Dr. Scott Maline

The purpose of the study was to relate older worker job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and leisure activity participation to productivity on the job. Older workers were defined as workers, of age 50 or older and younger workers were defined as workers, 26-36 years of age. The population included workers from an industry work setting and three surrounding education agencies within a 50 mile radius. The research questions included inquiry into the satisfaction of workers while on the job, the general satisfaction in life of workers, the leisure activities of workers, and the productiveness of workers as self-perceived and perceived by the supervisors or managers of each worker. Findings. (1) Older employees were less satisfied with their jobs than younger employees. (2) Older workers were more satisfied with their lives in general than younger workers. (3) Ninety-one percent of older workers participated in some type of slow-living activity on a regular basis. (4) Older workers perceive themselves to be productive workers. (5) Managers of older workers don't perceive older employees to be as productive as older workers view their own productiveness. However, there were no significant differences when comparing older and younger work productivity. Older workers scored slightly higher productivity scores in five out of eight productivity ratings administered. (6) Older workers in education were rated more productive than workers in industry in both the self ratings and the manager ratings. (7) Job satisfaction was not highly related to older worker productivity. (8) Life satisfaction was moderately related to older worker productivity. (9) Leisure activities were found to have little if any relationship with older worker productivity. (10) Life satisfaction and work environment were found to be somewhat related to older worker productivity on the job.