring that they work more regimented hours, if doing so improved their level of contentment. Right about the same percentage said they'd accept a lower status position within a company.
Sandy Mazur, Spherion president, indicated that during the first survey the company performed, the biggest takeaway from that one was workers' being willing to put their careers on the line for love. But happiness factors into various sacrifices employees are often open to if it leads them to being more content with their current situation.
"Employers have a unique opportunity to capitalize on these findings and offer small, but meaningful, opportunities that can help workers be happy in their current roles," said Mazur. "And, that can pay big dividends for the employee and the employer."
Other factors that influence happiness
It's hard to pinpoint one issue that employees place as being the most important of all factors that go into being satisfied with their professional careers. For example, roughly 20 percent of respondents said they had to work in a position they were passionate about to be truly happy, Spherion revealed. Roughly 15 percent said job security played into their satisfaction and 13 percent said the work environment or culture played a role.
For the most part, though, workers are sanguine about how things are with them at their area of employment. More than 9 in 10 in the poll – 92 percent – said they were at least "somewhat happy," with more than half saying they were "very" or "extremely" happy, according to the poll.
Job seekers – particularly those who already have a job but are interested in pursuing something different – have their own set of priorities that factor into their employment decisions. Just 13 percent said they would compromise on employee benefits, like health care, in an effort to land a position with another company, according to separate polling data from career management firm Monster.
