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Block 2 Unit 1 Job Satisfaction

1. Examine the significance of job satisfaction as an organisational variable.

Job satisfaction is a very significant organisational variable, and is the most frequently measured organisational variable. This is because:

• Organisations use it to assess the current state of employee morale and well-being.
• Understanding what influences job satisfaction is important for improving how an organisation works.
• Job satisfaction has important implications for work outcomes such as performance, withdrawal behaviours, and organisational citizenship behaviours.
• It can be an indicator of an employee’s overall contribution to the organisation.

2. Discuss the historical antecedents to the study of job satisfaction.

The study of job satisfaction has been around for almost a hundred years.

• It can be traced back to 1911, when Taylor began to study employees and their job duties to develop better training methods.
• By 1927, the study of employees' positive or negative reactions to their jobs was taking hold when Elton Mayo studied the effect of lighting at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Chicago.
• The Hawthorne Studies, which continued until 1932, showed that the act of studying workers and providing them with more attention increased their motivation and productivity. This marked a new era of humanistic job satisfaction research.

3. Explain the meaning of the concept of job satisfaction.

Job satisfaction can be defined as:

• A pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences.
• An attitude which shows up in the evaluation of the job and of the organisation as contributing suitably to the attainment of one’s personal objectives.
• The fulfillment or gratification of certain needs that are associated with one’s work.
• The extent to which people like (satisfaction) or dislike (dissatisfaction) their jobs.
• An important job attitude that has affective, cognitive, and behavioural elements. The affective component is the emotional response to the job, the cognitive element is the appraisal of how the job fulfils important needs, and the behavioural component is the intention to engage in specific behaviours.

4. Describe the important assessment techniques of job satisfaction.

Job satisfaction can be measured using both indirect and direct methods.

• Indirect measures include data that a company regularly collects such as absenteeism, turnover, and theft rates, as well as its relationships with well-being, health, stress, and working conditions.
• Direct measurement involves asking employees how satisfied they are with their job through interviews or questionnaires.
  • Questionnaires, often based on the Likert technique, are more commonly used as they are easier to distribute, less biased, and more confidential.
  • Scales such as the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) are used for facet job satisfaction.
  • The Job Satisfaction Index (JSI) and the Job in General Scale (JIGS) are used for assessing global satisfaction.

5. Examine the personal characteristics that influence job satisfaction.

Several personal characteristics have been found to influence job satisfaction:

• Age: Some studies show a positive relationship with job satisfaction, whereas others find no relationship between the two. There is some evidence that job satisfaction is high when people first start their job, and later in life.
• Years of service: Some research has revealed that employees with longer tenure tend to have higher job satisfaction, while other studies have found no correlation.

• Gender: Mixed findings on whether gender impacts job satisfaction with some studies reporting women to be less satisfied. These differences appear to be linked to factors that vary with gender such as pay and opportunities for promotion.
• Occupational level: Generally, those in higher level jobs report greater job satisfaction.
• Personality: Personality variables, such as positive and negative affectivity, the "Big Five" personality traits, and core self-evaluations are related to job satisfaction. Those with high positive affectivity, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, self-esteem, self-efficacy, emotional stability and internal locus of control report higher levels of job satisfaction.

6. Discuss the importance of intrinsic work variables in job satisfaction.

The nature of the work itself is the strongest predictor of overall job satisfaction and employee retention.

• Intrinsic job characteristics like job challenge, autonomy, variety, and scope are important for satisfaction.
• Employees value interesting, challenging, and non-boring work that offers status.
• When employees feel their work is meaningful and that they are responsible for their outcomes they show higher levels of effort.
• Intrinsic rewards like interesting work and opportunities for advancement are also valued.

7. Describe the role of pay and promotions in promoting job satisfaction.

• Pay is a significant factor in job satisfaction and is often seen as a reflection of how management views an employee's contribution.
• It is the perceived fairness or equity of pay that is most strongly linked to job satisfaction rather than the actual pay amount.
• Opportunities for promotion are important as they provide a chance for further advancement in the hierarchy.

8. Explain the influence of supervisor and co-workers on an employee’s job satisfaction.

• Supervision includes the abilities of the supervisor to provide technical assistance and behavioural support.
• The degree to which fellow workers are technically proficient and socially supportive also influences job satisfaction.

9. Summarise the effects of job dissatisfaction using the EVLN model.

The exit-voice-loyalty-neglect (EVLN) model identifies four ways in which employees respond to job dissatisfaction:

• Exit: The employee quits the job or looks for another one.
• Voice: The employee actively tries to improve the situation by discussing issues with their supervisor or taking action to address the cause of dissatisfaction.
• Loyalty: The employee remains passively optimistic, waiting for the situation to improve.
• Neglect: The employee allows conditions to worsen through behaviours such as absenteeism, reduced effort, and lateness.

10. Describe the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance.

The idea that a "happy worker is a productive worker" has been examined by researchers.

• Early reviews suggested a weak relationship between job satisfaction and performance.
• More recent reviews show that job satisfaction can predict job performance, with an average correlation of .30 when corrected for sampling and measurement errors.
• Job satisfaction predicts performance when performance is linked to valued rewards and the perception that those rewards are equitable.
• Other factors such as working conditions, task structure, skills and abilities also influence performance.
• Job satisfaction is a general attitude and may not predict specific behaviours.
• Job satisfaction can also result from good performance rather than vice versa.

11. Examine the effect of job dissatisfaction on employee withdrawal and deviant behaviours.

Job dissatisfaction can lead to:

• Withdrawal behaviours: such as absenteeism, tardiness and turnover.
• Deviant behaviours: such as theft, sabotage and workplace aggression.

12. Discuss the role of job satisfaction in safety performance.

Job satisfaction is a significant predictor of lower accident rates at work.

• Employee attitudes and stress are related to the occurrence of accidents.
• Organisations that use high-performance work systems, which offer employees opportunities to participate in decision-making, also enhance employee satisfaction and reduce injuries.

13. Explain the relationship between job satisfaction and customer satisfaction.

There is a relationship between job satisfaction and customer satisfaction. When employees are satisfied with their jobs, they are more likely to be friendly, upbeat, and responsive to customers leading to better customer experiences and higher satisfaction.

14. Examine the spillover model on the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction.

There is a reciprocal relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction.

1. For many people, their job satisfaction is a result of their life satisfaction, and also job satisfaction can spill over into their life satisfaction and well-being.
2. Studies have reported significant, positive relationships between job satisfaction and life satisfaction.

15. Describe the significance of job satisfaction as an organisational variable. What are the important preludes to the study of job satisfaction?

• Job satisfaction is a crucial variable for organisations. It impacts employee morale, organisational functioning, and work outcomes. It is important to monitor to improve organisational functioning.
• The study of job satisfaction began in the early 20th century with the work of Taylor and Mayo, who explored the impact of work conditions on employee performance and motivation. This laid the groundwork for later studies that focus on the humanistic aspects of work.

16. What is the meaning of the concept of job satisfaction? Discuss the different ways in which job satisfaction can be classified and understood.

• Job satisfaction is a positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job and work experiences. It’s an attitude that reflects an employee's assessment of how well their job contributes to their personal objectives. It also relates to how well the job fulfills certain needs associated with work.
• Job satisfaction can be classified as either global satisfaction or facet satisfaction:
  • Global satisfaction is a general feeling about one's job overall.
  • Facet satisfaction is an emotional response to specific aspects of a job, such as the work itself, pay, promotion opportunities, supervision, and coworkers.
• It can also be understood as a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction:
• Intrinsic satisfaction comes from the nature of the work itself, such as the tasks involved.
• Extrinsic satisfaction comes from the conditions of work such as pay and supervision.

17. Discuss some important assessment techniques of job satisfaction.

Job satisfaction can be assessed using:

• Indirect measures: Observing data such as absenteeism, turnover rates, and relationships with other factors.
• Direct measures: Using interviews or questionnaires to ask employees how satisfied they are with their jobs.
• Questionnaires: Based on the Likert scale. These are easy to distribute, less biased, and have increased confidentiality.
  • Facet Scales: The Job Descriptive Index (JDI), the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) are used.
  • Global Scales: The Job Satisfaction Index (JSI) and the Job in General Scale (JIGS) are used.

18. What are some important personal variables that influence job satisfaction? Quoting relevant research, discuss their role in understanding individual differences in job satisfaction.

Personal characteristics, such as age, years of service, gender, occupational level, and personality all play a role in job satisfaction.

• Age: Research shows inconsistent findings, with some studies showing a positive relationship with job satisfaction, and others not. 
• Gender: There is evidence that gender relates to job satisfaction insofar as other factors vary with gender (e.g., pay and promotion opportunities), with women reporting less job satisfaction. 
• Occupational level: There is a tendency for job satisfaction to increase with each level within the organisational hierarchy. 
• Personality: research shows that people with high positive affectivity, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness tend to report higher levels of job satisfaction. Core self-evaluations like self-esteem, self-efficacy and emotional stability also influence job satisfaction.

19. Describe the work situation characteristics that affect job satisfaction.

The most important work situation characteristics are the nature of the work itself, pay, promotional opportunities, supervision, the work group and working conditions.

• The work itself, including job challenge, autonomy, variety, and scope is one of the best predictors of job satisfaction.
• Pay is a reflection of how the management values an employee and the perceived equity in pay is an important factor in job satisfaction.
• Promotion opportunities provide chances for further advancement.
• Supervision relates to the abilities of supervisors to provide technical assistance and behavioural support.
• Work groups where coworkers are technically proficient and socially supportive will also increase job satisfaction.
• Working conditions have a modest effect on job satisfaction.

20. Explain the EVLN model on the consequences of job dissatisfaction.

The EVLN model outlines four responses to job dissatisfaction:

• Exit: Employees may quit their job or look for another.
• Voice: Employees may actively try to improve the situation by discussing issues with their supervisors.
• Loyalty: Employees may passively wait for the situation to improve.
• Neglect: Employees may allow conditions to worsen through absenteeism and reduced effort.

21. Describe the outcomes of job satisfaction.

Job satisfaction has implications for various work outcomes:

• Job Performance: There is a positive correlation between job satisfaction and job performance of around .30 when corrected for errors, and when performance is linked to rewards.
• Withdrawal behaviours: such as absenteeism, tardiness and turnover.
• Workplace deviance: such as theft and workplace aggression.
• Safety performance: Employees with higher job satisfaction tend to have lower accident rates.
• Customer satisfaction: Satisfied employees are more likely to be friendly and responsive to customers.
• Life satisfaction: There is a reciprocal relationship where job satisfaction influences life satisfaction and vice versa.