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Enjoying Your Work Richard Brislin |
Move to Hawaii
is influenced by
different pull factorsWhen making the decision to move from one part of the world to another, such as from the mainland United States to Hawaii, people consider various push and pull factors.
If people identify reasons that make them want to leave a community, these are push factors that influence their decision. If they identity qualities of in a new community that are attractive, these may pull them to move, much like a magnet attracts metal. In last week's column, I discussed various push factors. Here I will discuss various pull factors based on discussions with newcomers to Hawaii over a 30-year period.
People are attracted by a variety of pull factors. Some find Hawaii's climate inviting. Others enjoy the air quality and say that they can frequently smell a faint scent of flowers when they breathe deeply. Philosophically inclined people say that the miracles of nature they see in Hawaii influence their spiritual outlook on life. Physically active people find the opportunity for year-round sports inviting. Participation in some of these sports, such as surfing and scuba diving, is difficult or impossible in many parts of the world. Older people find that they can take a long walk almost every day of the year, in contrast to communities where icy sidewalks make walking difficult. People with intellectual interests find it attractive to become involved in Asian and Pacific Island cultural activities.
Pull factors become complex as people get older and become involved in romantic relationships. Take the example of a young married couple living in Wisconsin, Mike and Heather. Heather may be pulled by an attractive job in Hawaii that allows her to use her hard-earned Japanese language skills. She may also be happy to trade slogging through winter slush for year-round opportunities to pursue her interest in triathlons.
When making the decision to move, many couples face the predicament that there is a job offer for one person but not the other. If this is the case and the couple decides to move, Mike will achieve a status known as "the trailing spouse." He will arrive in Hawaii and will start a job search, hoping to land a position consistent with his education and previous job experience.
If the trailing spouse in unable to find an attractive job, this presents problems. If the two are committed to each other and want to stay together, they face a difficult decision.
Should Mike accept work for which he is overqualified, hoping to move to a better position in a few years? Or should the couple leave Hawaii, searching for a community where they can both find jobs consistent with their ambitions?
If companies in Hawaii want to keep an especially productive employee, its executives are wise to help with job placement for the trailing spouse. Executives can work with the spouse, taking advantage of their local networks and knowledge of the job market, to contribute to pull factors that will influence people's decision to stay in Hawaii.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of
human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Given the amount
of time people spend at work, job satisfaction should ideally be high and
it should contribute to general life happiness. Enjoyment can increase as
people learn more about workplace psychology, communication, and group influences.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration,
University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the
College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu
