What Are the Top Drivers of Job Satisfaction for Hourly Workers?
To develop successful strategies to retain employees and maximize productivity, employers first must understand their hourly worker needs, while also recognizing these needs will vary. – Rick Webb, Director, Grit Studios
The results from the survey confirm we are in a strong labor market with abundant job opportunities for hourly workers. In our sample, 69 percent of hourly workers said they are likely to seek a new position in the near future, compared to only 50 percent of non-hourly workers. It’s no wonder job satisfaction is a key focus of workforce managers in nearly every sector of the U.S. economy.
We understand hourly worker satisfaction and retention are dependent on a lot of things, but which factors are more important to hourly employees than others? Our survey asked people about a number of aspects of work and how each of those factors contributed to their sense of happiness on the job. Below are the top five drivers of job satisfaction as reported by hourly workers:
Factors important for hourly worker retention and satisfaction

Seventy-seven percent stated work-life balance was a necessary factor to feel very satisfied with their job. This finding is surprising when you consider work-life balance ranks even higher than being paid well (66 percent), having a good working relationship with your boss (64 percent), working in a convenient location (62 percent), or doing tasks or projects you enjoy (58 percent).
It is interesting to note that for hourly workers, the idea of work-life balance means different things to different people. It is not necessarily about working a standard, forty-hour work week. Rather, it’s about aligning work with life, whatever that looks like at any given time. For some workers, that means working as many hours as possible to maximize income. For others, work-life balance may mean working certain days, or certain hours. For hourly workers, work-life balance is closely tied to how much control they have to manage their time.