American Employees are the Happiest They've Been in Years An annual survey from the Society for Human Resource Management shows that job satisfaction is at its highest percentage in a decade.

American workers are the happiest they've been in quite some time.

In fact, job satisfaction is at its highest percentage in 10 years, according to recently released results of an annual survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

The organization found that 88 percent of employees are "satisfied overall with their job" (37 percent reported being very satisfied, and 51 percent somewhat satisfied).

"What a difference a few years -- and an improved economy -- make in how workers view their jobs," Evren Esen, director of SHRM's survey programs, said in a statement. She added that job satisfaction has been on an upward trend in recent years.

What do employees care about most when feeling satisfied at work? "Respectful treatment of all employees at all levels," according to SHRM. In fact, 67 percent considered it the most important feature. Others included compensation and pay, overall benefits, job security, opportunities to use skills and abilities, and trust between employees and senior management.

"As the economy stabilized after the recession, employers began to focus again on factors that impact retention and employees found flexibility to seek out more compatible positions if they were ready to move on to new challenges," Esen said. "The result: workers are happy with their jobs."