Among the most popular articles on thefabricator.com is a series about Job Satisfaction that was written early in 2003. In December 2002, we surveyed “Fabricating Update” readers about how satisfied they were with their jobs.

We asked them to rate their job satisfaction for the year on a scale of 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). By all accounts, 2002 was a most difficult year. The job market was tight in many areas as companies scaled back to weather the 2001 economic downturn. Employers enacted wage freezes and, in some cases, wage cuts. Bonuses, employee development, and other perks were reduced or eliminated. As many workers suddenly found themselves without jobs, many others found themselves working harder and longer for less compensation and potentially less job satisfaction. (Sound familiar?) (more...)