Pittsburgh Ranks No. 5 For Happiest Workers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- "Career Bliss" says Pittsburgh comes pretty close when it comes to actual career bliss.
The work-place website looked at responses from 36,000 employees between November 2011 and November 2012, determining which cities have the happiest workers. Pittsburgh is ranked no. 5.
Emmanuel Fuller works for Highmark in downtown Pittsburgh. He commutes from Washington, Penn. every day to his job. He says there are a number of reasons why he loves what he does.
"It's autonomy being able to decide what it is they want to do each day," Fuller said, "not following a rigid schedule, not having tight management supervision."
It turns out those are some of the 10 factors workers were asked to evaluate in terms of workplace happiness. It also includes employees' relationships with their bosses and co-workers, work environment and compensation, but there are many factors that make people happy at work.
For 29 years, Rick Schaldenbrand of Brookline worked in and around Pittsburgh.
Schaldenbrand said there are many things at play which make Pittsburgh special.
"When you have good schools, good transportation and good sports teams and things like that, it makes it a lot easier to go to work," he said. "And I think if you are working today, you should be just happy that you are working."
KDKA's Rick Dayton spoke with a number of people around Pittsburgh.
He found that whether someone works downtown in a skyscraper for a Fortune 500 company or for a start-up in Squirrel Hill, the thing he heard time and time again about being happy at work was -- the people they work with.
"Most people innately want to help people," Karen Dysert of Robinson Township said. "When they feel in their job that they are helping other people, in different ways and not just what they do at work, it makes them happy. It fulfills you."
Shari Pakravan lives downtown and works for a law firm as an attorney. She says she likes her job "because of the people I work with and what I do."
"I am a medical malpractice defense attorney, I like my boss, they respect me and I respect them," she said. "I travel often and they allow me travel time and vacation time and paid time off. I think it's the mutual time off and mutual respect that your employer gives you and you give to them."
Pakravan has lived in Pittsburgh for the last two years after growing up in Los Angeles. The only thing she says she'd like to change about her adopted hometown is the lack of sunshine.
Dayton, Ohio earned the top spot for happiest workers, while Boulder, Colo. is at the bottom of their list, largely based on career opportunities and compensation.
Top five happiest cities for workers (from CareerBliss):
1. Dayton, Ohio
2. Knoxville, Tenn.
3. Honolulu, Hawaii
4. Memphis, Tenn.
5. Pittsburgh, Penn.
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