Job satisfaction
Robbins et al. (2022) explain several concepts about job satisfaction. Job satisfaction can be measured through global ratings or job facets such as salary, promotion, and relationship with coworkers.
Robbins et al. (2022) also says that there are some causes that contribute to job satisfaction: work conditions such as interest in the profession, relationship with leadership, and social support. Regarding job satisfaction, the authors showed the case of the Zappos store, which offers US$2,000 to anyone who resigns from their job after training, and if the person does not like the job/company, they tend to leave, while people who are satisfied with their job remain in the company. There are also internal reasons such as a positive core self-evaluation. Salary contributed to this equation. Another factor is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is defined in Robbins et al. (2022) as “an organization’s self-regulated actions to benefit society or the environment beyond what is required by law.” The results are positive when employees have job satisfaction such as better performance, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), customer satisfaction, and life satisfaction.
The work of Shikuku and Mosoti (2024) shows that some personality traits seem to influence and are associated with job satisfaction. Some jobs are better for some personality types, so it is interesting for the professional to do a self-assessment to better understand his/her profile. There are tests such as 16personalities.com. At the company level, Human Resources has to think about this part of fitting the person into a position that suits the employee’s personality. Shikuku and Mosoti (2024) also show that when an employee has a good fit with the organization, this generates positive results such as better performance and OCB. The authors show that to have an effective reward system to enhance employee’s satisfaction and commitment, the organization must consider three factors: what outcomes the company wants, have ways to measure the results, and tie its rewards to these outcomes, since “employee’s rewards are tied directly to how capable he or she is contributing to the achievement of the organization’s goals and objectives.”
Analyzing the current scenario regarding job satisfaction, let’s look at some interesting data: a survey by the Unstop platform that interviewed 5,350 Gen Z workers and 500 HR professionals, shows that 72% of the Gen Z believe that job satisfaction is more important than salary, in addition to the importance of work-life balance. The ISPO website (2024) provides examples of how wellness programs boost productivity and employee satisfaction like Google that offers free healthy meals, gyms and mental health programs. The LiveNow Fox report (2024) shows that the company Career.IO analyzed 750,000 job reviews to make a list of the most and least satisfying jobs in the United States. 10 jobs in which Americans are happiest: real estate agent, carpenter, software developer, designer, fitness instructor, firefighter, secretary, computer support, logistics manager and physician. The 10 jobs in which people are most unhappy: mail carrier, pharmacist, security guard, parademic, hairdresser, baker, secondary school teacher, personal trainer, barber and hair stylist. Before starting to work in a sector, it is interesting to look this kind of employee satisfaction thermometer, Career.IO gives insights into the reasons for people’s satisfaction and dissatisfaction when working in a particular job.
Job Satisfaction is a very broad and complex area, but it is interesting for the leader or potential leader to know the factors that influence employee satisfaction in the team, because as research shows, this has a big difference in productivity and coexistence in the company.
References
Business Insider India. (2023, October 12). Majority of Gen Z employees feel job satisfaction is more important than salary, say work-life balance is crucial. https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/majority-gen-z-employees-feel-job-satisfaction-is-more-important-than-salary-say-work-life-balance-is-crucial/articleshow/113379962.cmsLinks to an external site.
Career.io. (n.d.). Careers that make Americans happiest. https://career.io/career-advice/careers-that-make-americans-happiestLinks to an external site.
ISPO. (2024, October 10). Corporate wellness programs boost productivity. https://www.ispo.com/en/health/corporate-wellness-programs-boost-productivityLinks to an external site.
LiveNow Fox. (2023, July 18). Careers that make Americans happiest, study of 750K job reviews. https://www.livenowfox.com/news/careers-make-americans-happiest-study-750k-job-reviewsLinks to an external site.
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2022). Essentials of Organizational Behavior (15th ed.). Pearson.
Shikuku, W., & Mosoti, Z. (2024). Factors Affecting Employee’s Perception on Job Satisfaction: Case of United States International University (USIU). Human Resource and Leadership Journal, 9(1), 54-76. https://www.carijournals.org/journals/index.php/HRLJ/article/view/1633/2001
