Job Satisfaction and Bad Jobs: Why Are Cleaners So Happy at Work?

Autor: Alexandre Léné
Přispěvatelé: Centre Lillois d’Études et de Recherches Sociologiques et Économiques - UMR 8019 (CLERSÉ), Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Zdroj: Work, Employment and Society
Work, Employment and Society, 2019, Work, Employment and Society, 33 (4), pp.666-681. ⟨10.1177/0950017019828904⟩
ISSN: 1469-8722
0950-0170
DOI: 10.1177/0950017019828904
Popis: Our analysis is based on the French DARES Working Conditions survey which contains a very large sample of individuals representative of the French working population. We demonstrate that employees working in the cleaning sector report significantly higher levels of satisfaction than the other employees. This statistical result is robust; it persists when we introduce a large number of control variables. This result is puzzling insofar as it is generally agreed that these workers hold ‘poor quality’ jobs: low pay, an abnormal pattern of work, arduous working conditions. We suggest that cleaners’ expectations and standards are influenced by an adaptation process. Their job satisfaction needs to be considered in the light of their past experience. Their employment history shapes their wants and needs and thus affects the way they evaluate their work.
Databáze: OpenAIRE