How important is job satisfaction to you?

[Colleen27]

Sorry for the off topic question but I thought you had posted here that you went back to school for an IT degree and we're working in that field. Am I mixing you up with someone else?

Either you have me mixed up with someone else or got details crossed from my old posts - I worked in IT before becoming a SAHM. It was the "safe" (better paying/more jobs) choice I made at 18, under a lot of pressure from my mom to choose something more lucrative/stable than journalism, but I didn't love and sometimes hated the work (depending on where I was working - I did short-term contracts for the first couple years and the people/office made all the difference in whether the job was tolerable or miserable). When I first went back to school I did consider updating those skills or focusing on a different area of IT - web design or programming, rather than networking & hardware - but ultimately decided to go for the degree I really wanted instead.

 

[teller80]

I personally don't know anyone who would stay at a job they hated no matter how bad they need money. Would you

I've washed dishes in a dive bar in order to pay bills. I know there are MUCH worse jobs that that, but yes, people do what they have to do to pay bills.

 

[Skywalker]

I think you need to be happy in a job in order to stay. No ones going to stay at a job they hate no matter how great it pays.

Are you joking? I hate my job. My husband hates his job. All of my friends buy lottery tickets so they can quit their jobs. Or dream of ideas of businesses to run instead of going to their jobs. But, we stay because the money is good and we have bills to pay and want to live a decent life. What dream world is this where you live that everyone loves their jobs? Tell me so I can move there.

 

[Shelley Chiarats]

I agree that responsible people work in jobs they don't like because they have bills to pay.

But I am a firm believer that if you hate what you are doing or where you are at and do nothing to improve your situation then you are choosing to be miserable.

As long as you don't also make those around you miserable then it is your choice. If you believe that work should be suffering so that you can better enjoy not being at work then that is your prerogative.

But if you are constantly complaining and not working as hard as others around you then that is not right. We are not the ones that got you into the position where you feel that being miserable and getting paid is better than finding something else.

I am quick to tell miserable people that if they are not happy then they should leave. I am a production planner so I work with entry level production folk all the way up to company Vice Presidents. It is not fair to anyone for a miserable person to spend their time making those around you miserable.

I think the person who said a lot of the time it is not WHAT you are doing but WHO you are doing it with that makes a world of difference.

 

[morgan98]

I agree that responsible people work in jobs they don't like because they have bills to pay.

But I am a firm believer that if you hate what you are doing or where you are at and do nothing to improve your situation then you are choosing to be miserable.

As long as you don't also make those around you miserable then it is your choice. If you believe that work should be suffering so that you can better enjoy not being at work then that is your prerogative.

But if you are constantly complaining and not working as hard as others around you then that is not right. We are not the ones that got you into the position where you feel that being miserable and getting paid is better than finding something else.

I am quick to tell miserable people that if they are not happy then they should leave. I am a production planner so I work with entry level production folk all the way up to company Vice Presidents. It is not fair to anyone for a miserable person to spend their time making those around you miserable.

I think the person who said a lot of the time it is not WHAT you are doing but WHO you are doing it with that makes a world of difference.

OK, I'll bite...

I, for one, never said that I do not put forth an effort at work. I am there 50+ hours a week, am engaged in all meetings and I am a high performer. But, I am not going to lie. I am not living the dream. It is called discipline to be able to turn it on when you need to. I do not make people miserable.

However, I am not giving up my job so I can make $12 an hour and worry how to pay the bills.

And you sound like a real joy to work with if you are judging everyone and telling them they need to leave, even if it is not your job to do so...

 

[gillep]

I think you need to be happy in a job in order to stay. No ones going to stay at a job they hate no matter how great it pays.

Not true. Right out of college I took a great paying job at an ophthalmologist's office that allowed me to work just 4 days a week, I was shocked that I got the job because it really paid very well, and I had zero experience, but felt fortunate that I had lined up a job in the city I would be moving to in advance of that move. Well you know that saying 'too good to be true', yeah, I should have known better. This office was a revolving door of help because the ophthalmologist was verbally abusive to his staff, he worked us crazy hours, we hardly ever got a chance to eat our lunches, and he would freak out at you if you went to the restroom more than twice in a 12 hour shift. It was miserable, but I needed the money, so I stayed until I found a job at the school where I was getting my graduate degree, although I made less at that job I got 98% tuition reimbursement so it was actually better financially, and I would have stayed longer if I hadn't found something else that would pay as much. I needed to have a job and bring in money, especially since we were living in a high cost of living area, there very few other options that would allow me to make that kind of money and offer the hours I needed to continue going to school given the minimal experience that I had.

 

[ronandannette]

I think you need to be happy in a job in order to stay. No ones going to stay at a job they hate no matter how great it pays.

I personally don't know anyone who would stay at a job they hated no matter how bad they need money. Would you

Yep - I'm now 12 years in and "looking forward" to 20 more. I'll never like the work; it's impossible to like. I also don't care whether or not DH enjoys his work. I'd be very, very upset if he chose to leave a job that put his satisfaction above our provision. That said, liking our work just isn't even a criteria for us in a happy life. I think @tvguy put it best when he said some people work to live - we're those people. We're actually both very grateful for our sucky jobs because they haul the freight financially for the things that really are personally fulfilling.

 

[MolonLabe]

There is always a trade off. I'm in a position now where I enjoy my work and I feel I'm compensated fairly. That hasn't always been the case obviously.

The OP has a great point, showing up for work at walmart to do a a mindless job like being a cashier or stockman and making $12 an hour vs being an EMT and making $12 an hour are miles apart. I should know, I've done both.

For the short time I worked retail (I preferred being a waiter), when I clocked out, I went home and that was it. Stress while on the job? lol, yeah ok. When I was a FF/EMT when my shift was over, work would occasionally follow me home and I'd lose sleep some nights/days and when there was stress, there was stress.

Working as a straight EMT vs walmart for the same or nearly the same pay? No having to do any continuing education on my own time or any real stress? Yeah, I'd take the walmart route too.

First, this is a new development, and it is often said that change comes from "the bottom up". So hopefully wages will increase proportionally.

The only ones helped by a minimum wage increase is the IRS, they get more taxes. Everyone else, like the EMT's, nurses aides and anyone else making $15-30 an hour take it in the shorts because the cost of all those goods they need to survive go up. The minimum wage folks break even because the raise is eaten up by taxes and higher priced goods and services.

Second, retail employees should earn far more than what they had been. It is a nightmare to deal with some people (look at the Christmas Tree Thread for evidence).

You can't pay someone more than they produce. It's simple math, you want super cheap walmart prices and selection you have to pay cashiers walmart pay.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I agree that responsible people work in jobs they don't like because they have bills to pay.

But I am a firm believer that if you hate what you are doing or where you are at and do nothing to improve your situation then you are choosing to be miserable.

As long as you don't also make those around you miserable then it is your choice. If you believe that work should be suffering so that you can better enjoy not being at work then that is your prerogative.

But if you are constantly complaining and not working as hard as others around you then that is not right. We are not the ones that got you into the position where you feel that being miserable and getting paid is better than finding something else.

I am quick to tell miserable people that if they are not happy then they should leave. I am a production planner so I work with entry level production folk all the way up to company Vice Presidents. It is not fair to anyone for a miserable person to spend their time making those around you miserable.

I think the person who said a lot of the time it is not WHAT you are doing but WHO you are doing it with that makes a world of difference.

I get what you’re saying about people who are miserable at work and are vocal about it and constantly complain about it. It’s like “misery loves company.”

I like where i work. There was a woman there that openly hated it and would complain all day long. To the point that management spoke to her about. I also told her once or twice to leave if she hated it so much. Since along with her complaints she would state how she could get a better job with better pay.

She eventually left, hated that place and called the same week asking for her job back. Management told her no. Actually our director told her since you were so miserable here we don’t think it’s a good idea for you to return.

Once she left the office the office had a completely different vibe. It’s like a weight was lifted off of all our shoulders.

 

[MamaBelle4]

You can't pay someone more than they produce. It's simple math, you want super cheap walmart prices and selection you have to pay cashiers walmart pay.

How much profit did the Walton family make last year? The CEO? Etc? The cashiers aren't the ones who are making more than they're worth.

Let's not pretend that a relatively minor pay increase will cause the $1.97 toilet paper to increase to $4.00.

 

[MolonLabe]

How much profit did the Walton family make last year? The CEO? Etc? The cashiers aren't the ones who are making more than they're worth.

Let's not pretend that a relatively minor pay increase will cause the $1.97 toilet paper to increase to $4.00.

1,400,000 people. That's how many people walmart employs.

If Walmart gives every single employee a $1 raise per hour that's an extra $2,912,000,000 dollars a year in payroll costs based on a 40 hour work week per person.

Walmart's CEO made $25,600,000 last year. Where does the other 3+ billion dollars come from? I say 3+ billion dollars because Walmart not only has to pay the extra $1 per hour, it has to pay additional taxes based on that extra dollar on everything from matching social security contributions to workers comp payments.

So yes, you are right, the cost of that TP may not go to $4. It might go to $8 unless they fire a ton of employees and replace them with machines... oh wait, they already are.

 

[Allison]

I think you need to be happy in a job in order to stay. No ones going to stay at a job they hate no matter how great it pays.

Of course they are and do.

 

[StephMK]

Both DH and I feel that job satisfaction is important. At different times, we have each made career choices to more closely align with our interests and job satisfaction. There is some balance with being able to pay the bills.

Ideally, he’d work PT on a golf course but for now, he’s working in his degree field now and happy minus the typical minor job complaints. My ideal would be something PT but I am very proud to work with my students, despite the job stress.

 

[MamaBelle4]

1,400,000 people. That's how many people walmart employs.

If Walmart gives every single employee a $1 raise per hour that's an extra $2,912,000,000 dollars a year in payroll costs based on a 40 hour work week per person.

Not all of those employees make minimum wage, thus not subject to this raise.

Also, Walmart notoriously does not hire cashiers and other employees as full time to ensure they won't have to pay benefits.

Walmart's CEO made $25,600,000 last year. Where does the other 3+ billion dollars come from? I say 3+ billion dollars because Walmart not only has to pay the extra $1 per hour, it has to pay additional taxes based on that extra dollar on everything from matching social security contributions to workers comp payments.

And the Waltons and other execs? $3.2 billion per year in dividends for the Waltons. While their employees are working 38 hours (hey now we don't have to pay benefits!) and paid as little as possible.

And the bottom line is if they thought it would hurt THEIR bottom line, they wouldn't have chosen to do this wage increase. They raise the prices, it hurts their bottom line.

 

[MolonLabe]

Also, Walmart notoriously does not hire cashiers and other employees as full time to ensure they won't have to pay benefits.

I've got no particular love for walmart and the only times I can remember setting foot inside one over the last few years has been while in Orlando on vacation. I would suggest that changes in full time vs part time workers are due directly to, and happened at the same time as, increased government regulations and mandates. You are looking at the symptom, not the cause.

In any event, Disney CEO makes 46 million per year in comparison. Yet here we all are planning our vacations.

I think the take away here is that if you think you can build a better mouse trap, be it a theme park or a huge chain that sells discounted merchandise, and pay your workers more, feel free to go start that business.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I think the take away here is that if you think you can build a better mouse trap, be it a theme park or a huge chain that sells discounted merchandise, and pay your workers more, feel free to go start that business.

I never said the Waltons weren't wildly successful business folk. They are.

Does not mean they treat their employees well. And to assume a willing wage increase will drastically increase the price of products in store is a tad bit of an exaggeration and off topic of this thread. As such, I'm not going to engage in this conversation any longer to avoid driving the thread further off topic.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

In re to the last several posts, I read an interesting article this morning about WalMart's strategy.

A lot of it has to do with not only trying to improve it's image, but competition from places like Amazon and Target.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/01/12/walmart-raises-wages-again.aspx

 

[aprilgail]

Not important at all- I don't live to work- I worked a job that sucked for 30 years, hated it but it was only 8 hours out of my day 5 days a week- it allowed me to retire at 50- they pay my medical benefits for the rest of my life and give me a pension check the 1st of every month- can't ask for more than that!

 

[MolonLabe]

I never said the Waltons weren't wildly successful business folk. They are.

Does not mean they treat their employees well. And to assume a willing wage increase will drastically increase the price of products in store is a tad bit of an exaggeration and off topic of this thread. As such, I'm not going to engage in this conversation any longer to avoid driving the thread further off topic.

Willingly and forced are two different things, I was speaking to the latter. I agree though, so I'll end it with a quote from Pea-N-Me's link:

CEO Doug McMillon explained, "We are early in the stages of assessing the opportunities tax reform creates for us to invest in our customers and associates and to further strengthen our business, all of which should benefit our shareholders."

"Walmart's move follows similar announcements from other blue-chip companies like AT&T and Wells Fargo, which paid out bonuses in celebration of the new tax law."

In re to the last several posts, I read an interesting article this morning about WalMart's strategy.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/01/12/walmart-raises-wages-again.aspx

 

[Gumbo4x4]

1,400,000 people. That's how many people walmart employs.

If Walmart gives every single employee a $1 raise per hour that's an extra $2,912,000,000 dollars a year in payroll costs based on a 40 hour work week per person.

Walmart's CEO made $25,600,000 last year. Where does the other 3+ billion dollars come from? I say 3+ billion dollars because Walmart not only has to pay the extra $1 per hour, it has to pay additional taxes based on that extra dollar on everything from matching social security contributions to workers comp payments.

So yes, you are right, the cost of that TP may not go to $4. It might go to $8 unless they fire a ton of employees and replace them with machines... oh wait, they already are.

I think that's the thing people forget when they make comparisons between the CEO's and entry level workers - the math. Yes, the gap is outrageous & those at the bottom may not be paid fairly. No argument.

But, the notion that you could slash the CEO's pay and use that money to do something meaningful for the entry level workers just isn't so. Spread over the entire workforce, that would be a meaningless increase.