CHAPTER -4

JOB SATISFACTION
JOB SATISFACTION
Definition- job satisfaction is a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of
one’s job or job experiences.
In other words, it represents how you feel about your job and what you think about job.
Employees with high job satisfaction experience positive feelings when they think about
their duties or take part in task activities.
Employees with low job satisfaction experience negative feelings when they think about
their duties or take part in task activities.
The level of job satisfaction has down trend 45% in last 20 years from 61%, only 51%
feel their work interesting, 51% are satisfied with their boss, and only 57% employees like
their coworkers.
Reversing such trends need reseach to know what are factors driving job satisfaction at
workplace.
WHY SOME EMPLOYEES are MORE
SATISFFIED THAN OTHERS?
Job satisfaction of employees depend upon the value they give to
different things they want to achieve and attain.
VALUE=V is composed of 3 things- want, have, and importance.
V is the want- what is your expectation to achieve from your job?
V is the have- what you are receiving from your job?
V is the importance- what importance the employee gives to things, he
want to achieve or he is achieveing.
Dissatisfation= (V achieve-V want) x (V importance)
 Things having VALUE to employees
Five things are very much important for employees in all times:
1. Pay- compensation of worker for his/her services rendered.
2. Promotion- higher position in continuance of your carrier.
3. Supervision- how your superior is treaing you to motivate.
4. Coworkers- how good eggs they are coordinating with each other.
5. Work itself- task you are performing actually the whole day.
6. Altruism- Helping others, sincere to others, selflessness at work.
7. Status- prestige, power over others, and fame due to your job.
8. Environment- comfortable and safe working conditions at job.
1. PAY SATISFACTION
It refers to employees feelings about their pay, including whether
it’s as much as they deserve, secure, and adequate for both normal
expenses and luxury items.
Similar to other facets of job satisfaction, employees are satisfied
with their pay comparing it with others doing the work resembling to
them in shape of skills, time, experience and length of service with
present employer. If the balance they feel is better than others they will
be satisfied otherwise, they feel dissatisfied when it is in other’s favour.
The company paying more salaries, bonus, sabaticals, facilities as
compared to other compititors, employees will be more willing to work at
and above par, even in hard and difficult conditions.
2. PROMOTION SATISFACTION
It refers to employees’ feelings about the company’s promotion
policies and their execution, including whether promotions are frequent,
fair, and based on ability.
Unlike pay, employees’ may not be very much willing for
promotion because it brings more responsibilites, and longer workhours.
However, employees generally value promotion because it provides more
opportunities for growth, better wage and prestige.
Nordstrom company has very fast track for promotion, a sales
executive receives promotion within six months. An exective of company
says that “ we want to make sure people get enough experiences to grow
their career”.
 3. SUPERVISION SATISFACTION
It refers to ’feelings about their boss, including whether the boss is competent, polite, and a
good communicator (rather than lazy, annoying, and too distant).
Most common questions asked by empoyees about their boss:
1. Can they help me to attain the things that I value?
This first question means whether supervisor provides rewards for good performanace, help
employees obtain necessary resources, and protect employees from unnecessary distractions.
2. Are they generally likable?
This second question means whethe supervisors have good personalities, as well as values and
beliefs similar to the employees’ philosophies.
A manager says that three roles ago are still working:
a. Putting good words on me.
b. Checking up on me.
c. I have started to do as well.
4. COWORKER SATISFACTION
It refers to the feelings about their fellow employees, including whether coworkers are smart,
responsible, helpful, fun, and interesting as opposed to lazy, gossipy, unpleasant, and boring.
Employees normally has two questions:
1. Can they help me do my job?
This question is critical because most of us rely, to some extent, on our coworkers when performing
job tasks.
2. Do I enjoy being around them?
This question is important because we spend just as much time with cowoekers as we do with
members of our own family. The coworkers who are pleasant and fun can make the workweek go
much faster, whereas, coworkers who are disrespectful and annoying can make even one day seem
like eternity (unending time).
Some organization make happiness committees to make some acts of kindness, leaving gift for
employees at their work stations. Committees are kept secret from rank-and file.
5. SATISFACTION WITH WORK ITSELF
It reflects employees’ feelings about their actual work tasks, including whether
those tasks are challenging, interesting, respected, and make use of key skills rather
than being dull, repetitive, and uncomfortable.
whereas the previous four facets of Job satisfaction describe the outcome that
result from work (Pay, promotion) and people who surround work (supervisor,
coworkers).
This facet focuses on what employees actually do. The best boss and most
interesting coworkers can compensate 40 to 50 hours of complete boring work.
How to improve job satisfaction here?
a. Emphasis on challenging job and interesting parts of the job.
b. Do things at job that create value for employees.
c. Offering them courses to improve their life at work and at home.
What are 3 critical psychological
states that make work itself
satisfying
1. Meaningfulness: it reflects the degree to which work tasks are viewed as
something that “counts” in the employee’s system of philosophies and
beliefs. The tasks giving sense of community service, aiding organization to
achieve it’s strategic objectives are more meaningful than the routine task or
duties performed.
2. Resposibility for outcomes: it reflects to situation when employees feel that
they are really drivers of high quality work in their unit and they feel pride as
part of that work unit.
3. Knowledge of results: it reflects the extent to which employees know how
well (or how poorly) they are doing job.
Think about times when you felt especially proud of a job well done. At this
moment you probable experiencing all three psychological states.
What kinds of characteristics create above
3 psychological states? Job characteristics theory
The job characteristics theory argues following characteristics of job are resposible to create intrinsically
satisfying jobs.
1. Variety- the degree to which the job requires a number of different acitivities that involve a number
of different skills and talents.
2. Identity- the degree to which the job requires completing a whole, identifiable piece of work from
beginning to end with a visible outcome.
3. Significance- the degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives of other people,
particularly people in the world at large. The feeling that job I am doing really matter for whole
working world.
4. Autonomy- the degree to which the job provides the freedom, independence, and discretion to the
individual performing the work. When job provides opportunity to view the outcomes of your
endeavour.
5. Feedback- the degree to which carrying out the activities required by the job provides employees
with clear information about how well they are performing.
All these charactristics provide intrinsic (inner) satisfaction to the employees at work.
Moods & Emotions
Research provides insights that job satisfaction levels fluctuate over time, rising and falling like
some sort of emotional stock market. Meaning thereby, job satisfaction reflects what you think and
feel about your job.
Another part of it is emotional, based on what you feel, “in your gut” while you are at work or
thinking about work. When employees come at job they are happy with high levels of satisfaction
but some occurance of some events may change their satisfaction level positively or negatively, they
are emotions and moods.
1. Moods: the states of feeling that are often mild in intensity, last for an extended period of time,
and are not explicitly directed at or caused by anything.
2. Emotions: states of feeling that are often intense, last for only a few minutes, and are clearly
directed at (and caused by) someone or some circumstance.
Difference between moods and emotions is only how we describe them.
Mood- I am feeling grouchy (bad tempered). Not clear to whom it is directed.
Emotion- I am feeling angry at my boss. Clear to whom it is directed.
Two kinds of Emotions
1. Postive Emotions: positively feeling about some event, person, or thing
i. Joy: a feelig of great pleasure.
ii. Pride: enhancement of identity by taking credit for achievemant.
iii. Relief: a distressing condition has changed for the better.
iv. Hope: fearing the worst but wanting better.
v. Love: desiring or participating in affection.
vi. Compassion: being moved by another’s situation.
Two kinds of Emotions
2. Negative Emotions: negative feeling about some event, person, and thing
i. Anger- demeaning offense against me an mine.
ii. Anxiety- Facing an uncertain or vague threat.
iii. Fear- Facing an immediate and concrete danger.
iv. Guilt- Having broken a moral code.
v. Shame- Failing to live up to your ideal self.
vi. Sadness- Having experienced an irreversible loss.
vii. Envy- Wanting what someone has.
viii. Disgust- Revulsion aroused by something offensive.
Finally, moods and emotions are resposible for satisfaction with work itself, as some bad patch
(annoying comment) during working hours as short term or boring work and incompetent
coworkers as long term annoying feeling with work.
IMPORTANCE OF JOB SATISFACTION
Job satisfaction is important due its direct and positive
relationship with following major outcomes of the job:
1. Job performance- job satisfaction has moderate positive
relationship with task performance.
2. Citizenship behavior- JS has positive relationship with it.
3. Counterproductive behavior- JS has negative relationship with it.
4. Organizational Commitment- JS has highly positive relationship with
Affective and Normative commitment but effects of JS on
‘continuance commitment are weaker.
LIFE SATISFACTION
Definition- the degree to which employees feel a sense of happiness with their lives.
Research show that job satisfaction is one of the strongest predictors of life satisfaction.
Normally people feel good in their lives when they have high level of job
satisfaction because it is first question people ask each other when introduced, “what
do you do”? If you do feel good answering this question, you are feeling satisfied with
your life. Because a major active time of you life is being spent on your job.
Finally, life satisfaction is ultimate and we always work hard to achieve life
satisfaction from all facets of our life like: job, family, friends, community, culture,
idiology and practices, political affiliations, membership of soceities for communal
services etc;.
But in all above your life satisfaction largely depends upon your satisfaction with job
because you spend more time at job as compared to any other activity.
Assessment/measurement of Job
Satisfaction
The organizations can assess and manage job satisfaction of employees by using attitude surveys such as the Job
Descritive Index (JDI) this tool measures following job satisfaction facets:
1. Satisfaction with Pay.
2. Satisfaction with promotion.
3. Satisfaction with supervision.
4. Satisfaction with Coworkers.
5. Satisfaction with work itself.
How to improve level of Job Satisfaction:
6. as pay and promotion belong to organization
i. Redesigning reward system by attaching it to job performance and employees’ well- being and
ii. Promotion satisfaction may be improved by frequent evaluation and fair treatment.
2. As the supervision and coworkers’ satisfaction coming from people at workplace. Trainings, mentoring, family gatherings,
festive activities can play vital role to improve job satisfaction.
3. In case of work itself, job satisfaction may be enhanced by redesigning the job according job characteristics theory
(variety, identity, significance, autonomy, and feedback) that provide positive psychological states as intrinsic factor to
enhance job satisfaction.