Job satisfaction in human resource management

1. Job satisfaction

2. Definition A general attitude towards one’s job;(the difference between the amount of reward workers receive and the amount they believe they should receive Robbins (1998). Morse (1953) considered job satisfaction as dependent upon job content, identification with the company, financial and job status &pride in group performance.

3. Sinha (1958) has opined that job satisfaction is essentially related to human needs and their fulfillment through work. Pestonjee (1973) def job satisfaction as job ,management ,personal adjustment & social relations.

4. A pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experience Lockel (1976).

5. Morale It is a concept described the attitudes of the employees collectively towards all aspects of their work the job, the company, working conditions, fellow workers, supervision, and so on. Simply, it is the summation of the attitudes of the employees making up the group.

6. A greater presence of positive attitudes indicates high morale while a greater presence of negative attitudes indicates low morale. There are certain indices to measure the depth of morale viz., resignation, accident, sickness, absenteeism, grievances & complaints.

7. Job satisfaction is an individual concept, where as morale is a group concept. Both have same components. Level of application the term (individual & group).

8. Dimensions of job satisfsction According to Lockel there are 3 dimensions in job satisfaction. First, job satisfaction is a emotional response to a job situation. As such it cannot be seen it can only be inferred. Third, job satisfaction represent several related attitudes.

9. According to Smith Kendall & Huillin there are 5 dimensions that represent the most important characterizes of a job about which people have affective responsibility. 1.Work Itself The extent to which the job provides the interesting tasks, opportunities for learning and the chance to accept responsibility.

10. 2.Pay The amount of financial remuneration that is received and the degree to which this is viewed as equitable vis -a - vis others in the organization. 3.Promotion Opportunities The chance for advancement in the hierarchy.

11. 4.Supervision The ability of the supervisor to provide technical assistance and behavioral support. 5.Co-workers The degree to which follow workers are technically proficient and socially supportive.

12. Importance of job satisfaction Satisfied workers do work more willingly. Satisfied workers usually engage in constructive behavior. Satisfied employees have better health and live longer. Luthans (1993) believed that employees with higher job satisfaction exhibit better mental and physical health.

13. Satisfaction on the job carries over to the employee’s life outside the job.

14. Measuring job satisfaction There are two approaches for measuring job satisfaction 1.Single global rating It consists of asking individual to respond to one question. The respondent reply by circling a number between 1-5 that corresponds to answer from highly satisfied to highly dissatisfied. 2.Summation score It consist of identifying key elements in a job &ask for the employee’s feeling about each.

15. E.g. nature of work, supervision, present pay, promotional opportunities & relation with co-workers. These factors are rated on a standardized scale & then added up to create an overall job satisfaction. Factors related to job satisfaction The factors related to job satisfaction classified into 1.Personal factors. 2.Factors inherent in the job. 3.Factors controllable by management. 1.Personal factors a. Sex :most investigations on the subject have found that women are more satisfied with their jobs than are man.

16. b. Number of dependents :the more dependents one have, the less satisfaction he has with his job. Age :in some group job satisfaction is higher with increasing age. In some groups vice-versa. Time on job :job satisfaction is relatively high at the start, drops slowly. Intelligence :the relation of intelligence to job satisfaction no doubt depends on the level & range of intelligence & the challenge of the job.

17. f. Education :conflicting evidences on the relationship between education and job satisfaction. g. Personality :extroverts, those who are with sociable nature, high interpersonal relations are satisfied in job. In keeping with the opinion of the industrial psychologist such as Blum & Nylor (1968) job satisfaction often mention or suggest personality traits as antecedent or progenitor to job satisfaction.

18. 2. Factors inherent in the job Type of work: work varied in nature brings job satisfaction. Routine work bring job dissatisfaction, boredom. Skill required: satisfaction of skills in a job bring job satisfaction. Occupational status: clerical, offices, professional, etc, social status, prestige attached to the job also matters. E.g. scientists. Geography: greater job satisfaction among workers in small towns than big towns.

19. 3.Factors controllable by management Security for old age was one significant factor related to job satisfaction. E.g. Pensionary benefits. Pay :pay rise is “cures – all” which will make each employee happy. Fringe benefits Opportunities for advancement Working conditions Co-worker responsibility

20. 8. Supervision- Favorable attitude of employee towards their supervision.

21. How to increase job satisfaction ? The following factors may be considered for increasing job satisfaction. Personal factors: Management cannot change the personal factors of the employees. But should appreciate the role of the personal factors in-job satisfaction. Management should place the workers where the personal factors of the individual will aid him in achieving job satisfaction.

22. Factors inherent in the job: Management should consider how to make the work less routine, raise the occupational status of the workers. E.g. Strategy- giving chances for more creativity. Factors controllable by management Promotional policies. Adequate training of supervisors. Providing security feeling of workers.

23. How Employees Can Express Dissatisfaction ? employees dissatisfaction can be expressed in number of ways. For example employees can choose to complain rather than quit. The figure below offers four responses that differ from one another along two dimensions, i.e. constructiveness/destructiveness & activity/passivity.

24. Exit Behavior directed towards leaving the organization. Includes looking for a new position as well as resigning. Voice Actively and constructively trying to improve condition. It includes suggesting improvement. Discussing problems with one’s boss, and some from of union activity. Loyalty Passively but optimistically waiting for condition to improve. Includes speaking up for organization in the face of external criticism and trusting the organization & its management to “do the right thing”.

25. Neglect Passively allowing conditions to worsen. Includes chronic absenteeism, or lateness, reduced efforts & increased error rate.

26. Exit & neglect behavior encompass our performance variables- productivity absenteeism and turnover. But this model expands employee response to include voice and loyalty- constructive behavior that allows individuals to tolerate unpleasant situations or to revive satisfactory working conditions.

27. It helps us to understand situations such as those sometimes found among unionized workers where low job satisfaction is coupled with low turn over. Union members often express dissatisfaction through the grievance procedure or through formal contract negotiation. These voice mechanics allow the union member to continue in their jobs while convincing themselves that they are acting to improve the situation.