Organizational Behavior

Term Paper

Job Satisfaction

Job Satisfaction
Overview:
Job Satisfaction is how content an Individual is with his or her Job. It is a positive feeling about a job resulting from an evaluation of its characteristics. Researchers have divided Job satisfaction into 2 sub Categories: Affective Job Satisfaction and Cognitive Job Satisfaction Affective Job Satisfaction: The extent of pleasurable feelings one has about his or her job. Cognitive Job Satisfaction: The extent to which Individuals are satisfied with different facets of the Job like pay, promotion opportunities, working hours, pension, The quality of relationships with co-workers etc. It is always not easy to measure Job Satisfaction as different people have different definitions and perceptions. An individuals performance can be impacted if he or she is satisfied with the job or not but some studies have shown that some high performing employees are not satisfied with their job. If management is concerned about Job satisfaction of their Employees, Then it should conduct various surveys to find out the satisfaction level of their Employees and would consider seeking advise from their Employees on how to increase their overall level of Job Satisfaction. According to an Article published in Economic Times, 60 % of the people think that less job satisfaction is their primary reason of Unethical behavior at work second only to the lack of personal integrity. 91% said workers who enjoy a good work-life balance are more likely to behave ethically.

History:
The Hawthorne studies were one of the biggest preludes to the study of Job satisfaction. Elton Mayo of Harvard Business School primarily conducted these studies during 19241933. These studies showed that considerable changes in work conditions temporarily increase productivity, which we refer to as the Hawthorne Effect. Although it was later found out that this increase resulted, not from the new conditions but from the knowledge of being observed. Scientific management also had a significant impact on the study of Job Satisfaction. Frederick W. Taylor (1916), one of the pioneers, believed that workers motivation was due largely to their interest in money. He also proposed that the most satisfying situation was one in which a worker could make the most money with the least effort. Both productivity and satisfaction would result, if workers were given fair wages and work that could be done quickly without excess fatigue. Some even argued that Maslows hierarchy of needs theory laid the foundation for Job Satisfaction theory. This model served as a good basis from which early researchers could develop job satisfaction theories.

Measuring Job Satisfaction:

Two approaches are quite popular, The one is called a single Global rating which captures the response of Employees to just one question All things considered, How satisfied are you with your Job? . Respondents circle a number between 1 and 5 on a scale from highly satisfied to highly dissatisfied. The Second method is a more sophisticated method, which identifies key elements in a job such as the nature of the work, supervision, present pay, promotion opportunities, and relationships with co-workers. Respondents rate these on a standardized scale, and researchers add the ratings to create an overall job satisfaction score.

There are many more methods to measure Job Satisfaction. By far, the most common method for collecting data regarding Job Satisfaction is the Likert Scale, which is named after Rensis Likert. It is a Psychometric scale, which is commonly involved in research that employs Questionnaires. This data is typically collected using an Enterprise Feedback Management System [EFM]. The Job Descriptive Index (JDI), created by Smith, Kendall and Hulin in 1969, is a specific questionnaire of Job Satisfaction that has been widely used in organizations. It measures ones satisfaction in five facets: Pay, Promotion, Coworkers, Supervision and the work itself. The scale is simple, Participants answer either yes or no or cant decide in response to whether given statements accurately describe ones Job. Other job satisfaction questionnaires include: the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), and the Faces Scale. The MSQ measures job satisfaction in 20 facets and have a long form with 100 questions (five items from each facet) and a short form with 20 questions (one item from each facet). The JSS is a 36item questionnaire that measures nine facets of job satisfaction. Finally, the Faces Scale of job satisfaction, one of the first scales used widely, measured overall job satisfaction with just one item which participants respond to by choosing a face.

Other different methods for measuring job satisfaction include using surveys, interviewing employees and monitoring performance targets. Interviewing employees, as a method of measuring job satisfaction is mostly useful in organizations that have positive relationships with employees and believe the problem is too sophisticated to be understood with a survey. If employees do not trust the organization or interviewer, however, responses may not be entirely honest. Surveys are a common method of measuring job satisfaction. A survey can assess satisfaction in the areas of pay, promotion, supervision, tasks and coworkers. While standard surveys are available for businesses, a customized survey that is tailored to a

business's own needs and industry may be more effective. Surveys with the majority of questions in the multiple-choice format typically are preferred so that responses can be compared and analyzed more easily. Employees who are allowed to remain anonymous are more likely to be more open and honest with their answers since they will not feel pressure or fear of repercussion. Monitoring performance targets is a method of measuring job satisfaction that requires a business to be an active observer. With this method, management monitors employee satisfaction by using standard criteria, such as achieving bonuses, participating in optional programs and performance in reaching goals. This method provides indirect data on the levels of job satisfaction. While it can flag management that there is a problem with job satisfaction, combining this with a survey or interview can provide the company with a stronger analysis on the cause of low levels of job satisfaction.

Models of Job Satisfaction:

(a) Affect Theory

Edwin A. Lockes developed affect theory in 1976. It states that satisfaction is determined by a discrepancy between what one wants in a Job and what one already has in his or her job. It stated that a persons job satisfaction depends on 2 factors: The expectations he as about the job and the actual things that he is going to get in that Job. The smaller the Gap in between the Two, the more chances are that the person is overall satisfied with his job. The Affect Theory also states that a person prioritizes one aspect of the job more than the other aspects, and that certain aspect can affect how satisfied he is. For example, an employee prioritizes social connections with his colleagues, and when this factor is met appropriately, he may experience greater job satisfaction.

(b) Dispositional Theory

Dispositional Theory is also a prominent theory in the subject, and among the other recognized theories regarding job satisfaction; it is probably the only one that focuses solely on the natural disposition of a person. This theory states that ones personality is an important determinant of the satisfaction level the person gets from the job. From example, an introverted person who may be inclined to have a lower self-esteem may experience a low job satisfaction. A person, however, who has an internal locus of control and believes he is the captain of his own ship, may have a higher level of job satisfaction.

(c) Two Factor Theory (Motivation- Hygiene Theory)

Frederick Herzbergs Two-Factor Theory also called as the Motivation Hygiene Theory attempts to explain Satisfaction and Motivation in the workplace. It pointed out two factors that could satisfy and dissatisfy an employee in his job. The first factor would be the motivational factors that would encourage an employee to have a better work performance, and as a result, attain satisfaction. These factors can include job promotions, bonuses, and public recognition. The other factor would be the hygiene factors, which are not necessarily motivating, but would elicit dissatisfaction if they were inadequate. Examples of these would be non-financial employee benefits, the companys policies, and the overall environment of the workplace.

(d) Job Characteristics Model

Another theory is the Job Characteristics Model proposed by Hackman and Oldham, probably one of the most job-focused theories of job satisfaction used. This model lists

five features of a job that can affect a person, three of which skill variety, task identity, task significance can affect an employees perception of how meaningful the work is. The fourth characteristic would be autonomy; the more independence an employee experiences, more feelings of responsibility will occur. The last factor is feedback or evaluation, which puts across how well an employee does his tasks.

Importance of Job Satisfaction:

Job satisfaction and Emotions: There is some evidence, which states that moods are related to overall job satisfaction. Positive and negative emotions were also found to be significantly related to overall job satisfaction. Job satisfaction and Job Performance: A review of 300 studies showed that the co-relation between Job satisfaction and Job performance is pretty strong. Organizations with more satisfied employees tend to out perform organization with lesser-satisfied employees. Job satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction Employee satisfaction is directly related to Customer satisfaction in Service Organizations, which needs to maintain positive customer relationships. Therefore its absolutely necessary in service organizations to maintain positive job satisfaction of their employees in order to be competitive in the marketplace. Job satisfaction with Absenteeism and Turnover: There is a weak negative relationship between Job satisfaction and Absenteeism but the relationship between satisfaction and turnover is strong comparatively.

Relationships and Practical Implications:

Job satisfaction can be an important indicator of how employees feel about their jobs and a predictor of work behaviors such as Organizational Citizenship, Absenteeism and Turnover. Further, Job satisfaction can partially mediate the relationship of Personality Variables and deviant work behaviors. One common research finding is that Job Satisfaction is correlated with Life Satisfaction. The correlation is reciprocal, meaning people who are satisfied with Life tend to be satisfied with their Job and people who are satisfied with their Job tend to be satisfied with Life. However, some research has found that Job Satisfaction is not significantly related to Life Satisfaction when other variables such as non-work satisfaction and core self evaluations are taken into account. With regard to Job performance, Employee personality may be more important than Job satisfaction. The link between Job satisfaction and performance is thought to be a spurious relationship; instead, both satisfaction and performance are the result of personality.

Increasing Job Satisfaction:

Positive Work Environment:

An upbeat workplace is necessary. If the work environment is not positive how can the workers be? Encouraging one another, avoiding micromanagement, giving positive feedback and ensuring criticism is constructive are all ways to keep the environment a place where employees can do more than survive they can thrive.

Ease Commuting Stress:

Bad commutes are a major source of unhappiness. People feel frustrated, powerless, and stressed. Employers should consider ways to decrease commuting stress. For instance, employers could stagger work times to avoid heavy traffic. Review beginning and ending times and determine if the specific times or the amount of people arriving at each time can be adjusted. Provide Competitive Benefits

Fair wages are important, but competitive benefits are also critical to keeping your workforce satisfied. If your benefits package is thin, employees may look for other opportunities with firms that are more generous. Beyond insurance, benefits such as flex time, paid holidays and personal days are important factors to employee satisfaction. Workforce Engagement

Employees that dont find their work interesting or dont feel they are contributing to the mission of the firm will not be engaged. For employees to be satisfied, they must feel like they are part of something bigger than just what their individual work tasks are. Develop Skills

Everyone needs something to working toward. Stagnation is unfulfilling. Employees have more potential than their current level of functionality. Encouraging employees to fulfill that potential will increase engagement and satisfaction. Whether its training opportunities, mentoring, online courses or external training, encourage staff to always be improving their skills! Recognition & Rewards

Encourage supervisors and managers to acknowledge employees deeds on a daily basis. Also implement a formal program company-wide to recognize top achievers in every job

category. Healthy competition can boost morale, encourage hard work and increase satisfaction and retention. Track Job Satisfaction

Dont sit back and just hope that employees are satisfied put some data behind it. Offer anonymous online surveys or mobile surveys to effectively track how employees feel about benefits, recognition, supervisor feedback and other aspects that contribute to employee satisfaction. This allows you to improve, tweak and monitor satisfaction levels to reduce turnover and save the company money. Help staff to bond with one other

This is important for big and small companies alike. Pub lunches, team days out, mentoring, messing about on boats. All of these things can help employees forge the bonds that they need to enjoy work. Mentoring and coaching

These are two different things, and both have their merits. Mentoring is being able to chat to a senior manager (but not your direct boss) about all kinds of things. Coaching is more specific, and targeted to improving skills in various areas, rather than employee wellbeing. Set some self-improvement goals

Think of how you can add to your learning and skills in your work, which will bring you personal satisfaction in moving toward your goals. This can be to improve your computer skills, to learn a technical skill related to your work, to improve your writing, or to become more organized and efficient. Take time to relax and stretch out

Take mini-breaks during the day to do ergonomic exercises, or to stretch and walk.

Conclusion:
Job satisfaction is the most frequently studied variable in organizational behavior (Spector, 1997). Research on job satisfaction is performed through various methods, including interviews, observation, and questionnaires. Job satisfaction covers a broad range of areas and it is difficult to measure it precisely because different people have different meaning of Satisfaction. The job, which is satisfying for one individual, might not be satisfying for another individual. Research on Job satisfaction supports that job satisfaction is an important factor not only for employees but for organizations as well. Satisfied employees tend to be more productive, creative and committed to their employers. In general, more White than non-White employees report satisfaction with their job. However, before a person can be concerned with job satisfaction, he or she must have a job. Although there is a large thriving middle class among Black and ethnic minority employees, large numbers of people who want to work are unemployed, are employed irregularly, or are too discouraged to seek employment. Many who have fulltime work are confined to low-level jobs that offer marginal pay and little opportunity for advancement or fulfillment. Thus, the primary concern for many workers is not satisfaction but finding a job that pays a decent wage. Evidence also suggests that employees in western cultures have higher level of job satisfaction than employees in Eastern cultures because people from Eastern cultures find negative emotions less aversive. Job satisfaction covers a myriad of terms and organizations should fully utilize the research and practices in Job Satisfaction to increase the overall satisfaction level of their employees in order for the overall well being of the Organization as well as of their Employees.