Some people live to work, and others work to live. In most cases, this depends on the job they have and the conditions under which they are employed. In your opinion, what are the elements that make a job worthwhile?

In answering

this

question, I would like to look

first

at the elements that combine to make a

job

undesirable. By avoiding

such

factors, potential employees are more likely to find a

job

that is

more worthwhile, and by doing so, to achieve happiness in their

work

.

First

of all, it doesn't matter if you are an unskilled worker cleaning the floor, a semi-skilled blue-collar worker on a production line in one of the manufacturing industries, or a white collar worker at a bank, shop or one of the other service industries; if you lack career security, with the knowledge that you might lose your task at any time, you will never feel happy. Everybody would like a steady spot in which he or she is guaranteed

work

. Nowadays,

however

, companies have a high turnover of staff, hiring new staff and firing others on a weekly basis.

Such

companies are not popular with their workers. The same can be said about a

job

in which you are put under a lot of stress and worry, a

job

which is so demanding that it takes over your life, a

job

where you

work

unsociable hours and so never get to see your family or friends, or a physical

job

in which you do the same thing every day and end up with the industrial disease

that is

always in the papers nowadays - repetitive strain injury (RSI). With all these negative factors, it would be difficult to believe that there are any elements that make a business worthwhile. Money is, of course, the prime motivator, and everybody wants a good salary, but of course

that is

not all. The chance of promotion, of being given a better position in a company, is a motivating factor.

Likewise

, perks

such

as a free lunch or a company car, an incentive scheme to make you

work

hard

such

as a regular increment / pay rise above the rate of inflation, sickness benefit in case you fall ill and a company pension scheme so that you have some money when you retire all combine to make a

job

worthwhile. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find all of these. There is,

however

, an alternative. Forget the office and the factory floor and become self-employed and task for yourself. Your future may not be secure, but at least you will be happy.