Dive Brief:

• More U.S. workers feel good about their jobs today than at any other time since the recession kicked into high gear, according to the latest Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
• The survey, released April 28, 2015, found that 86% of U.S. employees reported overall satisfaction with their jobs in 2014, an improvement of 5 percentage points over the year before. The last time the SHRM survey recorded job satisfaction that high was in 2009.
• The top contributor to job satisfaction cited was respectful treatment of all employees at all levels, rated as "very important" by 72% of respondents, followed by trust between employees and senior management (64%), benefits (63%), pay (61%) and job security (59%).

Dive Insight:

Speaking to SHRM Online, SHRM researcher Christina Lee said an improved economy might give organizations the flexibility to add professional development opportunities, do more hiring, promote more employees , offer pay raises, offer more or better benefits and focus on retaining workers.

“An improved economy may give workers the confidence to seek out opportunities that they wouldn’t have before,” she told SHRM Online. “This might increase job satisfaction as workers find positions that better fit their needs, whether it is advancing their career, more pay” or other benefits.

Lee added that the survey demonstrated that while money is important, corporate culture and workplace relationships are held in higher esteem by workers.