New Report Shows Unemployment Is Better for Your Health Than A Bad Job

Online, March 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - A new report out of Australia shows that it may be better to be unemployed than to have a job that you hate. The Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University conducted a study with 7,000 to determine the effects work can have on mental health. The issues people face at work that led to the most negative consequences were low compensation, low recognition of their contributions or skills and little control. This data flies in the face of conventional belief that it's better to have any job than no job at all. The study emphasizes that "psychosocial job quality" is an important factor in job satisfaction and that it should be considered when a person is choosing a job.

Many employees also suffer at work from discrimination or workplace harassment, and studies show these workers also suffer negative consequences to their mental health. Many victims are unaware that there are laws protecting them from many forms of discrimination and harassment and many government agencies, such as the EEOC, which are there to help empower employees. A prominent Los Angeles employment attorney, David H. Greenberg, urges employees to speak out if they think there is wrongdoing in their workplace. He says, "Too many times, employees are fearful of reporting cases of discrimination or harassment at work. But they should know that in addition to laws protecting them against this type of behavior, there are also laws protecting them from retaliation by their employer if they report cases. They truly have nothing to fear."

Some of the more promising results of the study show that employees are happiest when they received fair compensation, felt that they have job security, had a certain level of autonomy and worked in complex jobs. Those people who were unemployed and found a good job increased their mental health scores by 3.1 points. However in stark contrast, those who took a bad job actually had their score fall by 5.6 points below the average. The rest of the team's findings are published in the Occupational Environmental Medicine journal.

For more information please contact:
Greenberg Law Offices- Employment Lawyers
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