Page 454 - Understanding Psychology

career: a vocation in which a person works at least a few years
Industrial/organizational psychologists explore what factors con- tribute to job satisfaction. This research is important because low job sat- isfaction is associated with high rates of employee absenteeism and turnover, which leads to lower productivity. Job satisfaction is simply the attitude a worker has toward his or her job.
Some workers may seek high salaries, pleasant working conditions, and low-pressure jobs, while others may be concerned only with finding personal fulfillment at work. Most workers, however, have both econom- ic and personal goals. One study (Quinn et al., 1971) identified five major sources of work satisfaction.
1. Resources: The worker feels that he or she has enough available resources—help, supplies, and equipment—to do the job well.
2. Financial reward: The job pays well, offers good fringe benefits, and is secure.
3. Challenge: The job is interesting and enables the worker to use his or her special talents and abilities.
4. Relations with coworkers: The worker is on good terms professionally and socially with colleagues.
5. Comfort:Workingconditionsandrelatedfactors—hours,traveltoand from the job, work environment, and so on—are attractive.
Changing Careers
Some theorists predict that in the future, people will change their career—a vocation in which a person works at least a few years—several times in their lifetimes. People today live longer than ever before, and so they have a longer work life. It is not uncommon for a person to retire from one job at the age of 60 or 65, then embark on a new career as a real-estate
440 Chapter 15 / Stress and Health
Work Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction
For a third person work means training severely handicapped children to use their muscles to grasp a spoon, to gesture in sign language, and perhaps to take a few steps. The job is often depressing and frus- trating, but there are also moments of intense per- sonal satisfaction when a child makes progress. The point is that each person’s work experience is different and each person reacts dif- ferently to a job as a result of his or her own personality.
Figure 15.15 Adjusting to Work
Entering the world of work can cause excitement, but it may also lead to disappointment. How might submitting a report at work be different from submitting a report in class for a grade?
Dilbert reprinted by permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.