If you have a job in Cleveland, OH, there’s a high likelihood your workplace sucks.
But those of you lucky enough to have a gig in Raleigh, NC, are probably heading into the workday with a smile on your face and a skip in your step.
At least those are the findings of a new Gallup/Healthways poll. Do your neighbors love or hate their workplaces?
The survey looked at a host of factors, compiled into what Gallup calls the “Well-Being Index” — basically the average of six factors — life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities.
The work environment factor was the one I keyed into:
“citizens in Raleigh were much more likely than those in Cleveland to say they were satisfied with their jobs, they had a positive relationship with their supervisor, they were able to use their strengths at work, and they found their workplaces to be trusting environments.”
Based on the poll we should all be heading West. San Jose, CA, got the highest score of any major metropolitan area.(See charts below)
And you probably want to stay clear of Cleveland, of course. And I know Sin City may be calling your name lately, but the poll puts Las Vegas at the top of the well-being bottom list.
I know, you may live in Vegas or Cleveland and love what you do, and feel your well-being-o-meter is high; and maybe some of you in San Jose are grousing about your lives. But the poll offers an interesting snapshot of what many people in these cities are feeling.
The key to this survey and to well-being overall, seems to be how people feel about their economic realities. Both Nevada and Ohio are hurting when it comes to job creation and hiring.
Where do you live and what’s your economic well-being index doing lately?


February 16th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
I am from San Jose and am sort of shocked that we’re on top. I haven’t noticed any substantial changes since the economy went into a slump. If we are number one on the well-being index, ill take it as a good sign. Though I am happy at my current job, I still have noticed other parts of San Jose that are suffering like the educational institutions. A lot of the schools and colleges, like San Jose State University are still taking hits from budget cuts. Hopefully every cities score increases in the next year or so.
February 16th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
I think that surveys like this should be taken with a grain of salt. They choose participants randomly, and you never know if they got a particularly glum or happy bunch. And it depends on the day. I was very hopeful yesterday but today I’m sort of feeling negative. These are surveys after all.
Survey:
• an investigation of the opinions or experience of a group of people, based on a series of questions.