Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction plays a great role in defining your efficiency and productivity. An employee who is satisfied and happy with his job will have higher productivity than an employee who looks at his job only as a means for monetary benefits.

Wagner III & Hollenbeck (1992) have the opinion that job satisfaction is a feeling that can please someone at work or who can provide the fulfillment of the values ​​of work.

Almost same with that statement about feeling, job satisfaction is satisfying or dissatisfying emotion condition with how the employees view their job. Job satisfaction is a mirror of feel toward their job. (Davis and Newton: 1996)

According to Weiss (2002) job satisfaction is an attitude but points out that researchers should clearly distinguish the objects of cognitive evaluation which are affected (emotion), beliefs and behaviors. This definition suggests that we form attitudes towards our jobs by taking into account our feelings, our beliefs, and our behaviors.

Meanwhile, according Prawirosentono (1992) performance is defined as: Job satisfaction is simply how people feel about their jobs and different aspects of their jobs. It is the extent to which people like (satisfaction) or dislike (dissatisfaction) their jobs.

According to Webster’s Dictionary (1986), job satisfaction refers to how well a job provides fulfillment of a need or want, or how well it serves as a source or means of enjoyment. Job satisfaction is defined more specifically in the literature, and several theorists have generated their own workable definitions. Of those researchers, Robert Hoppock is perhaps the most widely cited, although others have emerged with definitions reflecting more current theoretical underpinnings of job satisfaction. Some of the versions use the terms job attitudes, work satisfaction, and job morale interchangeably, which may explain the lack of a standardized job satisfaction definition.

Within the literature, Hoppock offered one of the earliest definitions of job satisfaction when he described the construct as being any number of psychological, physiological, and environmental circumstances which leads a person to express satisfaction with their job (Hoppock, 1935). Smith et. al.(1969) defined job satisfaction as the feeling an individual has about his or her job. Locke (1969) suggested that job satisfaction was a positive or pleasurable reaction resulting from the appraisal of one’s job, job achievement, or job experiences. Vroom (1982) defined job satisfaction as workers’ emotional orientation toward their current job roles. Similarly, Schultz (1982) stated that job satisfaction is essentially the psychological disposition of people toward their work. Siegal and Lance (1987) stated simply that job satisfaction is an emotional response defining the degree to which people like their job. Finally, Lofquist and Davis (1991), defined job satisfaction as “an individual’s positive affective reaction of the target environment...as a result of the individual’s appraisal of the extent to which his or her needs are fulfilled by the environment”

Yukl (1984) stated that job satisfaction is influenced by many factors, including personal traits and characteristics of the job. Theories focused more on the presence or absence of certain intrinsic and extrinsic job factors that could determine one’s satisfaction level. Intrinsic factors are based on personal perceptions and internal feelings, and include factors such as recognition, advancement, and responsibility. These factors have been strongly linked to job satisfaction according to O’Driscoll and Randall (1999). Extrinsic factors are external job related variables that would include salary, supervision, and working conditions. These extrinsic factors have also been found to have a significant influence on job satisfaction levels according to Martin and Schinke (1998).

Worker's responses ranked benefits, compensation, work/life balance, job security, and a feeling of safety in the workplace as the top five important job satisfaction factors (Clark, 2005).

Job satisfaction can have an effect on several different aspects of your business. In 2007, a worldwide survey of six industrialized nations including the United States showed that 80 percent of American workers are satisfied with their jobs, according to the Harris Interactive website. Understanding the importance of job satisfaction will motivate you to make sure that your employees are among the 8 out of 10 satisfied American workers. So that the important aspects are:

1)      Turnover. In order to understand the importance of job satisfaction, you need to attach economic factors to it. The cost of losing and replacing one single employee can be as high as $75,000, according to William G. Bliss, writing on the Small Business Advisor website. Some of the costs involved in replacing an employee include advertising for a replacement, the drop in productivity that occurs when you lose an experienced employee and the drop in productivity that occurs when you are bringing a new employee up to speed. Creating job satisfaction lowers employee turnover and reduces these costs to the company.

2)      Morale. A disgruntled employee who is unhappy with his job can cause a drop in overall productivity. But as that employee starts to spread his dissatisfaction through the rest of the staff, it can cause a drop in employee morale. The dissatisfaction with the company can grow if not addressed, and a universal drop in productivity occurs. Employees who are satisfied with their jobs do not create problems with staff morale.

3)      Training. An employee who is satisfied with her job will want to retain that job for as long as possible. When the company offers training to enhance employee knowledge regarding their job duties, that training is accepted by satisfied employees. Ongoing training helps to make your staff more competitive within your industry by keeping them up to date on new developments in sales processes, equipment and changes with the competition. Satisfied employees are more eager to apply new knowledge to their job performance and help to improve the company's competitive advantage.  

4)  Recruitment. Satisfied employees will attempt to recruit people they know who have the background necessary to assist the company. Recruiting new talent for your company becomes easier when the existing staff is satisfied and speaks highly of your organization. When your current staff is satisfied, they will act as recruiters for your organization and bring talented candidates to your company's attention that may have otherwise not applied for a position.