Variety key to job satisfaction, says new study

LONDON: People who are given greater variety and independence in their jobs feel both less stressed and more satisfied, according to findings which suggest that several management practises designed to make employees more efficient also make them happier.

Employees are also more likely to be happy when management readily shares information and consults with them, according to a release from the University of Leicester.

Stephen Wood, Professor of Management who led the research, said: "The way jobs are designed has a huge impact on employees' sense of happiness at work. But this is in danger of being neglected, at a time when people are worrying about unemployment, job security and the fairness of large salaries."

The research measures two separate forms of well-being: anxiety and job satisfaction.

It tests to see whether either is different in workplaces where executives practise what management gurus call "high performance work systems": boosting performance by giving people greater involvement in their own companies.

This includes granting employees more variety and autonomy - what Wood calls "enriched jobs".

It also includes "informative management": telling people more about changes in their company, including staffing and its overall financial performance.

Another example is greater consultation between bosses and employees where both sides can put forward their views: "consultative management".