job satisfaction essay

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Job Satisfaction

by Vince Tseng (Ballarat)

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Job Satisfaction Theory: 6 Factors for Happier Employees

But why is it important to think about job satisfaction? Why is it important to try and optimize it?

For one, most people spend the bulk of their waking hours at work. So it might come as no surprise that not enjoying our jobs can translate into general dissatisfaction with life.

But beyond the individual level, organizations are thankfully starting to recognize the importance of paying attention to employee satisfaction. Moral imperatives aside, doing so has been linked to productivity and a reduction in absenteeism (Steptoe-Warren, 2013).

This article will look at job satisfaction theories, how it arises, and what this means for performance at work.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Work & Career Coaching Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients identify opportunities for professional growth and create a more meaningful career.

This Article Contains:

6 theories about job satisfaction, 6 proven factors that affect job satisfaction, a note on job satisfaction and performance, increasing job satisfaction with our tools, a take-home message.

Before diving into an overview of job satisfaction theory, it first helps to consider how job satisfaction is defined.

While there are numerous definitions, the consensus is that job satisfaction is a multidimensional psychological response with three main arms: cognitive, affective, and behavioral (Weiss, 2002). We form attitudes toward our job by interpreting our feelings, beliefs, and behaviors.

Bear these domains in mind while the following six job satisfaction theories are described; ideally, a complete theory will address them all at some level.

1. Locke’s range of affect theory

With origins in organizational psychology , Edwin Locke’s (1976) range of affect theory is perhaps the most well-recognized model of job satisfaction.

Locke’s theory recognized the importance of how much people value different aspects of their job, along with how well their expectations are met. In short, our values inform our expectations, and the closer these are to reality, the more satisfied we feel.

For instance, if person A greatly values a work culture of teamwork and collaboration, while person B regards this facet neutrally, person A is more likely to feel dissatisfied if this expectation isn’t met by their job.

But Locke argued that too much of a good thing also  leads to job dissatisfaction. Taking the same example, if an emphasis on teamwork comes at the expense of time for solo work, person A (and person B) could have a negative experience of their job.

2. The dispositional approach

The next job satisfaction theory takes a different view. Outlined by Barry Staw and colleagues, the dispositional approach was formed in light of evidence that affective disposition predicts job satisfaction (Staw, Bell, & Clausen, 1986). They argued that people’s tendency to experience positive or negative emotions accounts for individual differences in job satisfaction.

Being limited by its largely empirical approach, the dispositional approach has faced criticism. Yet personality researchers have shown that personality traits remain largely stable over time, and the same is true with job satisfaction, even through different jobs and careers (Staw & Cohen-Charash, 2005).

Staw’s job satisfaction research stimulated spin-off theories. One of these is the Core Self-Evaluations Model, for which there is good evidence.

Researchers have demonstrated four self-evaluations mediating stability in job satisfaction, independent of job attributes (Judge, Locke, & Durham, 1998):

• Self-esteem: with higher levels linked to greater job satisfaction
• Self-efficacy: with higher levels linked to greater job satisfaction
• Locus of control: the tendency toward an internal rather than external locus of control is linked to job satisfaction
• Neuroticism: with lower levels linked to greater job satisfaction

3. The Job Characteristics Model

The Job Characteristics Model aims to specify conditions under which people are satisfied by their work and motivated to perform effectively (Hackman & Oldham, 1976).

With meta-analyses lending support for this job satisfaction theory (Fried & Ferris, 1987), it has become commonly used to examine characteristics of work leading to job satisfaction.

Five core characteristics have been reported, along with three psychological states acting as a sort of ‘gateway’ to satisfaction:

Source: Steptoe-Warren (Occupational Psychology, 2013, p. 174)

• Skill variety: As the name implies, this characteristic refers to the presence of different kinds of challenges at work.
• Task identity: The degree to which a job calls for completion of discrete, ‘whole’ pieces of work.
• Task significance: Whether the job has substantial impact on the lives/work of other people.
• Autonomy: The degree of freedom or independence the job provides.
• Feedback: How clearly an individual is told about their performance.

4. Equity theory

Equity theory was outlined in the 1960s by workplace and behavioral psychologist John Stacey Adams (1965). He posited that jobs involve a continuous assessment of how much ‘give and take’ there is between employer and employee.

The basic premise of this model is that job satisfaction and motivation result from a fair balance between an employee’s ‘inputs’ and ‘outputs.’

Here are some common examples of inputs:

• Skill level
• Enthusiasm for the job
• Supporting colleagues
• Personal sacrifice

Common outputs include:

• Financial compensation
• Recognition and reputation
• Job security
• Other intangible benefits

The greater the imbalance (or ‘inequity’) between the two, the less likely a strong, productive relationship will emerge between employer and employee. Besides, dissatisfaction can get worse if the ratio between inputs and outputs is deemed to be more imbalanced when compared to others.

This is what makes employees happy at work

5. The social information processing theory

This brings us to the next job satisfaction theory. As social creatures, human beings pay very close attention to the opinions and behaviors of the group. In other words, we’re not living in a vacuum.

Going back to theories of social comparison, people have a drive to look to others for information that helps generate a complete picture of themselves (Festinger, 1954). Couldn’t this also apply to job satisfaction?

Social information processing theory argues this case. With links to the sociological concept of ‘constructivism,’ it recognizes that people form a picture of reality by interacting with people around them.

According to this model, people might (consciously or unconsciously) scrutinize how their colleagues feel before deciding how they feel. As you’d expect, if coworkers feel positive about the work they do and the environment they’re in, a person is more likely to feel satisfied (Jex, 2002).

6. Self-determination theory (SDT)

Self-determination theory (SDT) emerged from the work of Edward Deci and Richard Ryan. As a macro theory successfully validated in many fields of intrinsic motivation and behavior, SDT is well placed to provide insight into job satisfaction.

In contrast with extrinsic motivation, where activities are pursued for an external goal, intrinsic motivation leads to the initiation of behavior for its own reward (Deci, 1971). This reward could be interest or satisfaction, for example.

According to SDT, people can assimilate extrinsic motivations into their core sense of self and value system, changing their behavioral framework.

On the back of this, three universal needs involved in self-determination have been recognized as essential to such integration: the need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

SDT has led to important insights about work motivation and factors related to job performance, which will be discussed further below.

As you read, you’ll likely notice many of them intersect. Different yet similar ideas often emerge, with many of them showing two-way patterns of cause and effect. This is due to concepts among various schools of thought overlapping.

1. Work that is engaging

A 2017 report from Gallup found that just 13% of the world’s workforce felt ‘engaged’ at work. But what does it mean for work to be engaging?

Engaging activities allow people to express their natural strengths and capitalize on their current skillset. Results from a large observational study of 60 career satisfaction studies spanning two decades (Todd, 2014) matched this line of thinking, adding that engaging work must provide a sense of ‘flow’ and hold the individual’s attention.

The study noted four other factors tied to job satisfaction in meta-analyses that make work engaging. You’ll notice these intersect with the Job Characteristics Model described earlier:

• Autonomy of work schedule/style
• Tasks are clear, with an obvious start and end point
• Task are varied
• Consistent feedback on performance is provided

2. Work that is meaningful

The same study (Todd, 2014) also highlighted that work entailing help or kindness to others can be a factor in job satisfaction.

While this makes sense because of our need for relatedness (as per the self-determination theory), evidence suggests the dimension of ‘meaningfulness’ of work may have explanatory power.

Despite difficulties pinning down a definition of ‘meaningfulness’ that can be applied across individuals and cultures, a large review found it to be an influential job satisfaction determinant (Rosso, Dekas, & Wrzesniewski, 2010). This study also found meaningfulness is linked to work motivation, behavior, performance, and engagement, along with personal fulfillment and even career development.

This makes sense at an intuitive level and dovetails with both the Job Characteristics Model and Locke’s range of affect theory. If the opportunity for positive, meaningful impact is valued by an individual and that expectation is met, satisfaction will likely ensue.

3. Level of relatedness

On one hand, not everyone is a self-described ‘people person.’ But on the other, our innate need to interact with, connect to, and care for others is well recognized. According to Maslow’s (1943) theory of human motivation, human beings long for a sense of approval and belonging.

Relatedness could apply to many aspects of a person’s job, ranging from whether they feel trusting of their superiors/subordinates to whether they feel part of a meaningful cause that helps and supports people – either inside or outside their immediate environment.

The degree of relatedness in our jobs can even be used to explain how much passion we feel for work. Research by Ivan Spehar and colleagues found that while the level of ‘harmonious passion’ for work does affect job satisfaction, this can partly be explained by how much ‘belongingness’ we feel (Spehar, Forest, & Stenseng, 2016).

4. Ability to leverage character strengths

Environments bringing out the best in us will be more engaging, draw out our best work, and satisfy us most.

In accordance with a universal need to experience a sense of ‘competence’ in self-determination theory, jobs enabling people to capitalize on their unique character strengths are likelier to be satisfying.

Looking to the literature, intellectual, emotional, and interpersonal strengths in particular can buffer against work-related stress, thereby enhancing job satisfaction (Harzer & Ruch, 2015).

But this isn’t where the benefits end. Linking back to the theme of meaningfulness, a study by psychologists Claudia Harzer and Willibald Ruch (2012) showed that developing a ‘calling’ could be a byproduct of congruence between one’s character strengths and those demanded by the workplace.

Furthermore, it was found that being able to apply at least four ‘signature strengths’ at work is critical for positive experiences.

5. Tendency for ‘job crafting’

As discussed, people’s disposition may be an important piece of the puzzle in determining job satisfaction. The real question is which personality factors are most pertinent; one of these might be ‘proactivity.’

Proactive individuals are often more engaged, more satisfied, and more productive at work because of a tendency toward ‘job crafting’ (Bakkar, Tims, & Derks, 2012).

What is job crafting? Essentially, it’s the philosophy of taking the initiative to redesign the way you work. Job crafting enables people to sculpt a personalized approach to tasks, professional relationships, and even the meaning of their job as a whole. And this latter point is usually the aim: to reimagine a job and derive more positive meaning from it.

Although some may be more predisposed to job crafting, it is absolutely a skill that can be learned, like any other. Organizations can do plenty to foster job crafting in employees – and there’s good reason to do so, with studies showing it makes people happier and more satisfied (Slemp & Vella-Brodick, 2013).

6. Workplace culture

Several other factors affect job satisfaction, which can be bracketed under the umbrella of workplace culture.

Let’s look at three examples:

Work–life balance

What we do at home can invigorate our experience of work (Todd, 2014). In general, with too many negative factors like long commutes and unreasonable working hours, personal life can be eroded, bringing a risk of job dissatisfaction.

Does your workplace promote employee autonomy? Research suggests autonomy is vital in job satisfaction. We need a degree of control and flexibility in deciding how  we want to complete tasks and set our schedule.

Communication factors

Is there a culture of appreciating employee achievements? Is there a system in place for clear feedback ? Is there too much or  too little communication coming from colleagues? These have been noted as key factors in job satisfaction (Hackman & Oldham, 1976; Krayer & Westbrook, 1986).

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Having now covered some core determinants of job satisfaction, it might be tempting to equate satisfaction with productivity. Yet the two aren’t always tightly bound. A large meta-analysis found only a tenuous correlation of 0.3, weaker than many might expect (Judge, Thoresen, Bono, & Patton, 2001).

A more recent Croatian analysis replicated the weak relationship between job satisfaction and performance, which was shown to be bidirectional (Bakotić, 2016). However, there was a stronger link between satisfaction and performance than the reverse direction.

Why might this be the case? Bakotić (2016) laid out the following argument: “workers often receive the same salary and other forms of compensation, regardless of how successful a company is.” Marrying up with equity theory then, perhaps employees who don’t have the chance to directly experience the positive effects of organizational success (an output) are less likely to derive satisfaction from their inputs.

Some have suggested a better determinant of job performance could be psychological wellbeing, which itself is linked to job satisfaction. After all, performance isn’t just influenced by factors related to the job itself, but also elements of life that have nothing to do with it (Wright, Cropanzano, & Bonett, 2007).

Lending credence to the dispositional approach, another meta-analysis found personality factors related to the Five-Factor Model to be important mediators of the satisfaction–performance relationship (Bowling, 2007). While this may be, the author notes that “job satisfaction is an important end in itself and organizational leaders ought to feel obligated to enhance the wellbeing and satisfaction of their employees.”

First and foremost is our dedicated article explaining how to increase job satisfaction with strategies and tips.

Additionally, one area we’ve covered is the need for people to understand their signature strengths, which can be crucial to finding the right job or excelling in their current position.

Our Maximizing Strengths Masterclass© is a six-module, evidence-based package that can help clients in this way. With all the materials needed, it’s a thorough approach to discovering the unique blend of strengths your client possesses.

We also have an abundance of worksheets to download, one of which is the Job Crafting for Ikigai exercise. The goal of this intervention is to help clients consider potential ways to craft their current job and experience more joy in what they do.

Given the importance of strengths at work, another useful tool is the Your Best Work Self worksheet, which helps clients understand the aspects of their career that fuel their passions.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others reach their goals, this collection contains 17 validated motivation & goals-achievement tools for practitioners . Use them to help others turn their dreams into reality by applying the latest science-based behavioral change techniques.

Whether you’re working in a large corporation, small business, or heading up a solo enterprise, there seem to be universal factors governing how positive you feel toward work.

At every level of seniority, plenty can be done to create work we love. From macro plans to overhauling workplace culture, right down to a small shift in the quality of attention brought to even the most mundane task, each of us has an important role to play in bringing about job satisfaction.

It was Aristotle who said it best:

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Work & Career Coaching Exercises for free .

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Job Satisfaction

• Reference work entry
• pp 3451–3454
• Cite this reference work entry

• Enrique Fernández-Macias 3 &
• Rafael Muñoz de Bustillo Llorente 4  

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Employee satisfaction ; Well-being at work, subjective

Job satisfaction is the degree to which people like their jobs. In other words, it refers to a subjective evaluation that the worker makes of her own job, either in its entirety or with respect to its different attributes. It is related to the sociological concept of alienation and the economic concept of the (dis)utility derived from work: with respect to them, job satisfaction has a more positive connotation, is defined in a more subjective way, and has a stronger empirical orientation.

Description

A short history of the field.

The concept of job satisfaction comes from the field of industrial psychology and management studies. Its origins go back to the Human Relations Movement of the 1930s: in response to the increasing problems of performance and labor unrest associated with the spread of Taylorist work organization practices, Mayo and associates argued that workers’ feelings and emotions at work were...

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Argyle, M. (1989). Do happy workers work harder? The effects of job satisfaction on work performance. In R. Veenhoven (Ed.), How harmful is happiness? Consequences of enjoying life or not . Rotterdam, The Netherlands: University Press Rotterdam.

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Enrique Fernández-Macias

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Rafael Muñoz de Bustillo Llorente

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Fernández-Macias, E., Muñoz de Bustillo Llorente, R. (2014). Job Satisfaction. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_1568

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Job Satisfaction and Motivation, Essay Example

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Job satisfaction implies to contentment that is attributed to interaction of the positive and the negative feelings inherent in an employee toward the work that his or her performs. Job satisfaction entails more of a journey than a destination because is is applicable to the employee and the employer alike. There lacks a definitive way of evaluating job satisfaction and ensuring that it exists (Armstrong, 2005).

Job satisfaction among the involves the process through which all requirements as well as demands of workers are efficiently addressed by team leaders, managers, as well as any other responsible person in the business. Job satisfaction may results from competently addressing the employees’ needs as well as wants in the workplace. People are different as a result of cultural along with personally differences, this therefore require greater examination in order to address all employees needs effectively. From time to time employee demands and wants keep on changing due to the dynamics and technological advancements in the society. This has consequently made employees to have changes in their needs at theworkplace which need to be looked properly in order to ensure satisfaction.

Job satisfaction factors

Employees in any organization have constantly admired to be treated properly in harmony with their needs as well as want in order to experience satisfaction and honor. Most of the organizations are implementing any potential strategies to identify how they can install satisfaction among their employees. Failure to satisfy employees is a significant factor in low productivity as they may find no reason to perform effectively.

The overall satisfaction with regard to his or her job is determined by several factors that work in combination. The most important of these factors involve financial compensation. Others include working conditions, opportunity for advancement, the level workload and stress, respect from the co-workers, relationship with the supervisors and financial rewards.

Opportunities of training and development in the workplace are also a key factor in determining if the employees will be satisfied or not in their workplace. It is therefore the responsibility of the management to create room for employees to advance their skills as well as knowledge. This is efficiently achievable through setting up training centers within the organization and also paying seminar fees for them. It is critical to pay bills associated with the employees medical expenses in case of injury while at work in the organization and also create a secure working environment by putting in place sound security measures.

Importance of Job Satisfaction at the workplace

Job satisfaction has important implications on the working environment of employees this consequently affects the level of performance and output of the employee. The level of performance depends on the happiness in employees that comes from job satisfaction.

Employees are the most valued assets in a company. Thus the management must consider sufficient investment in their human capital to facilitate for the creation of a positive environment in the workplace, empowerment of employees by means of trusted relationships and provision of secondary benefits which ideally prop up the work life, interests as well as the general well being of the employee.

Employee Motivation

Maslow’s theory of motivation and the 5 stage levels

Maslow’s theory gives a detailed discussion of the understanding of relative creation of individual realization in individuals turning out to be further refined particularly when to making an explicit understanding in as far as they are concerned (Armstrong, 2005). Maslow has divided the elements of employment satisfaction into five (5) stage levels. The stage levels comprise of self-actualization, the esteem, love or belonging, the safety as well as the physiological appreciation of what purposely makes up human beings to have a better feeling associated with their self worth.

Why Maslow’s theory is the most effective in the organization?

These theories compel the strike a balance on their policies and growth and development among the employees in their business enterprises. It could be implicit that these theories are particularly intended to make an unambiguous indication on the best possible approach of treating employees in the work place and consequently motivate them so that they can effectively respond accordingly to the requirements that the organization management anticipates that they give attention to (Armstrong, 2005). The ability to strike such a balance is an important precursor in the growth of employees which would occur especially in relation to the connection that the organization management have towards their employees hence creating a more unified organization that is geared up towards progress.

Motivation is a phenomenon that is translated in a varied manner among different individuals. Every person is unique in terms of their individual needs, attitudes, wants, beliefs as well as expectations. There is no solitary motivational method that works for every employee. A supervisor therefore should not think that factors that motivate him personally are the same as the ones that motivate junior employees. In turn, things that motivate one employee are not the same as those for another employee. In addition, the level of motivation between individuals is differs depending on the situation.

Examples on how companies use this theory to motivate employees

The theories postulated by Maslow are applicable in many business organizations because the self-actualization as well as self-esteem mentioned in these theories has a significantly critical impact on how an individual develops to become a better person. In an attempt to motivate employees, Maslow theories enforce the creation of balance on company policies which serve an important role in advancing the growth and development among the company employees for the mutual benefit of the employer and the employee.

It is imperative for managers to become skilled at the determinants of motivation in a business. Employees who are not motivated are likely to conduct their work with little or no effort, which results to low output. In worst scenarios, unmotivated employees have been known to exit the company. This in turn will not make the organization achieve its goals and objectives. In work places that have constant changing environments, motivated employees help organizations to endure and survive through hardships

Motivation is a very important aspect in the management of human resources. The continuance of an organization relies on the motivation of its employees. The senior management in the organization need to appreciate and recognize the importance of motivating employees. Many managers do not realize the effect that motivation can have on their businesses

Organization management plays a crucial role in enhancing firm performance. It is the duty of the management to enforce policies as well as structures that concern employees’ behaviour along with attitudes.

Armstrong, M, A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice , 9 th Ed. Kogan Page, London, 2005.

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Does Job Satisfaction Affect Job Performance? Essay

Introduction, job satisfaction, satisfaction and performance.

In context, does job satisfaction affect job performance? That is a question that revolves around variables that relates the two components. In this case, job satisfaction and job performance are strongly related as one affects the other in the context of the attitude developed by employees in an organization. Noteworthy is the fact that an employee who is satisfied shows higher levels of productivity than when not satisfied. That makes job satisfaction and job performance to have interdependent relationships.

Studies show that job satisfaction is an attitude that has direct impact on job performance. In that context, job satisfaction is an attitude that is derived because it is affective or emotional response toward ones job. Job satisfaction revolves around effort and compensation, which in turn is based on the application of skills to improve productivity and work outputs.

Effort is what one has input ones into work. The level of satisfaction is related to the kind of attitude a person has towards a job, and it correlates with the impact the attitude has toward influencing the performance of an individual. In this case, employee perceptions underlie job satisfaction which is critical in influencing performance.

When an employee gets fulfilled because of the positive impact on their emotions, tendencies, and cognition, there is the likelihood of positively impacting on employee performance. In this case, low job satisfaction leads to low performance while high job satisfaction leads to better performance. Job satisfaction can result from either intrinsic or extrinsic factors or rewards.

Intrinsic rewards for organizational employees including managers and other organizational professionals influence the level of satisfaction in an employee. Here, it is possible to create a strong link between performance and job satisfaction. Here, job satisfaction is the direct cause of job performance, where performance correlates positively with satisfaction. Typically, the underlying rewards directly influence job satisfaction and job performance.

Once an employee gets satisfied in their workplace, performance is susceptible to be positive. That is because satisfaction causes an increase in efforts, which leads to commitments and positive intentions. In addition to that, job satisfaction is a direct cause of increased employee productivity, which affects an employee’s effort in their work.

The underlying rationale for increased performance is the rewards provided to organizational employees. Core to improved and effective performance is job satisfaction. That shows that job satisfaction and performance are strongly interrelated.

In this case, performance has been identified as being crucial to satisfaction in the relationship. Here, a reward system used in an organization and the approach used to reward employees are critical in influencing job satisfaction and job performance.

In conclusion, a satisfied employee is a better performer, implying a strong relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. Job satisfaction has been shown to be driven by underlying elements of affect toward a job. That is influenced by the degree of pleasure and satisfaction derived from a job which an organization can initiate and put in place to influence job satisfaction.

Here, job satisfaction positively impacts on performance because of improved productivity that is evident in an organization. That is in addition to the strength of the relationship that exists between job satisfaction and job performance in the context of employees meeting their expectations.

Here, there is an emotional link between job satisfaction and job performance, where the motivation to work is self-fulfilling and innate, influencing attitude and the performance of an individual.

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IvyPanda. (2019, December 28). Does Job Satisfaction Affect Job Performance? https://ivypanda.com/essays/does-job-satisfaction-affect-job-performance/

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Essay on job satisfaction | motivational technique.

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Read this essay to learn about Job Satisfaction. After reading this essay you will learn about: 1. Meaning of Job Satisfaction 2. Definition of Job Satisfaction 3. Factors Influencing 4. Consequences 5. Theories.

• Essay on the Theories of Job Satisfaction

Essay # 1. Meaning of Job Satisfaction:

Job satisfaction is another important technique used to motivate the employees to work harder. It had often been said that “A HAPPY EMPLOYEE IS A PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEE.” A happy employee is, generally, that employee who is satisfied with his job. Job satisfaction is very important because most of the people spend a major portion of their life at their working place.

Moreover, job satisfaction has its impact on the general life of the employees also, because a satisfied employee is a contented and happy human being. A highly satisfied worker has better physical and mental wellbeing. Though it is a debate able point as to which one is the cause and which is die effect but these are correlated to each other.

Essay # 2. Definition of Job Satisfaction :

In simple words, job satisfaction can be defined as the extent of positive feelings or attitudes that individuals have towards their jobs. When a person says that he has high job satisfaction, it means that he really likes his job, feels good about it and values his job highly.

A few definitions of job satisfaction are quoted as follows:

According to E.A. Locke, “Job satisfaction is a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience.”

According to Field man and Arnold, “Job satisfaction will be defined as the amount of overall positive affect or (feelings) that individuals have towards their jobs.”

According to Andrew Brin, “Job satisfaction is the amount of pleasure or contentment associated with a job. If you like your job intensely, you will experience high job satisfaction. If you dislike your job intensely, you will experience job-dissatisfaction.”

According to Keith Davis and Newstrom, “Job satisfaction is the set of favourable or unfavourable feelings with which employees view their work.”

We can say that job satisfaction is a result of employee’s perception of how well their job provides those things which are viewed as important. In the field of organisational field, job satisfaction is considered the most important and frequently studied attitude.

There are three important dimensions to job satisfaction:

(i) Job satisfaction cannot be seen, it can only be inferred. It relates to one’s feelings towards one’s job.

(ii) Job satisfaction is often determined by how well outcome meet the expectations or exceed the expectations.

If the employees working in the organisation feel that they are working much harder than others in the department but the receiving lower rewards, they will be dissatisfied and have a negative attitude towards the job, the boss and the co-workers. On the other hand, if they feel that they are being paid equitably and treated well by the organisation, they will be satisfied with their jobs and will have positive attitudes.

(iii) Job satisfaction and job attitudes are typically used interchangeably. Positive attitudes towards the jobs are conceptually equivalent to job satisfaction and negative attitudes towards the job indicate job dissatisfaction.

Even though these two terms are used interchangeably, but there are differences between the two. Job satisfaction is a specific subset of attitudes. Attitudes reflect one’s feeling toward individual’s organisations and objects.

But job satisfaction refers to one’s attitude towards a job. Attitudes refer to predisposition to respond but satisfaction relates to the performance factors. Attitudes are long lasting, but satisfaction is dynamic and it keeps on changing. It can decline even more quickly than it developed. Thus, managers need to pay attention to job satisfaction constantly.

Essay # 3. Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction:

There are a number of factors that influence job satisfaction. A number of research studies have been conducted in order to establish some of the causes that result in job satisfaction. These studies have revealed consistent correlation of certain variables with the job satisfaction.

These factors can be explained with the help of the following chart given below:

(i) Organisational Factors :

Some of the organisational factors which affect job satisfaction are:

a. Salaries and Wages:

Wages and salaries play a significant role in influencing job satisfaction. This is basically because of a few basic reasons. Firstly, money is an important instrument in fulfilling one’s needs.

Money also satisfies the first level needs of Maslow’s model of satisfaction. Secondly, employees often see money as a reflection of the management’s concern for them. Thirdly, it is considered a symbol of achievement since higher pay reflects higher degree of contribution towards organisational operations.

Non-monetary benefits are also important, but they are not as influential. One reason for that that is that most of the employees do not even know how much they are receiving in benefits. Moreover, a few tend to under value their benefits because they do not realise their monetary value. The employees, generally, want a pay system which is simple, fair and in line with their expectations.

b. Promotion Chances:

Promotional chances considerably affect the job satisfaction because of the following reasons:

Firstly, Promotion indicates an employee’s worth to the organisation which is highly morale boosting. This is particularly true in case of high level jobs.

Secondly, Employee takes promotion as the ultimate achievement in his career and when it is realised, he feels extremely satisfied.

Thirdly, Promotion involves positive changes e.g. higher salary, less supervision, more freedom, more challenging work assignments, increased responsibilities, status and like.

c. Company Policies:

Organisational structure and policies also play an important role in affecting the job satisfaction of employees. An autocratic and highly authoritative structure causes resentment among the employees as compared to a structure which is more open and democratic in nature.

Organisational policies also govern the human behaviour in the organisations. These policies can generate positive or negative feelings towards the organisation. Liberal and fair policies usually result in more job satisfaction. Strict policies will create dissatisfaction among the employees because they feel that they are not being treated fairly and may feel constrained.

Thus, a democratic organisational structure with fair and liberal policies is associated with high job satisfaction.

(ii) Work Environmental Factors :

The work environmental factors include the following important factors:

a. Supervision:

Supervision is a moderately important source of job satisfaction.

There are two dimensions of supervisory styles which affect the job satisfaction:

First is Employee Centeredness. Whenever the supervisor is friendly and supportive of the workers there is job satisfaction. In this style, the supervisor takes personal interest in employee’s welfare.

Second is Participation. The superiors who allow their subordinates to participate in decisions that affect their own jobs, help in creating an environment which is highly conducive to job satisfaction.

Thus, the supervisors who establish a supportive personal relationship with subordinates and take personal interest in them contribute to the employees satisfaction.

b. Work Group:

The nature of the work group or team will have effect on job satisfaction in the following ways:

(i) A friendly and co-operative group provides opportunities to the group members to interact with each other. It serves as a source of support, comfort, advice and assistance to the individual group members. If on the other hand, the people are difficult to get along with, the work group will have a negative impact on job satisfaction.

(ii) The work group will be even a stronger source of satisfaction when members have similar attitudes and values. In such a group, there will less friction on day to day basis.

(iii) Smaller groups provide greater opportunity for building mutual trust and understanding as compared to larger groups.

Thus, the group size and quality of interpersonal relations within the group play a significant role in worker’s satisfaction.

c. Working Conditions:

Good working conditions are desirable by the employees, as they lead to more physical comfort. People desire that there should be a clean and healthy working environment. Temperature, humidity, ventilation, lighting and noise, hours of work, cleanliness of the work place and adequate tools and equipment are the features which affect job satisfaction.

While the desirable working conditions are taken for granted and may not contribute heavily towards job satisfaction, poor working conditions do become a source of job dissatisfaction, simply because they lead to physical discomfort and physical danger.

Moreover, all the employees are not satisfied or dissatisfied by favourable or unfavourable work environment as shown in the figure.

This figure explains that good job performance will lead to rewards, both intrinsic and extrinsic, which will lead to satisfaction. An employee who is a poor performer will get less rewards and will be less satisfied with his job experience.

However, the saying that “A happy worker is a productive worker” is not always wrong. If people receive rewards which have both intrinsic and extrinsic value and they feel that these rewards are equitable, they will be satisfied and this will lead to greater job performance.

Moreover, research also indicates that job satisfaction may not necessarily lead to improvement of individual performance but it does lead to departmental and organisational level improvement.

(ii) Employee Turnover:

Unlike the relationship between satisfaction and performance, research has concluded a moderate relationship between job satisfaction and turnover. High employee turnover is a matter of concern for the management as it disrupts the normal operations and continuous replacement of employees who leave the organisation is costly and technically undesirable.

Managerial concern is mostly for the turnover which arises because of job dissatisfaction. The employees, thus, try to keep the employees satisfied on their jobs to minimise the turnover. Though, high job satisfaction in itself cannot keep the turnover low, but considerable job dissatisfaction will definitely increase the employee turnover.

The employee turnover is affected by certain other factors also, in addition to job satisfaction. Commitment to the organisation is one such factor. Some employees, howsoever dissatisfied they are with their jobs, cannot imagine themselves working anywhere else.

Another important factor is the better opportunities of employment. Even if the people are highly satisfied with their jobs, they are willing to leave if there are better opportunities available anywhere else. If no other opportunities are available, the employees will stay wherever they are, irrespective of dissatisfaction.

On the overall basis, we can say that there is an important role played by job satisfaction in employee turnover.

(iii) Absenteeism:

It has been conclusively proved that there is an inverse relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism. When satisfaction is high, absenteeism is low and when satisfaction is low, absenteeism is high. Less satisfied employees are more likely to be absent from work due to avoidable reasons.

This is known as voluntary absenteeism as against unavoidable absenteeism which is due to illness or other emergency reasons. Management must be concerned with voluntary absenteeism, because it is related to job satisfaction.

Absenteeism can be modified by certain factors. Research has found that people who believe that their work is important have lower absenteeism as compared to those who do not feel that way. Moreover, it is important to remember that while high job satisfaction will not necessarily result in low absenteeism (because of unavoidable absenteeism), but low job satisfaction will definitely bring about high absenteeism.

(iv) Union Activities:

It has been proved that satisfied employees are generally not interested in unions and they do not perceive them as necessary. Job satisfaction has proved to be the major cause of unionisation.

The employees join the unions because they feel that individually they are unable to influence changes which would eliminate the causes of job dissatisfaction. The level of union activities is related to the level of job dissatisfaction. Low level of dissatisfaction results in only grievances while higher levels of dissatisfaction will result in employee strikes.

(v) Safety:

When people are dissatisfied with their jobs, company and supervisors, they are more prone to experience accidents. An underlying reason for this is that dissatisfaction takes one’s attention away from the task at hand and leads directly to accidents.

A satisfied worker will always be careful and attentive towards his job, and the chances of accidents will be less. Here, we are discussing about the avoidable accidents and not the unavoidable ones.

(vi) Other Effects:

In addition, there are a number of other effects brought about by high job satisfaction. Highly satisfied employees tend to have better physical and mental health, learn the new job related tasks easily, have less job stress and unrest. Such employees will become more co-operative such as helping coworkers, helping customers etc. Such behaviour will improve unit performance and organisational effectiveness.

To conclude, we can say that job satisfaction results from the employee’s perception that the job content and context actually provide what an employee values in the work situation. Organisationally speaking, high level of job satisfaction reflects a highly favourable organisational climate resulting in attracting and retaining better workers.

Essay # 5. Theories of Job Satisfaction:

The theoretical approaches of job satisfaction are as follows:

(i) Need Fulfillment Theory:

According to this theory, a person will be satisfied when he gets what he wants from his job.

According to R.H. Schaffter. “Job satisfaction will vary directly with the extent to which those needs of an individual, which can be satisfied are actually satisfied.”

According to V.H. Vroom. “Job Satisfaction is positively related to the degree to which one’s needs are fulfilled.” However, according to Vroom, the fulfillment theory suffers from a major drawback. Satisfaction is a function of not only what a person receives but what he feels he should receive.

Thus, job satisfaction, according to this theory, is a function of the degree to which the employee’s needs are fulfilled in the given situation.

(ii) Equity Theory:

According to this theory, every individual has a basic tendency to compare his rewards with those of a reference group. If he feels his rewards are equitable with others doing the similar work in similar environment, he will feel satisfied.

This theory thus believes that “ A person’s job satisfaction depends upon his perceived equity as determined by his input-output balance in comparison with the input-output balance of others.”

This theory takes into account not only the needs of the employer but also to the opinion of the reference group towards which the employee looks for guidance.

(iii) Two Factor Theory:

Two factor theory has been developed by Frederick Herzberg and his associates. According to them, satisfaction and dissatisfaction are interdependent of each other and exist in a separate continuum. One set of factors known as hygiene factors act as dissatisfies.

Their absence causes dissatisfaction but their presence does not result in positive satisfaction e.g., pay, working conditions, interpersonal relations etc. The other set of factors lead to satisfaction e.g., promotion, recognition etc.

The main drawback of this theory is that the same factor may serve as a satisfier for one and dissatisfies for another. Moreover, the same person can be satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time.

(iv) Discrepancy Theory:

According to E.A. Locks, “Job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are functions of perceived relationship between what one wants from one’s job and what one perceives it is actually offering.”

Satisfaction is thus the difference between what one actually received and what he feels he should receive. When rewards actually received are less than the expected rewards, it causes dissatisfaction. This theory fails to reveal whether over satisfaction is or is not a dimension of dissatisfaction.

(v) Equity Discrepancy Theory:

This is a combination of equity and discrepancy theory. Under this theory, satisfaction is defined as the difference between the outcomes that one perceives he actually received and outcomes that one feels he should receive in comparison with others.

A person’s perception of what he should receive is influenced by the inputs and outputs of others. If his inputs are similar to those of referent groups but his outcomes are less, he is likely to be dissatisfied.

(vi) Social Reference Group Theory:

Reference group defines the way in which an individual looks at the world. According to this theory, an employee is satisfied with his job when the job meets the interest, desires and requirements of a person’s reference group.

Job satisfaction is a function of the degree to which the job meets the approval of the group to which the individual looks for guidance in evaluating the world and defining social reality. This theory is an incomplete explanation since some people are independent of group opinions and group pressure.

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