Abstract
This chapter explains the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational constructs in modern organizations; job satisfaction, job performance, and adaptability; job satisfaction and negative organizational issues; and the importance of job satisfaction in the health care industry. Job satisfaction is an attitude that employees have about their work and job-related activities. Job satisfaction is important from the perspective of maintaining employees within the organization. High job satisfaction effectively leads to the improved organizational productivity, decreased employee turnover, and reduced job stress in modern organizations. Job satisfaction leads to a positive ambience at the workplace and is essential to ensure the higher revenues for the organization. Organizations should create the systematic management and leadership strategies to increase the high levels of job satisfaction of their employees. When employees are satisfied with their jobs, they will energetically deliver the higher levels of job performance.
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Introduction
Job satisfaction is the sense of inner fulfillment and pride achieved when performing a particular job [Kasemsap, 2017a] regarding the concept of organizational psychology [Hauff, Richter, & Tressin, 2015]. Ensuring the satisfaction of employees in the organization is one of the most important tasks for organizational management [Özpehlivan & Acar, 2015]. The features of the work and work environment can predict job satisfaction in modern organizations [Brawley & Pury, 2016]. Satisfied employees will have more time to transfer their positive emotions to the customers toward improving organizational profits [Yee, Guo, & Yeung, 2015]. Job satisfaction is an affective reaction to a job that results from the incumbent's comparison of actual outcomes with those that are desired, expected, and deserved [Castaneda & Scanlan, 2014].
Job satisfaction, regardless of occupation or sector of employment, has been an issue of concern and of thorough research during the past decades [Ioannou et al., 2015]. Job satisfaction is the individual's positive feelings about his or her job and its characteristic structure. Employees’ job satisfactions have gained the increasing attentions from many researchers and practitioners in organizational study and the particular focus are given into searching the answer to understand why people are more satisfied with their jobs than others [Long & Xuan, 2014]. Job-provided development opportunities are significantly related to satisfaction with growth opportunities, which is related to the citizenship behaviors of interpersonal helping, personal industry, and loyal boosterism [Jawahar, 2012].
This chapter focuses on the literature review through a thorough literature consolidation of job satisfaction. The extensive literature of job satisfaction provides a contribution to practitioners and researchers by explaining the challenges and implications of job satisfaction in order to maximize the impact of job satisfaction in modern organizations.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Burnout: The state of having no enthusiasm because of working too hard.
Job Performance: The accomplishment of a given task measured against the standards of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed.
Autonomy: The level of freedom and discretion allowed to an employee over his or her job.
Work-Family Conflict: The opposition resulting from the perceived differences between individual's work and their family life.
Job Satisfaction: The sense of inner fulfillment and pride achieved when performing a particular job.
Reward: Something given in exchange for good behavior or good work.
Job Characteristics: The aspects specific to a job [e.g., knowledge, skills, physical demands, and working conditions] that can be recognized, defined, and evaluated.
Promotion: The advancement of an employee's position within the organization.
Motivation: The internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role or subject, or to make an effort to attain a goal.
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What are the elements of employee satisfaction?
Employee surveys can assess aspects of satisfaction such as:
- Compensation
- Working environment
- Tools & Resources
- Workload
- Attitudes
- Work-life balance
- Staff relationships
- Company culture
These defining factors are important to companies who want to keep their employees happy and reduce turnover, but employee satisfaction is only a part of the overall solution.
Is employee satisfaction important?
Yes, employee satisfaction is important.
Satisfaction is a prerequisite for engagement. Employees whose basic needs are not being met can't be engaged employees until the fundamentals are addressed.
It is also important to understand that satisfaction doesn't mean high performance or engagement. In fact, if your low-performing employees are also satisfied employees, then "employee satisfaction" might not be helping your company.
Employee satisfaction and employee engagement are similar concepts on the surface, and many people use these terms interchangeably; however, they measure different outcomes. The importance of knowing the difference is critical for an organization to make strategic decisions to create and improve the culture of engagement. Employee satisfaction covers basic concerns and needs in the workplace. It is a good starting point, but it usually stops short of what really matters. Satisfied employees are content. Engaged employees show up every day to give their best to help their companies succeed.
Employee Satisfaction versus
Employee Engagement
What is meant by employee satisfaction?
Consider the following definition of employee satisfaction:
Compare that with this definition of employee engagement.
Engaged employees are the engine of a company,
and their performance is proof of this.
What are examples of employee engagement?
Engaged employees are motivated to do more than the bare minimum needed to keep their jobs. Examples of an engagement attitude include a strong sense of purpose and leadership, a desire to be challenged, and commitment to improve performance and workplace results.
Engaged employees are the engine of a company, and their performance is proof of this. The importance of engagement cannot be overstated. Satisfied employees are merely content with their jobs and the status quo. For some, this might involve doing as little work as possible. An employee satisfaction survey will not diagnose key factors that can help an organization improve engagement and performance.
Wondering how satisfied and engaged your employees are?
Turnover vs. Unwanted
Turnover
Some level of turnover is healthy for all companies. Employees who are not adding value or who are not a good fit for the company leave, making way for fresh new perspectives and new energy. We could call this healthy turnover. By contrast,unwanted turnover happens when a company loses talented employees that they want to keep.
How does engagement affect employee performance?
As opposed to satisfied employees, engaged employees add value by pushing limits, driving growth and innovation. Companies with an engagement strategy provide informal and formal learning experiences to create significant opportunities for employees. Engaged employees will often snatch up these opportunities, satisfied employees often will not. In a culture of engagement, employees feel valued and recognized for their work.
Employee satisfaction surveys are an important component of a broader engagement survey, but they are not a stand-alone solution. As a company, if you focus on increasing the wrong kind of employee satisfaction, you risk entrenching those employees who are adding the least value while driving your most talented employees out.
See also: What is employee engagement?
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