I have worked for several companies, some of which were fortune 500 companies. However, my favorite job was the one that paid me the lowest, the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, at Kroger. This to me proves that more money is not equivalent to job happiness. Why was Kroger my favorite place to work when the other companies paid me a lot more money? Kroger offered me the following:
- Effortless Work
Every day at work seemed like I was playing my favorite video games, FIFA or Madden. It was effortless. Nothing seemed forced. I knew my job and was motivated to do it right. Even when certain things didn’t go as planned, I knew it wasn’t because I sucked at it.
- Benefited Customers
To hear customers genuinely appreciate me for doing my job made my days extra short at work. Direct customer interactions made my work feel like I was contributing positively to my community. Therefore, face to face human interactions made my job fun!
- Flexibility
At Kroger, my schedule was never the same every week. I closed some days and I opened some other days. Taking time off work was not something I feared because I knew that I wouldn’t find the work I left waiting for me upon my return to work.
- Leadership
Transparent communication from top-down made my work so much easier. I knew what I was expected to do every day. Leadership asked for my feedback on what was working and not working well, and they acted upon my suggestions. I felt valued and respected. I could relate to my leadership team because they were hands-on type of leaders. Whatever I was doing, I knew they could do it too.
- Diversity
They picked a diverse group of employees. It was fun learning about the Middle Eastern, American, and European cultures. Employees usually spent time together outside of work, which strengthened our relationships at work.
In summary, I would say, never choose a job for money alone. Look at the culture of the organization first. Progress, flexibility, happiness, peace of mind and loving what you do are more important than money.
David Mushimba's Blog 