WORKING conditions and office relationships matter more than a good pay cheque to keep workers happy.
Psychologists at the University of Portsmouth have found pay is less of an issue for employees who have a good quality working life, so long as the wage is seen to be reasonable.
They found the physical working environments are more important in k
eeping staff happy, in terms of buildings, equipment, comfort, as well as travelling time and parking.
Work relationships also have a greater impact than stress levels. The findings come after years of research into 15,000 public sector employees.
The psychologists have now launched a company called QoWL and developed a new tool, called Work-Related Quality of Life, to help firms recruit.
QoWL director Alan Bradshaw said: 'Stress may be less important than people think. General well-being, working conditions, management support and relationships appear to be more important factors than stress in determining quality of working life.
'For office environments, practical issues tend to be particularly important.
'The impact of pay on quality of working life appears to be complex. Further research will be undertaken.'
Mr Bradshaw added that employees with more autonomy often chose to work harder.
The full article contains 209 words and appears in NS-City newspaper.
