Nearly eight out of every ten employees are satisfied with their jobs, and say benefits, compensation and work/life balance are the most important factors, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

In 2004, about four in ten safety and health pros said they were satisfied with their jobs, according to ISHN's annual White Paper survey.

In SHRM's national survey, women and workers younger than 35 report work/life balance as the most important component to their overall job satisfaction. Men say work/life balance is the fourth most important component to their overall job satisfaction, and workers 56 years old or older do not rate work/life balance as one of their five most important components to their overall job satisfaction.

Some factors of job satisfaction are universal, according to SHRM, such as compensation and benefits. But HR pros contend more important factors contribute to job satisfaction: relationships with immediate supervisors, management recognition of employee job performance, and communication between employees and senior management.

Although employees did not rate these items high on their list, HR pros know that when problems exist in these areas, employees note these factors as reasons for leaving, according to SHRM.