3. Work and Life Satisfactio

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3. WORK AND LIFE SATISFACTIOHaving thought about who and where you are in terms of your career and life so far,the next step is to reflect on the amount of satisfaction and dissatisfaction you arecurrently experiencing. Satisfactions can be clues to what is important to you andwhat you may want to preserve and retain . Dissatisfactions, on the other hand, canprovide clues to what in your career or life may need changing. This is not to saythat you can achieve everything you desire, because constraints - both intemal andexternal - will limit everyone's range of choice. Frequently, however, we limit ou rthinking by focusing so directly on the constraints operating on us that we achieveless than we might.

3.1. Work stage

Look again at your review of your work experience and at your lifeline (Activit ies 3and 4). Now note whether your various work positions may have moved through aseries of stages. It is usually possible to identify four stages:First stage - a ne w challengeThere is a lot to learn in an y ne w jo b . There will be a lot of n ew people to meet an dget to know, the nature of the work has to be understood, the procedures andprotocols have to be discovered, new skills need to be leamed or existing onesdeveloped, technical knowledge needs to be acquired, the lines of command andprocedures need to be teased out. It is likely to be very demanding andchallenging, probably exciting but perhaps also anxiety-provoking. You are havingto work very hard.Second stage - gett ing thereDepending on the unfamiliarity and complexity of the new situation, you begin togain competence as the weeks and months go by. You get to understand thenatures and foibles of your co-workers, to know to whom to tum for particular helpor knowledge, and to develop the required skills and become familiar with thesystems and procedures so that, while stili leaming, you are beginning to do thework competently.Third stage - full competenceNow you are on top of the job . You can give a polished and (seemingly) reasonablyeffortless performance. You understand the inter-relationships between all thedif ferent aspects and know what to do and how to handle whatever crops up.However, it has probably ceased to be a real challenge, even though you might wellbe enjoying your own expertise and the appreciation of your competence by others.Fourth stage - over the humpBy now the work may be routine, fairly predictable, no longer stimulating. You havethe choice either to remain and coast along or to seek ways of regaining some

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challenge, either by extending and enlarging your present work, by moving on to anew position, or by turning your energies into activi ies outside work.* PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

Have these stages shown up in your work experience/lifeline? Again , you may fndthere are patterns. It may be that all your jobs have 'peaked out' after two years. Orperhaps you have been stuc in the fourth stage of a job for some time. Whateveryou discover, you can use this informa ion in your future career decisions. t alsoillustrates that the process is dynamic; the work which is 'right' for you , which ischallenging and enjoyable at one stage, may have lost its savour a couple of yearslater.3.2. Work and well being

To round off the examination of what has given you job satisfaction ordissatisfaction you may find it helpful to reflect on some research findings about thefeatures of work which have been found to be associated with satisfaction and wellbeing. It is suggested that there are nine main factors and that, while fo r some ofthem a certain minimum is essential (the level depending on the individual), and thathaving more of it may add to enjoyment, for others there is an optimum range in thattoo much can be as bad, even if in a different way, as too little. The factors are:

Availability of moneyClearly, inadequate income causes many problems and dissatisfactions. Physical securityProtection from physical threat and the provision of food , shelter etc in order tomaintain physical well-being. Opportunity fo r controlSimple repetitive closely-controlled work is generally very dissatisfying butconversely having a high-level of responsibility e.g. being the managing director orthe person 'where the buc stops' can be stressful. Opportunity to use skil lsMost of us derive pleasure from using and developing our skills and competences.However, having very high level complex skill demands made upon us repeatedly

can be stressful. Externally-generated goalsHumans function best when they have some 'work' to do: i.e. there are demands tobe met, targets to be achieved, challenges to rise to. Again , we all have our ownoptimum level of demand. VarietyIndividuals differ in the amount of variety they prefer but it is stimulating to havesome change and variation in the work environment. Environmental clarityBeing in a work situation which is ambiguously defined and has unclear boundariescan give rise to much uncertainty and conflict. Equally, however, being in a verytightly-defined job can feel very constraining.

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Opportunity for in t rpe onal contactEveryone's gregariousness and need for contact is different, but most of us enjoyand get satisfaction from being able to interact with others, either chatting andexchanging news over coffee or collaborating within a working team. Valued oc i I po itionMost of us like to be thought well of , to be held in some esteem or respect byothers. We can gain respect in many ways through our various roles and positionsin the community, but one key aspect is usually our work position and how it isviewed by ourselves and by others. For work satisfaction it is important that youshould feel there is some match or appropriateness between your contribution andthe position which you hold.

Here is a checklist to explore some sources of job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Readthrough it and, in the light of the descriptions provided above, rate the various aspects inrelation to your current or most recent job by putting a mark on the appropriate place oneach line.Availability of moneyJ -&- -I--- ~ __L_ _Too littlePhysical security

Adequate Very well paid

J ~ __J '__ ........... _Too littleOpportunity fo r control

About right Too safe

J -'-- ----' _

Too littleOpportunity to use skills

About right Too much

J ~ '___ ........... _Too littleExternally-generated goals

Too little

About right

About right

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Too much

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Variety

Too littleEnvironmental clarity


JI-- ~ _.._ ___.... _Too little About right Too muchOpportunity for interpersonal contact

Too littleValued social position


J - - - -+ - - - . . . . - -- -+ -- --+ _Too little

* PAUSE FOR THOUGHTSatisfactory Too much

Take time to reflect on this activity. Does it clarify key sources of satisfaction anddissatisfaction in your current/most recent job I and hence begin to suggest eitherthe nature of the work. you would like to do or the type of organisation you wouldfeel most at home working for?3.3. The importance of work

Another element to consider in the jigsaw is just how important work is to you.People differ in how central a part work plays in thelr lives . Sometimes this is freelychosen and in others it is imposed by circumstances. Some people choose to behighly ambitious and workaholic; others avoid positions which will regularly erodetheir own leisure time. Others however may find that they have got sucked into aposition which dominates their lives to the detriment of their family life; they wouldideally choose something that gave them a better balance between work and homelife. It is important that you are clear about your own ideal. The followingquestionnaire can help you.

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Study the statements below, rating each for how true a description it is of you on thescale : 5 - Absolutely true; 4 - Generally true; 3 - Neither true nor untrue; 2 Generally untrue; 1 - Totally untrue. Try to avoid too many 3s.Rating

1 I always aim high in my work [ ]2 My ambit ion is not necessarily to get to the top [ ]3 I set myself difficult goals to achieve [ ]4 I do not like to let work disturb my social life [ ]5 I want to do well at whatever I am doing [ ]6 Being a success in life is not too important to me [ ]7 I like being seen as dedicated to my job [ ]8 I don 't like to set my sights too high [ ]9 Work always comes before pleasure [ ]10 People wouldn't describe me as very ambitious [ ]ScoringAdd up the scores of the odd-numbered questions =Add up the scores of the even-numbered questions =Subtract the even total from the odd total =

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Plot your score on the line :IoI I I I I - _ ~ _ I __ I I I+20 +15 +10 +5 -5 -10 -15 -20

The further to the left your score, the stronger your ambit ion. At the extreme leftyou would always put work first, would aim high in your achievements and perhapsbe seen as 'workaholic'.At the extreme right you would subjugate work to your social life, lack concern aboutgetting on in your career and might be seen as 'laid back'.

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A central pos ition shows a balance between work and leisure, some concem to dowe ll and progress but not allowing work to dominate you .Finally, reflect on how you have come out. How does this feel? Would you like tochange your scale position or is it right for you?

* PAUSE FOR THOUGHTNow is a good point at which to review what you have discovered so far. Sections 2and 3 have concentrated on g'ving you prompts and frameworks for reflecting onyour past. As you may be discovering, there is value in taking the time to do this asyou approach a major life decision. The past and present provide the context inwhich you can look towards the future. Look back to Activity 1. Are you gettingwhat you want out of these activities? Examine the notes you have made in yourcareer file. Reconsider how accurate you think they are and adjust them ifnecessary. As you mull them over so you may begin to gan more insights orrealisations about your own nature. Your discoveries might be to do with your skills ,abilities , talents , competences; or with your beliefs, attitudes , ambitions, needs,drives, values; or to do with your personality, temperament or way of dealing withthe world. On the basis of this review, ask yourself "Am I aware of any changes Imight like to make in my present job, in my other activities, or in my life generally , tomake things more like I would prefer them to be?"It can help a great deal , rather than simply thinking through the questions above, tohave someone else with whom to talk through your answers.

* CAREER FILEMake a note in your career file of any insights gained.

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3. Work and Life Satisfactio