Getting on well with colleagues is what gives people the greatest satisfaction at work, according to a study by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).
The study, with Amazing If and Triangirls, asked more than 2,100 workers to identify factors affecting job satisfaction and explored their career plans for the new decade. Some 77% of satisfied workers cite good relationships with colleagues as the most important factor in determining job satisfaction. Only 34% of people consider salary to be the most important determinant of job satisfaction, according to the paper New Decade, New Direction.
The research also highlighted a wide recognition of the importance of development. Training (43%) and coaching (36%) were considered important for career progression.
Opportunities for growth and development contribute to a sense of satisfaction, whereas their absence was identified as a key factor in job dissatisfaction. Expanding professional knowledge was voted the top career goal for 2020, according to 50% of all respondents. This was followed by getting better at leading and managing (36%), and then nearly one-third identified improving work-life balance.
Among ‘satisfied’ people, salary was the eighth most important factor in determining job happiness, but third among dissatisfied employees.
Kate Cooper, head of research, policy and standards, at the ILM, said: “This research reveals that it can be the less concrete factors, such as relationships, that can make the difference between someone enjoying their job or not – and potentially wanting to leave. At a time when mental health and wellbeing is high on the agenda and rightly being taken more seriously, it’s particularly encouraging to see the majority of people recognising the importance of having good relationships with their colleagues.”