With Valentine's Day right around the corner, the Kenexa Research Institute, a division of Kenexa, a global provider of business solutions for human resources, researched, "What makes an employee passionate about his/her job?"

Having passion for one's job is defined by the extent to which employees are excited about their work, feel a sense of personal accomplishment, are extremely satisfied with their organisation, believe they have a future at their organisation, and rarely think about finding a new job.

The latest results indicate that 53% of employees in the United Kingdom feel passionate about their jobs, compared to the global rating of 56%.

Employees in India (72%), Brazil (63%), Canada (60%), and the United States and Germany (59%) report the most passion followed by those in Saudi Arabia and Russia (58%). Workers in Italy (48%), France (47%) and Japan (41%) are the least likely to feel passionate. 

Employees in the United Kingdom report that they are passionate about their jobs when their skills and abilities are put to good use; they have an opportunity for development; they can meet career objectives and still devote time to personal obligations; they have confidence in the company's future; and they are recognised for their work.

The intensity to which employees are passionate about their jobs varies among different jobs types. In the UK, senior/middle managers (60%) report the most passion for their jobs followed by professional/technical workers (58%), supervisors (53%), clerical workers (50%) and salespeople (47%). Service and production workers (43%) report the least amount of passion.

Having passion for one's job also varies notably across industries in the UK. Workers in the hi-tech industry (56%) are the most passionate, followed by those in the healthcare services (55%), financial (51%), government (50%) and retail (46%) industries. Those in manufacturing (45%) report the lowest levels of passion.

Brenda Kowske, research consultant at the Kenexa Research Institute, said: "Similar to romantic passion, workers won't put up with a miserable relationship for long. As the economic outlook continues to improve, it will increasingly become important for leaders to 'play cupid'. Elevating an employee's passion for his/her job will keep employees happy and committed, even when other attractive opportunities come their way."

The results originate from an analysis of the WorkTrends(tm) database, an annual survey of worker opinions from the Kenexa Research Institute.

Are you passionate about your work? If you are, what is it about it that really makes you tick? Did you discover this passion or did your passion lead you to your job? We'd love to know…

For more information on the survey, please call Kenexa on 020 8585 2345 or visit www.kenexa.com