Patricia M. Trainor, J.D.
Legal Editor

The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) announced the results of its 2009 Job Satisfaction Survey on the first day of its 61st Annual Conference and Exposition.

SHRM's job satisfaction survey is designed to gather information on 24 aspects of job satisfaction, divided into four topics: career development; relationship with management; compensation and benefits; and work environment. The 2009 survey reflects responses from 550 randomly selected HR professionals who are SHRM members.

The majority of employees (58%) report that the current economic recession has no effect on their overall job satisfaction. However, a majority of employees also ranked job security as the top factor in workplace satisfaction.

• Job security (63%)
• Benefits (60%)
• Compensation pay (57%)
• Opportunities to use skills and abilities (55%)
• Feeling safe at work (54%)

Unlike previous years, the 2009 survey showed more agreement between HR professionals and employees on the elements of job satisfaction. For HR professionals, the top five factors of job satisfaction include:

• Job security/relationship with supervisor (72%)
• Benefits (69%)
• Communication between employees and senior management (66%)
• Opportunities to use skills and abilities (62%)
• Management recognition of employee job performance

What were the least important factors for employees' job satisfaction? These included career development and networking opportunities, paid training and reimbursement programs, meaningfulness of the job, and an organization's commitment to a “green” workplace.

Source: HR.BLR.com