Importance Of Job Satisfaction In Workplace
The importance of job satisfaction in the workplace cannot be over-emphasized. Therefore, we shall be looking at what job satisfaction is, the factors that determine an employee’s job satisfaction level, and how employees can job satisfaction.
What is Job Satisfaction?
Job satisfaction can be defined as the level of contentment employees feel with their jobs.
Job satisfaction varies from employee to employee. For example, you can be working in the same organization, under the same conditions as your colleague but the factors that help your colleague to feel satisfied with their job may not be applicable to you.
It is very crucial for an employer to have a multidimensional approach to satisfy employees. It is only when employees are satisfied with their jobs that they can perform at their peak.
Factors That Determine Employee’s Job Satisfaction Level
The following are factors that determine employee job satisfaction levels.
- Emotional/psychological well-being: Does the company care about its employees? As an employer, understand that actions speak louder than voices. Your employee can feel that you care about them from what you do, not what you say. It is not enough to only care, the care has to be seen and felt.
As an employer, you can show care through newsletters, rewards, or paid incentives. When your employees do not feel cared for, it reflects on how they execute their job roles, this act may affect the name of the company.
Companies like Google and Starbucks make sure that their employees are satisfied with their jobs likewise the company. They understand that it’s only when their employees are satisfied with their jobs that the company can be able to close more deals and achieve its objectives.
- Promotion system: It is the dream of any employee to get promoted in their jobs, no employee wants to remain in a particular position for years. The perceived promotion system within an organization can either make the employees satisfied or dissatisfied.
The current work environment is fast-paced, and it is easy for an employee to switch to a greener pasture if promotions are not forthcoming. To avoid getting overwhelmed as an employer, inform your employees about the promotion policies of your organization so that the employee will know what to expect and when to expect it.
- Mutual respect: A workplace where employees are regularly criticized is a job satisfaction spoiler. An employer can detect job dissatisfaction via one-on-one conversations with employees. For any organization to succeed, employees are to be shown respect regardless of their positions in the workplace.
- Constructive feedback: Employees need regular feedback to know if they are performing their duties as they ought to. As an employer, it is important to provide a conducive atmosphere where employees can share their opinions with their superiors to protect the future of the company. Including employees in the decision-making of the organization will give more room for employees to be satisfied with their jobs.
- Diversity and Inclusion: Employees do not like scenarios where they will be deprived of privileges that were actually meant for them because of the differences in age, religion, nationality, in some cases, disability. As an employer, when you ensure fairness amongst employees, there are high chances of them deriving satisfaction with their jobs and the company.
In other words, job satisfaction shouldn’t be limited to a group of persons. Everyone should be given an opportunity to grow and voice their opinions.
- Job security: According to (Berg, Grant, & Johnson, 2010), It’s no surprise that once a culture is established in a workplace, satisfaction can then be enhanced by added feelings of security. Security may arise from knowing you work for a viable company with long-term goals, insinuating feelings of belonging to that company.
With the high increase in unemployment, job security is now a major concern to employees. As an employer who wants his/her company to stand the test of time, you must clearly explain how an employee’s role will transform over the years and prepare them with the necessary skills.
- A good relationship with supervisors: A good working relationship with superiors in any organization is a key to job satisfaction. Employees do not want to feel overworked or under-appreciated. Maintaining a positive work relationship in the office is a good way to let your employee know that they are an important part of the team.
Communication is an important influence on job satisfaction in the workplace. The way in which subordinates perceive a supervisor’s behavior can positively or negatively affect job satisfaction.
Employees who dislike their supervisor are less willing to communicate or have the motivation to work compared to employees who like and think positively of their supervisor.
- Good communication between employees and management: Communication is extremely important to retain employees’ levels of satisfaction, on both a personal and professional level. It is exhibited by allowing employees to be open, trustworthy, and even confrontational when the need arises.
The ability to communicate clearly and positively is sacrosanct to any company’s success. Good communication is the way to create a conducive work environment for employees. Poor communication can hinder creativity and innovation. When there’s a bridge in communication between the management and the employees, employees can have reservations about voicing ideas that are likely to push the organization.
- Compensation/benefits: According to (Edwards, 2008), organizational success and job satisfaction are also linked to employees’ perceptions of adequate pay and benefits.
Paying your employees good wages is the best way of investing in your company’s future.
- Leadership: When employees feel that leaders can guide them through tasks, their motivation and satisfaction increase.
- Opportunities: An employer can gain more satisfaction with his/her job when more challenging opportunities arise.
- Working conditions: Job satisfaction can be increased when an employer provides a conducive and cooperative environment. This means a place with respect for diverse ideas and opinions, honest and constructive feedback, freedom from harassment, and mentoring opportunity.
Importance Of Job Satisfaction In the Workplace
According to (McBride, 2002), It is a primary responsibility of organizations to ascertain that employees are satisfied with their jobs through measurements, but also to find out the causes of dissatisfaction when employees are not feeling satisfied.
The Following Are The Importance Of Job Satisfaction:
- Productivity: Irrespective of job titles or salary, employees who are more satisfied with their jobs are willing to do everything within their power to ensure the growth and development of the company that they work for.
Employees are more likely to bring in their A-game in a positive work environment. According to research by the Social Market Foundation and the University of Warwick’s Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE) states that happy employees are 20% more productive than unhappy employees.
- Organization growth: When employees are satisfied with their jobs, all hands will be on deck to move the company forward. When an employee feels that the organization has his/her best interests at heart, he/she tends to support the organization’s goals and objectives.
An employee that is satisfied with the work conditions and the payment structure is far more likely to recommend the services of the company to friends, family, and strangers than a dissatisfied employee.
- Resignation: If employees are more satisfied with their jobs, they are less likely to leave. It also helps the company in recruiting better quality talent as new talent sees employee staying power as an added value. Most times employees resign from their jobs because they are not satisfied.
When an employee resigns or leaves an organization, he/she is likely to share the organization’s secrets with a new company which could toughen up an unhealthy competition for the previous company’s products and services. A satisfied customer is less likely to resign from his/her job or tarnish the image of the company.
How To Gain Job Satisfaction
As an employee, regardless of the situation you find yourself in, it’s important that you look for practical ways to derive satisfaction from your job.
Here are the following ways to derive satisfaction from your job:
- Become an expert in your field: It is satisfying when you have an in-depth knowledge of what you are doing. The more you learn about a subject, the higher your interest is.
- Do something that you are good at every day: Think about what you love most about your job and pay attention to it.
- Invest in your career: Invest in your career by taking courses, training, and studying valuable materials that can help you grow, career-wise. Investing in yourself means that you are improving on your skillset and you are ready to take up new challenges.
- Develop a positive relationship with your boss: Any successful relationship is built on offering and receiving value.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of any organization is mainly dependent on the satisfaction level of the employees. If an employee is not satisfied with his/her job, there are chances that the employee’s productivity level will drop, committing mistakes will be inevitable likewise absenteeism from work.