One area of work for Human Resources professions across the globe involves going out in the field to study jobs, which sometimes involves gauging how well people like their assignment.  I am always surprised at the differences in job satisfaction reported from one incumbent to the next in jobs that have the very same duties and responsibilities.

Let us take the following story which I came across, and see where we might fall in this scenario: 

A Human Resources professional went out in the field to determine how laborers felt about their work.  In this story it was an HR person who went to a building site in France.  (Try reading this to yourself with a French accent, it gives the story more flavor.)

The HR professional approached the first worker and asked, “What are you doing?”

“What are you, blind?” the worker snapped back.  “I am cutting these boulders with primitive tolls and putting them together the way the boss tells me.  I’m sweating under this blazing sun, it is backbreaking work, and it is boring me to death.”

The HR staffer quickly backed off (that’s what they teach us in HR school) and retreated to the second worker.  The HR person asked the same question:  “What are you doing?”  The worker replied, “I’m shaping these boulders into useable forms, which are then assembled according to the architect’s plans.  It’s hard work and sometimes it gets repetitive, but I earn five hundred francs a week and that supports my family.  It’s a job.  Could be worse.”

Somewhat encouraged, the HR person went to the third worker.  “And what are you doing?” the HR staffer asked.  “Why can’t you see?” beamed the worker as he lifted his arms to the sky.  “I’m building a cathedral!” 

Attitude truly is in the eye of the beholder.

Although, Riverside County is not in the Cathedral building business in the Coachella Valley (we leave that up to Cathedral City), we do have a number of building trade and maintenance related positions in the Desert coming up for our Facilities Management Department: 

Air Conditioning Mechanics                  up to $52,415.79

Building Maintenance Workers             up to $36,955.15

Grounds Crew Lead Worker                up to $42,850.29

Grounds Workers                                 up to $33,596.78

Maintenance Electricians                       up to $49,714.08

Maintenance Painters                            up to $45,169.07

Maintenance Plumbers                          up to $51,570.90

Sr. Building Maintenance Workers        up to $40,216.59

We will have more information on the DESERT JOBS – “Now Hiring” page in the next few days, but if you don’t already have a resume in our “Job Match” candidate database, please go ahead and submit it so you will be available for any position that comes up.