Working in Modern Society - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The transition from traditional to modern work has brought many changes in industrial systems, which are used in enlightening present problems and patterns. Work in America has great influence beyond its borders and most people in other countries have migrated to this country in search of investment and employment. Factors that are influencing the modern workplace are service oriented economy, increased productivity demands, and proliferation of global markets. It is very important to understand the changes in the workforce because they have relative impact on the employee’s motivation (Zafirovski, 2009). To understand an individual’s work ethics and work habits, it is very important to consider the extent to which employees like their jobs. A research, which was done earlier in 1930s, and 40s indicated that job satisfaction is important in assessing the behavior of the workforce. A portion of the current researches done is questioning the impact of job satisfaction on productivity. A larger portion of available data suggests that job satisfaction influences employee absenteeism, turnover, and commitment. Job satisfaction has remained one of the main tenets of organization theory. Many people claim that it is a fundamental understanding of workforce dynamics. Some people claim that job satisfaction does not have any direct effect on productivity, but they recognize the potential indirect impacts of satisfaction on productivity measures. An overall American workers report shows very high levels of satisfaction with their current jobs. In a survey conducted in 1999, nearly 89% reported that they were satisfied with their current jobs. In addition, the survey indicated that 55% of the workers were very satisfied. Such findings of high job satisfaction are not new in United States. Another survey (General Social Survey) has been conducted by NORC since 1972 (Carroll, 2000). The percentage of workers satisfied has been ranging between 80% and 85% and the average of those very satisfied ranges between 45% and 50%. CSRA survey of 1999 shows higher results of satisfaction than those of GSS of 1998. This is not seen as a surprise when compared to high level of public confidence and current unemployment rates in the nation’s economy. American workforce is not monolithic because demographic characteristics of the workforce are diverse and many different kinds of jobs exist. American workers differ based on structural factors associated with their workplace, qualitative factors related to their jobs, and demographic characteristics. Generally, 55% of men and women in CSRA survey reported that they are satisfied with their jobs. Older workers tended to report a high level of job satisfaction when compared with younger workers. The survey indicated that 57% of workers between 30 to 49 years, 58% of workers between 50 to 64 years, and 61% of workers between 65 years and above were very satisfied with their jobs. On the other hand, 48% of the workers between 18 and 29 years are satisfied with their jobs. The differences noted between these groups include income level, but it was not determined by only age. The level of education attained did not lead to any differences in job satisfaction (Reeve, 2006). When the data is determined by race, it shows a slight difference in percentage between the white and non-white workers. Among the white, 56% were very satisfied while 50% of non-white were very satisfied. Higher income workers showed high levels of satisfaction with their jobs at 59% while lower income workers at 47%. The survey indicated that self-employed were very satisfie ...Download file to see next pagesRead More