Job Satisfaction

Introduction:

Job satisfaction is in regard to one's feelings or state-of-mind regarding the nature of

their work. Job satisfaction can be influenced by a variety of factors, e.g, the quality of
one's relationship with their supervisor, the quality of the physical environment in
which they work, degree of fulfillment in their work, etc.

There is no strong acceptance among researchers, consultants, etc., that increased job
satisfaction produces improve job performance, in fact, and improved job satisfaction
can sometimes decrease job performance. For example, you could let sometime sit
around all day and do nothing. That may make them more satisfied with their "work" in
the short run, but their performance certainly didn't improve.

Personality type, coping skills, procedural justice, locus of control, and

organizational involvement are all factors that affect job satisfaction. This study
looks at other factors such as age, education level, sex, shift, and part or full-time
status to see how they affect job satisfaction. Employees of the Wal-Mart
Supercenter in St. Joseph, Missouri filled out surveys intended to gather
information about what makes people satisfied with their jobs, and what types of
people are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs. Results showed that there
were three major predictors of job satisfaction: thinking all employees are treated
equally by their boss, sex (females were more satisfied than males), and employees
seeing themselves having a future in their present job. Factors hypothesized to be
significant predictors of job satisfaction, such as education level and age, did not
turn out to be significant at all. Shift was significant, however, in that first shift
workers were more satisfied with pay than were second or various shift workers.
There have been many studies performed to determine variables that affect job
satisfaction. Some have looked at factors such as organizational involvement, locus
of control, age, identification with role, dual career families, and commitment to
organization. Others have examined stress, Type a behavior, coping strategies,
Participation in decision making, procedural justice, emotional exhaustion, race,
And education.
Prause and Dooley found that a larger percentage of intermittently unemployed and
non full-year poverty wage workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs when
compared to the employed and full-year poverty wage workers. This suggests superiors

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and subordinates may tend to accentuate their differences and be more
prone to stereotype one another. These are at the functional core of many jobs.
The study by labor economists of job satisfaction is still
in its infancy. This may be, in part, because economists are suspicious of the usefulness
of data on reported well-being. However, it is known that satisfaction levels are
correlated with observable phenomena (such as quit behavior).

Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction

1. Work Itself:-
(a)Skill Variety
(b) Task Identity
(c) Task Significance
(d) Autonomy
(e) Feedback
2. Pay Structure: - It should be more attractive & lucrative. Some people get
Satisfaction only because of the salary and Compensation and they stick to
The organization for a long time.
3. Advancement Opportunities:-There should be good scope and opportunity
To grow. Opportunity should be given to employees at regular interval.
4. Supervision:-Proper supervision should be there in every organization. It
helps the employee not to deviate from their path. And Employee works in a
proper way.

5. Co-Workers:- It is an important factor. Employee feels comfortable when

their colleagues are good. They feel happy, because they can gain
knowledge, culture, & so many things.
6. Environment: - Company should be free from dispute, politics. Employees
like to work in friendly environment.
7. Compensation & Benefits:-Employee wants more compensation & benefits.
Benefits attract employees like perquisites, fringe benefits, and club
memberships etc.
8. Training:-What kind of training is given to employees. Employees are
gaining how many benefits out of it.
9. Climate:-City & Neighbors:-Employees wants to work in a good climate.
Sometimes city also matters that it is affordable to him a comparison of
salary.
10. Ethics & Principle: - The ways a firm is doing business. Some people are
very ethical. They will never compromise with their values & principles.
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Relationships of the Big Five Traits with Job Satisfaction

Neuroticism
Because of their essentially negative nature, neurotic individuals experience more
negative life events than other individuals in part, because they select themselves
into situations that foster negative effect. To the extent that such situations occur on
or with respect to the job, they would lead to diminished levels of job satisfaction.
Neuroticism has been described as the primary source of NA, and the link between
NA and job satisfaction was documented in meta-analysis.
Extraversion
Whereas Neuroticism is related to the experience of negative life events, extraverts are
predisposed to experience positive emotions, and positive emotionality likely
generalizes to job satisfaction, as demonstrated meta-analysis of PA-job
satisfaction relationships. Evidence also indicates that extraverts have more friends
and spend more time in social situations than do introverts and, because of their
social facility, are likely to find interpersonal interactions (such as those that occur
at work) more rewarding .
Openness to Experience
Openness to Experience is related to scientific and artistic creativity, divergent
thinking, low religiosity, and political liberalism. None of these psychological
states seem to be closely related to job satisfaction. Furthermore, it is noted that
"Openness to Experience is a 'double-edged sword' that predisposes individuals to
feel both the good and the bad more deeply”, rendering its directional influence on
affective reactions like subjective well-being or job satisfaction unclear.
Agreeableness
McCrae and Costa (1991) argued that Agreeableness should be related to happiness
Because agreeable individuals have greater motivation to achieve interpersonal
intimacy, which should lead to greater levels of well-being. Indeed, they found that
Agreeableness was positively related to life satisfaction, although at a relatively
low level (mean = .16). Assuming these same communal motivations exist on the
job, then the same process should operate with respect to job satisfaction’s Rg an
and Lingl (1995) apparently agreed, commenting that Agreeableness "involves
getting along with others in pleasant, satisfying relationships".

Conscientiousness
Organ and Lingl (1995) argued that Conscientiousness should be related to job
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satisfaction because it represents a general work-involvement tendency and thus
leads to a greater likelihood of obtaining satisfying work rewards, both formal
(e.g., pay, promotions) and informal (e.g., recognition, respect, feelings of personal
accomplishment). Indirectly, the subjective well-being literature also suggests a
positive relationship between Conscientiousness and job satisfaction.

Creating Job Satisfaction

Getting the most from your job.

"Find a job you like, and you add five days to every week."
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

For many of us, the idea of having a job that is truly satisfying - the kind where work
doesn't feel like work anymore - is pure fantasy. Sure, professional athletes, ski
patrollers, and golf pros may have found a way of doing what they love and getting
paid for it. But is there actually anyone out there who dreams of sitting at a desk and
processing paper, or watching products fly by them on conveyor belts, or working to
solve other people's problems?

Career dreams are one thing; practical reality is often another. When they happily
coincide, seize the opportunity and enjoy it! Luckily, when they do not, it's good to
know that it is possible to get job satisfaction from a practical choice of career. Job
satisfaction doesn't have to mean pursuing the ultra-glamorous or making money from
your hobby. You can work at job satisfaction, and find it in the most unexpected places.

The heart of job satisfaction is in your attitude and expectations; it's more about how
you approach your job than the actual duties you perform. Whether you work on the
farm, a production line, in the corner office or on the basketball court, the secret is to
understand the key ingredients of your unique recipe for job satisfaction.

Building Job Satisfaction

Once you have identified the blend of status, power, or intrinsic enjoyment that need to
be present in your work for you to feel satisfied, you then need to work on some of our
seven 'ingredients' for a satisfying job. These ingredients are:

 Self-awareness
 Challenge

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  Variety
 Positive attitude
 Knowing your options
 Balanced lifestyle
 A sense of purpose

Self-Awareness

The first step in the search for job satisfaction is to know yourself. If you're to be happy
and successful, you need to understand your strengths and weaknesses. This will help
you identify what types of profession will allow you to build on those strengths, and
minimize those weaknesses. A useful framework for conducting this type of analysis is
a Personal SWOT analysis.

It is difficult to feel satisfied with something you aren't very good at, so rather than
spend time beating yourself up about it, take a long hard look at the things at which
you excel, and try to find a position that uses some of those skills too.

The greater the match between your preferences and the requirements of the job, the
more potential for job satisfaction you have. The remaining six 'ingredients' determine
how much of that potential you actually achieve.

Challenge

Even if the job itself is not all that challenging, you can make it challenging. Some great
ideas here include:

 Set performance standards for yourself - aim to beat your previous record, or set
up a friendly competition among co-workers.
 Teach others your skills - nothing is more challenging, or rewarding, than
passing your skills and knowledge on to others.
 Ask for new responsibilities - these will give you opportunities to stretch
yourself.
 Start or take on a project that uses skills you would like to use, or want to
improve.
 Commit to professional development - take courses, read books or trade
magazines and attend seminars. However you do it, keep your skills fresh and
current.

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Variety

Closely related to the need for challenge is the need to minimize boredom. Boredom is a
common culprit when it comes to job dissatisfaction. When your mind is bored you lack
interest and enthusiasm and even a well-matched job becomes dissatisfying. Some
common methods to alleviate boredom at work include:

 Cross train and learn new skills.

 Ask to be moved to a new assignment or department requiring the same skills.
 Ask to work a different shift.
 Volunteer to take on new tasks.
 Get involved with committee work.
 Go on an extended leave, or take a sabbatical.

Positive Attitude

Attitude plays a huge role in how you perceive your job and your life in general. If you
are depressed, angry or frustrated, you're much less likely to be satisfied with anything.
Making a change to a positive attitude is a complex process that requires a lot of work
and a strong commitment. However, over time, you can turn your internal dialogues
around and start to see most events in your life as positive and worthwhile. Here are
some tips:

 Stop negative thoughts from entering your brain.

 Reframe your thoughts to the positive.
 Put the events of the day in the correct context.
 Don't dwell on setbacks.
 Commit to viewing obstacles as challenges.
 Accept that mistakes are simply opportunities to learn.
 Become an optimist.

To help you with your quest to become positive, Mind Tools has a useful article titled
Rational Positive Thinking, which helps you to identify and change negative and
unhappy thinking patterns

Know Your Options

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When you feel trapped, you can start to get anxious. At first you wonder what else is
out there for you. This progresses to the point where you become convinced that
anything other than the job you're doing has got to be more satisfying. To combat this,
continuously scan your environment for opportunities. When you feel you have
options, you have more control. When you make a positive choice to stay with a job,
that job has much more appeal than if you feel forced to stay because you feel you have
no alternative.

 Keep a list of your accomplishments.

 Update your resume on a regular basis.
 Keep up to date on employment trends.
 Research other jobs that interest you.
 Adopt an 'I'm keeping my options open' approach.

Maintain a Balanced Lifestyle

You'll have heard many times that you need to keep your life and work in balance.
When you focus too much on one at the expense of the other you risk putting your
whole system in distress. When work takes over your life, it is easy to resent it and lose
your sense of perspective: Suddenly everything about your life is clouded with
negativity.

The Life Career Rainbow and The Wheel of Life are two great tools to use when seeking
to attain and maintain an appropriate work life balance.

Find a Sense of Purpose

Last, but certainly not least (for many people) is the need to find a sense of purpose in
the things you do. Even if you have a boring job, it helps a lot if you can see the real
benefit you're providing for people.

Even the most mundane job usually has purpose if you dig deep enough. And if it
doesn't, should you be wasting your life doing it?

Conclusion
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In all cases there is evidence of large perceived increases in strain over time. Roughly
half of all Worlds’ workers believe that there has been in their workplace a significant
rise in effort, responsibility and stress. Approximately a quarter believe that the
tightness of supervision has gone up significantly.
The overall distributions, weighted to be representative of the World are as follows:
a) Sleep
b) Unhappiness
c) Lost confidence
d) Difficulties
e) Strain
f) Worthless
It is not easy to know what to make of the numbers. Taken at face value, they
Seem remarkable, and perhaps worrying for the Western democracies. A natural
response is to wonder if human beings accidentally or deliberately exaggerate their
difficulties.

Therefore, Work plays a significant role in our lives. In our quest to be happy and
productive, having a strong sense of job satisfaction is important. When you are
dissatisfied with your job, this tends to have an influence on your overall outlook on
life. While you may not be in the career of your dreams right now, it is still your
responsibility to make sure that what you are doing is satisfying to you.

By knowing the key elements that go into job satisfaction, you can choose to take
control and make the changes you need to feel really satisfied and motivated by what
you do. Make one small change at work today that makes you feel good or different -
build on that change and create a satisfying environment for yourself.

References

http://www.mindtools.com

http://www.wikipedia.com/jobsatisfaction

http://www.studentsreview.com/satisfaction_by_major

http://unjobs.org/tags/job-satisfaction

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=job+satisfaction

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