How Job Satisfaction Leads to Career Satisfaction

On a day-to-day basis, job satisfaction measures the level of contentment employees feel for their work. Do they enjoy their projects? Do they feel a sense of accomplishment? On a broader scale, career satisfaction represents how individuals feel about their lifelong trajectory as a professional.

Upon retirement, workers should be able to look back at a lifetime of satisfying work. For that to become a reality, workers need to determine how to be happy in the short term. The future holds no guarantees, but consistent contentment in the short term does increase the chances of long-term fulfillment.

Long-term goals, short-term flexibility

Today's workers want to be able to enjoy their work and their free time. We spend 40 hours or more each week at the office, which is a considerable part of our lives. A job that makes employees unhappy is likely to drive them away. No one wants to spend 5 days a week feeling miserable.

HR leaders can promote job satisfaction by providing more opportunities for flexibility. Employees with a stable work-life balance are able to seek fulfillment in other areas of their lives, allowing them to come to work feeling fresh and ready to take on the day's challenges.