Broadly, gainful employment refers to an employment situation where the employee receives steady work, payment from the employer and that allows for self-sufficiency. In psychology, the term refers to a positive psychology concept that explores the benefits of work and employment. Second only to personal relationships, work is the most important determinant of quality of life. Over 7855 articles were published on job satisfaction between the years 1976 and 2000. Positive psychology's emphasis on gainful employment has increased the amount of recent publications on gainful employment and its impact on quality of life and illnesses like depression. Present measurements of employment emphasize decreasing the unemployment, as opposed to increasing gainful employment. Positive psychology argues that gainful employment is a necessary component of living a fulfilled life, noting its positive impact on identity, social support, purpose, and challenge.
Components of gainful employment Gainful employment is characterized by the following nine components: 1. Variety in duties performed - A lack in variability can lead to presenteeism, in which the employee physically goes to work, but becomes unproductive or discontent due to boredom with repetitive work activities. If the tasks at work are varied, satisfaction comes more easily. 2. Safe working environment - Safe working conditions must be ensured by the organization and its managers. The work setting must also be healthy and supportive, so that employees feel safe in their roles. 3. Income for family and oneself - Income is necessary to support oneself. However, data does not show that people who earn more money are more gainfully employed than those who earn less. 4. A purpose derived from providing a product or service - An individual may derive purpose in life from the work that he or she completes. Many individuals describe their work as a calling, or in other words, “a vocation to which the employee brings a passion—a commitment to the work for its own sake”. 5. Happiness and satisfaction - Enthusiasm and attitude at work. There must be a close match between an individual's activities and his or her knowledge, skills, and attitudes. 6. Positive engagement and involvement - An individual must have a sufficient amount of work to complete, have the necessary knowledge and resources in order to complete the work, and have the opportunity to perform and grow as a result of that work. Warr reported that the most gainfully employed individuals work in settings where the skills of the employee match the skills required for the assigned tasks. 7. A sense of performing well and meeting goals - An individual must believe that he or she is capable of performing well at work and exceeding the goals that he or she set. In order to perform well at work, employees should strive to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, and Timely) goals. 8. Friendships at work - Positive companionship has been proven to lead to fewer accidents, more engaged customers, increased achievement, increased job satisfaction, and increased productivity. 9. An environment that respects and appreciates diversity - Racial and ethnic diversity are increasing rapidly in today's workplace. In order to increase diversity, managers may utilize “diversity management” in which they use a variety of management techniques in order to augment the positive outcomes that are linked with diversity in the workplace.
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