Office Workers See Decline in Life at Work : Workplace: But the U.S. remains tops for a white-collar job among major nations, a survey shows. Japan has the least-happy employees.

A growing number of American office workers believe that the quality of their work life is declining, but the United States remains the best place for a white-collar job among leading industrialized nations, a global survey shows.

Despite its reputation as one of the best countries to work in, Japan has the least-happy office workers among surveyed nations, according to the poll released Tuesday.

The poll was conducted by Louis Harris & Associates Inc. for Steelcase Inc., a leading office furniture manufacturer headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich. The pollster said it was based on interviews with office workers and executives in 15 countries.

Surveyed U.S. office workers who feel “very satisfied” with work inched up to 43% this year, compared to 42% in 1978, the first year the survey was conducted.

But nearly twice as many, or 26%, say the quality of work life has suffered, compared to 12% in 1978. The number feeling a connection between their job and life goals fell moderately to 53% this year from 62% in 1978.

Despite their disenchantment, working Americans are more satisfied than their counterparts in any other surveyed nation, including members of the European Economic Community and Canada.

Bringing up the rear, only 17% of Japan’s office workers feel very satisfied at work, compared to 28% in EEC nations, 39% in Canada and 43% in the United States.

In addition, the survey showed, 63% of Japanese office workers say their firms try to continuously improve the way things are done, compared to 65% in EEC nations and 80% in the United States and Canada.

“Many of us think of the Japanese as leaders in total quality management and participative management,” Louis Harris, chief executive of the survey firm, said in a statement. “But that doesn’t seem to have transferred from the factory floors into the offices of Japan.”

The telephone survey was conducted from January through April of this year and all respondents were adult, full-time workers.

The breakdown of office worker respondents included 1,008 in the United States, 1,449 in the EEC, 1,000 in Japan and 250 in Canada.