Abstract
An investigation, was made of workers laboring under extremely high noise exposures, and a control group of employees subjected to normal factory noise. Through socio-metric studies and personal interviews, the administration of a scale especially devised to test job perception as a function of ego-involvement in work, and a review of illness-absence rates, injury rates, and frequency of dispensary visits, it was demonstrated that the Study Group, subjected to the highest noise levels and the most hazardous operational conditions, had a significantly higher level of morale than the Control Group, which labored under conditions which would appear to be far more advantageous. It was concluded that adverse factors such as noise and other disagreeable or even dangerous working conditions, do not determine morale or affect behavior on the job, but rather that high morale results from the worker's perception of his working conditions and his degree of ego-involvement in his job.
