The next time you close a sale, take note of what generates the adrenaline-fueled release of feel-good endorphins once the deal is finally closed. If it’s only dollar signs and a heftier paycheck, you may not really be getting as much out of your job as you think.
After analyzing the results of life satisfaction surveys that correlate life satisfaction with four aspects of job satisfaction—trust in management, variety in assignments, occupying a position that requires a high level of skill, and having enough time to complete projects—University of British Columbia economists John Helliwell and Haifang Huang found that happiness with one’s job has a greater monetary value than simply making money, CNNMoney.com reports.
For example, an increase in trust in management might raise your satisfaction one point on a 10-point satisfaction scale, which is about the same amount of happiness that a 36 percent raise would bring. By contrast, moving from the bottom to the top of a payroll bracket will only boost happiness by less than one point. Increasing the variety of projects you’re assigned equals a 21 percent raise, while a 10 percent salary boost increases overall satisfaction by only a fraction of a point.
I don’t know about you, but I dropped the money-buys-happiness attitude as soon as I left a less-than-desirable job and became a poor college student. If the cobwebs on my checking account were a sign of anything, it was that I was too busy enjoying life to notice the new, expensive jeans sitting in storefront windows.
Where’s the lesson in all of this? Love what you do or do something else. Apparently, success isn’t measured by the dollars you raked in on that last big deal; it’s the trust and competency you feel while on the job. Managers: When was the last time you gave your salespeople a happiness raise? A satisfied sales team is a more productive one.
Stephen Covey weighs in on why money isn’t the only thing that keeps people motivated.
Comments