Hourly workers happier, research says

Research from Stanford University suggests that workers who get paid by the hour are happier than salaried employees because they see a clear link between output and reward.

“To the extent that time becomes like money and money becomes more salient, the linkage between how much you earn and your happiness increases,” said Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Pfeffer collaborated with Sanford DeVoe of the University of Toronto to study American and British surveys of income. A summary of the research published by Stanford said hourly employees know the worth of each hour of work, think about their income regularly and begin equating the value of their time with their degree of happiness.

This link between hourly wage and self-worth or satisfaction seems to affect off-the-job thinking as well.

Associated Press