Last year Curtin University in collaboration with Making Work Absolutely Human (mwah.), delivered a report that suggested the average man can expect to spend half their lives working and the average woman 38 per cent. Twelve months later little has changed. Australians are expected to spend 20 billion hours at work this month. Yikes!
Why should we care about this when running a small business? A happy working environment where workers feel valued can increase levels of productivity and reduce the amount of human resources devoted to settling workplace disputes. People who report job satisfaction at work are shown to have higher numbers of positive relationships and business performance.
Are you happy in your small business? Let us know by commenting below or sending us a message here. Here are 10 fascinating findings from the report:
Job satisfaction is key
The job itself has the strongest relationship with overall job satisfaction, outranking all other job aspects including pay, job security and job flexibility. Many of us will spend 100,000 hours of our adult lives working so creating the right environment in your small business is a key element to a happier life for both you and your employees.
How many Australians are ‘very satisfied’ at work?
Just over 40 per cent of Australian workers report being ‘very satisfied’ with their job security and 36 per cent are ‘very satisfied’ with their flexibility to balance work and non-work commitments.
Hard-working Baby Boomers
People who continue to work after the age of 70 are likely to be doing so not out of necessity, but because they love what they are doing. One third of baby boomers say they are ‘very satisfied’ with their working lives (the same amount as the youngest age group, Generation Z, 33 per cent)
The salary ‘tipping point’
Australian’s who report being ‘very satisfied’ with the job tend to earn a lower average amount weekly than those who are ‘satisfied’ – $1,182 compared with $1,267.
Which state has the highest job satisfaction?
Tasmania has the highest job satisfaction and comes first in three job categories – the job overall, the job itself and job flexibility. More than a third (35 per cent) of Tasmanian workers report being ‘very satisfied’ with their working life.
Which states ranked last?
Western Australia and Victoria are ranked last when it comes to workers who are very satisfied with their job overall.
Happier in small business
“Australians who work for themselves or in small businesses, in the not-for-profit or government sector and workers that can do some of their work from home each week are more likely to be satisfied in their jobs,” says Associate Professor Cassells of Curtin University.
Gender job satisfaction
Women report being more satisfied with their working lives (32 per cent) compared to men (27 per cent).
Regional workers have more job satisfaction
Why are people happier at work in regional areas? Australian workers living in remote and very remote regions are ‘very satisfied’ with their overall job (38 per cent). This is compared to only 27 per cent of Australians living in capital cities who say the same.
38 hours working per week is ideal
Australians’ level of satisfaction with job flexibility and hours of work decline rapidly after 38 hours working per week. The difficulties of balancing work and other commitments increases the more hours you work. The average Australian woman works in a paying working role for 31 hours per week and men on average for 40 hours per week.
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