27. I agree that job satisfaction is an important factor in determining whether a
r l0 P$ ]' p0 }% X: w% a$ Fcompany will be successful in the long term. However, other factors typically play just . {) V+ f, I D' c& H- q; T
as vital a role in the ultimate success or failure of a business. At the same time, job
" L( o4 V7 F5 C: j* Zsecurity is becoming decidedly unimportant for many employees and, in any event, 5 M: W8 u. u) h& r2 C
often leads to substandard job performance.- w! g5 J7 S( ~2 `7 D7 ^! q, k* m
I agree that business success is more likely when employees feel satisfied with 1 H# p' v) w0 f* `
their lobs. Employees who dislike the workplace or their jobs are not likely to reach
- r# A- j2 @ ~+ z' |; otheir potential performance levels; they may tend to arrive late for work, perform their
0 @/ U* T8 n2 i" Q# n; _; l- _tasks in an unimaginative and sluggish manner, or take excessive sick leaves.
* k. N& S" P" W- |! L" F. E5 uNevertheless, a firm's long-term success may equally result from other factors such as + _5 o" K: d+ v9 [6 r8 G
finding a market niche for products, securing a reputation for quality products and 2 g: f8 G' Y! g0 o0 p* W* l G
services, or forming a synergistic alliance with a competitor. This list hardly exhausts all " m! c2 I& j6 `; _
the factors that can contribute to a firm's ultimate success, and no one of them—" ~) p4 y' e b; Y) s1 b
including job satisfaction—is pivotal in every case.
0 f5 W" {+ I' _0 o% }& C. S While job satisfaction clearly boosts employee morale and contributes to the
7 M, u% X% ?4 z( i( Qoverall success of a company, the same cannot be said for job security. Admittedly an 9 O( q7 L7 L0 O: e" r6 U0 P
employee worried about how secure his or her job is might be less creative or . F) {5 e7 p" r& y( {/ r
productive as a result. By the same token, however, too much confidence in the security 1 Y0 `. a9 {$ G' [" j( U; {
of one's job can foster complacency, which, in turn, may diminish employees' creativity / `9 N# @- R- Z" G
and productivity. Moreover, many employees actually place job security relatively low . @* w7 T7 d. e' S, O1 ~: x4 n
on the list of what they want in a job. In fact, more and more workers today are + Z; N5 U0 w( a$ l+ V3 X( G/ R
positively uninterested in long-term job security; instead, they are joining firms for the & I* }/ n+ ~0 ^
sole purpose of accomplishing near-term professional goals, then leaving to face the
8 U; i) C5 j- n+ v- y# U3 Z" v+ `; ~+ ]next challenge.
6 d, \3 ?4 G. M To sum up, the claim at issue overrates the importance of job satisfaction and
. E2 r- _ L! I0 G! f8 S U$ \security by identifying them as the key factors in a company's long-term success. Job 8 i/ C, X# u; \% E- E) `1 ]2 t
satisfaction among employees is very important, but it is not clearly more important
& N6 a8 y3 m" @7 L3 V# d7 ~than many other factors. At the same time, job security is clearly less important, and " H# a- x7 g4 r6 g) W
even unimportant in some cases. |