Wisconsin Builder | Job Satisfaction

Is job satisfaction an oxymoron?

Craig Capano is a certified professional constructor who works as engineering and support services manager for CG Schmidt Construction in Milwaukee. He spent seven years as a full-time faculty member and construction management program director for the Milwaukee School of Engineering and is an adjunct faculty member at Marquette University in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

Job satisfaction: Is that some sort of oxymoron? Does anyone truly feel fulfilled in his or her job? In today's precarious business environment, can employers provide — and employees find — job satisfaction? I think so. But it's not easy to do, especially because we all define satisfaction differently. What fulfils my day and brings me peace may be a chore or drudgery to you.

As members of the construction community, we are all lucky to have the true satisfaction of a finished job. There is no better feeling than to drive by a completed project and say, "I helped to build that." That outcome is satisfying, but how do we obtain the same satisfaction in our day-to-day activities?

As we watch the news and read the reports of where the construction industry is heading, we can't help but see the direction is not what it was just a couple years ago.

There is much debate on the severity of the downturn and where it will end, but there is no debate that our industry is suffering a decline in new projects and
startups. There seems to be tentative and guarded optimism for an immediate turnaround. However, for those who have been in this industry for more than 10 years, we all knew that recent times were unusually prosperous and that the cycle would turn — it always does.

Historically, the construction industry sees a seven-year cycle from up to down. We have been continuing on an upturn since the mid-1990s, so it's inevitable that a change and turn must follow.

With the changes in the industry, some employees are worried for their jobs and losing morale. They feel more and more pressure to stay later and work harder. But that's the worst mistake they can make. It only increases internal and external pressures on their time and can be unmotivating and lead to burnout and bitterness. Both employees and employers make that mistake.

The true way to overcome a downturn is by working smarter and more efficiently. We all know that a satisfied worker is a productive worker. But how do we define "satisfied," and what are companies doing to enrich and encourage greater worker productivity?

Increasing job satisfaction is important for its humanitarian value and for its financial benefit. As early as 1918, Edward Thorndike explored the relationship between work and satisfaction in the Journal of Applied Psychology. What he found was that employees with higher job satisfaction believe that the organization will be satisfying in the long run, care about the quality of their work, are more committed to the organization, have higher retention rates and are more productive. Companies need this type of employee — not a burnt-out pessimist — in order to tackle challenges.

There are many ways companies can encourage job satisfaction. First and foremost, they must realize that employees are different, and professional growth, development and satisfaction is a tailor-made thing; one size does not fit all. Some companies are using flextime, in-house universities, community service rewards, in-house town hall meetings and employee-centered activities to allow for self-paced learning and self-actualization of needs unique to each individual. All are designed to make employees a central theme in the organization and to give them an understanding of the company's commitment to good people.

We do face new challenges in the coming months and probably years. But companies that are truly focused on efficiency of business, such as modernization of process and employee job satisfaction, will be able to weather any storm.

So job satisfaction isn't an oxymoron as long as I determine and choose what satisfies me while knowing that the company keeps me informed and values my contribution. Doing this will also satisfy the company by maintaining satisfied, engaged and productive employees who help to improve bottom lines and solvency.