Table of Contents
What is Job Satisfaction?
Job satisfaction is the level of contentment a person feels regarding his or her job. This feeling is mainly based on an individual’s perception of satisfaction. Job satisfaction can be influenced by a person’s ability to complete required tasks, the level of communication in an organization, and the way management treats employees.
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
Confucius
Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction
An employee’s overall satisfaction with his job is the result of a combination of factors — and financial compensation is only one of them. Management’s role in enhancing employees’ job satisfaction is to make sure the work environment is positive, morale is high and employees have the resources they need to accomplish the tasks they have been assigned.
- Working Conditions
Because employees spend so much time in their work environment each week, it’s important for companies to try to optimize working conditions. Such things as providing spacious work areas rather than cramped ones, adequate lighting and comfortable work stations contribute to favorable work conditions. Providing productivity tools such as upgraded information technology to help employees accomplish tasks more efficiently contributes to job satisfaction as well.
- Opportunity for Advancement
Employees are more satisfied with their current job if they see a path available to move up the ranks in the company and be given more responsibility and along with it higher compensation. Many companies encourage employees to acquire more advanced skills that will lead to the chance of promotion. Companies often pay the cost of tuition for employees taking university courses, for example. During an employee’s annual performance review, a supervisor should map out a path showing her what she needs to accomplish and what new skills she needs to develop in order to be on a track to advancement within the organization.
- Workload and Stress Level
Dealing with a workload that is far too heavy and deadlines that are impossible to reach can cause job satisfaction to erode for even the most dedicated employee. Falling short of deadlines results in conflict between employees and supervisors and raises the stress level of the workplace. Many times, this environment is caused by ineffective management and poor planning. The office operates in a crisis mode because supervisors don’t allow enough time for employees to perform their assigned tasks effectively or because staff levels are inadequate.
- Respect from Co-Workers
Employees seek to be treated with respect by those they work with. A hostile work environment — with rude or unpleasant co-workers — is one that usually has lower job satisfaction. Managers need to step in and mediate conflicts before they escalate into more serious problems requiring disciplinary action. Employees may need to be reminded what behaviors are considered inappropriate when interacting with co-workers.
- Relationship with Supervisors
Effective managers know their employees need recognition and praise for their efforts and accomplishments. Employees also need to know their supervisor’s door is always open for them to discuss any concerns they have that are affecting their ability to do their jobs effectively and impeding their satisfaction at the office.
- Financial Rewards
Job satisfaction is impacted by an employee’s views about the fairness of the company wage scale as well as the current compensation she may be receiving. Companies need to have a mechanism in place to evaluate employee performance and provide salary increases to top performers. Opportunities to earn special incentives, such as bonuses, extra paid time off or vacations, also bring excitement and higher job satisfaction to the workplace.
Therefore, the employer should tell employees early and often that it is the employees’ responsibility to recognize and pursue their own career contentment. Employers’ emphasis should be on matching employees with meaningful work. Employees who learn to take charge of their own happiness at work will be highly motivated. Satisfied employees will stay with the company for a relatively long period. Thus, they must concentrate on removing dissatisfies from the workplace to enable employees to get on with their own satisfaction in an environment. Managers must concentrate on employing the right people for the organization in order to maximize on the possibility that employees will be satisfied.
Importance of Job satisfaction
Job satisfaction is a matter of great significance for employers.
- Lower staff turnover
- Higher productivity
- Reduction in conflicts and complaints
- Punctuality (reduced lateness)
- Better worked morale
Job satisfaction and productivity
In the right conditions and settings, job satisfaction can to a great degree lead to higher productivity. If employees feel that their jobs are fun and interesting, they will be more willing to give extra effort at work for the benefit of the whole organization. Instead if employees have the feeling that their occupations are meaningless and boring, they will have a negative attitude which will definitely lead to a decline in productivity.
Job satisfaction helps to create a better working environment
When employees are enjoying a higher degree of job satisfaction they tend to be more helpful and friendly with their colleagues at work. This helps to promote teamwork where sharing of information and knowledge is enhanced. Moreover studies have shown that job satisfaction among employees may lead to a better and safer working environment with lesser negative conflicts which otherwise would impede the smooth running of the organization.
Job satisfaction and absenteeism and turnover
High rate of turnover has always been a great problem to many organizations. It obviously results in loss of potentials and talents and causes huge losses in terms of additional costs. According to Sattler and Mullen, generally, the more productive people are, the more satisfied they tend to be and when employees feel satisfied they are less likely to leave the organization.
Employee satisfaction can lead to customer satisfaction
When our staff is happy, our customers will be too. At the heart of these endeavors is a strong belief that today’s employee satisfaction, loyalty and commitment influence tomorrow’s customer satisfaction, loyalty and commitment-and, ultimately, the organization’s profit and growth.
