Of course, work is also where most of us spend much of the day and is an important source of socialization, he says. “ Our careers are such a foundational part of our identities and how we think about ourselves,” says psychologist Jim Harter, PhD, one of the book’s co-authors and a chief scientist for workplace management and well-being at Gallup. These disengaged workers also reported higher stress levels than happy workers and were at greater risk for heart disease and other health problems due to spikes in the stress hormone cortisol, which boosts blood pressure and blood sugar levels and suppresses the immune system. Unhappy employees in the study not only dreaded the work day, but they were also twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression.
#Citation in scientific workplace 6 series
Worker discontentment is taking a huge toll on quality of life both inside and outside the workplace, according to a series of studies examining overall life satisfaction globally and published in the book “Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements” (Gallup Press, 2010).Įmployees who said they like their jobs are twice as likely to be thriving in their lives overall - reporting strong relationships, effective money management, good health and engagement in their communities - as those who are disengaged and unhappy at work. While Slater’s actions were clearly extreme, his outrage sheds light on the importance of employee health. In one of the latest dramatic acts of employee disgruntlement, in August, JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater - in frustration over a passenger hitting him in the head with a bag - cursed into the plane’s loudspeaker, grabbed a beer and exited the aircraft by deploying the emergency slide.