| Questions 172-174 refer to the
following article. Surveys have found that wages and benefits are not always the major determining factor for employees who are looking to move between jobs. David Bikowski is a case in point. Last year he was laid off from his production job at a factory where he had worked for close to eight years. After several months of searching for a new job, he found employment at another factory in a nearby town. Although he would earn $100 a week less in the new position than he did at his old one, he took the job. He has a family to support and couldn't afford to stay out of work much longer. Just a few months after starting at his new position, he received an offer to return to his old job at his old salary. Bikowski decided to turn the offer down. Why? Because, he says, he finds that his new workplace is much less stressful than the old one. "We've been able to get by on what I've been earning at Strathmore (his new employer), and I know I'll be getting the usual raises as time goes on," he explains. "And it's better for my family in ways that money can't pay for. I'm more relaxed when I get home, I have better quality time with my kids. That's worth more than money to me." Bikowski represents a growing sentiment among the country's workforce. More and more workers are looking for less stressful lives, sociologists say. Work conditions are often given equal weight with wages and benefits when job decisions are made. |