Job Satisfaction: Passion‘s Nice but Pebbles in Your Shoes Often Matter Most

Andrew Traynor, Pharm.D., BCPS - Professor and Assistant Dean for Experiential Education at the University of Minnesota - and Brent Reed, Pharm.D., BCPS - Associate Professor at the University of Maryland and Doctoral Student in Organizational Sciences at UNC Charlotte - talk to us about job satisfaction.

Key Lessons:

• Autonomy, mastery, and purpose contribute to our motivation and energy level ... and increase our sense of satisfaction from our work.
• Finding your "why" and being passionate about your work is helpful but doesn't account for the small, everyday things (tasks) that make the work fulfilling. 
• The job demands-resources model helps to explain why some jobs are more satisfying (or conversely dissatisfying) than others.  Do you have the right resources to meet the challenges and hindrances in your work?
• The pebbles in your shoes can really make a big difference in terms of your satisfaction with your job.
• Job satisfaction is not just about individuals learning to be more resilient and productive but it's also about the organization addressing the hindrances and providing sufficient resources to meet the demands of the work.
• High employee turnover and customer dissatisfaction can be "red flags" that the work environment may be problematic.
• Being self-aware - understanding your strengths and values - is important to finding employment that's a good fit.
• Try to get/set realistic expectations when entering a new job by getting an honest "preview" of the work.
• Job crafting can help an employee shape the work to make it more satisfying — finding new challenges, removing hindrances, and seeking resources.