Question:
Think of a time when you or
someone you know was unhappy with a specific aspect of their job.
Explain the source of the dissatisfaction and how you expect I/O
psychology or conducting a job analysis could have improved it.
Support your position with research and cite your references in APA
style if applicable.
Answer:
- An expansive research on
job satisfaction has resulted in job satisfaction being linked to
productivity, motivation, absenteeism/tardiness, accidents,
mental/physical health, and general life satisfaction (Landy,
1978).
- A common theory within the
research has been that, to an extent, the emotional state of an
individual is affected by interactions with their work environment.
People identify themselves by their profession, such as a doctor,
lawyer, or teacher. Hence, an individual's personal well-being at
work is a significant aspect of research (Judge & Klinger,
2007).
- The most widely accepted
theory of job satisfaction was proposed by Locke (1976), who
defined job satisfaction as “a pleasurable or positive emotional
state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences”
(Locke, 1975, p.1304). Job satisfaction has emotional, cognitive,
and behavioral components (Bernstein & Nash,
2008).
- The emotional component
refers to job-related feelings such as boredom, anxiety,
acknowledgement and excitement. The cognitive component of job
satisfaction pertains to beliefs regarding one's job whether it is
respectable, mentally demanding / challenging and rewarding.
Finally, the behavioral component includes people's actions in
relation to their work such as tardiness, working late, faking
illness in order to avoid work (Bernstein & Nash,
2008).
- Job satisfaction refers to
the positive attitudes or emotional dispositions people may gain
from work or through aspects of work. Employees’ job satisfaction
becomes a central attention in the researches and discussions in
work and organizational psychology because it is believed to have
relationship with the job performance.
- There are essentially two
types of job satisfaction based on the level of employees' feelings
regarding their jobs. The first, and most analysed, is global job
satisfaction, which refers to employees' overall feelings about
their jobs (e.g., "Overall, I love my job.") (Mueller & Kim,
2008).
- The second is job facet
satisfaction, which refers to feelings regarding specific job
aspects, such as salary, benefits, work hierarchy (reporting
structure), growth opportunities, work environment and the quality
of relationships with one's co-workers (e.g., "Overall, I love my
job, but my schedule is difficult to manage.") (Mueller & Kim,
2008). According to Kerber and Campbell (1987), measurements of job
facet satisfaction helps identify specific aspects of a job that
require improvement. The findings may aid organizations in
improving overall job satisfaction or in understanding
organizational issues such as high turnover (Kerber & Campbell,
1987).
- There are several myths
regarding job satisfaction. One such myth is that a happy employee
is a productive employee (Syptak et al., 1999). Research has
offered little to support that a happy employee is productive, on
the contrary, some research has suggested that casualness may creep
in, shifting from productivity to satisfaction (Bassett,
1994).
- Hence, if there is a
correlation, it is a weak one. Knowing that research does not
support the idea that happiness and employee satisfaction creates
higher production, why do I/O psychologists and organizations still
attempt to keep employees happy?
- Many have pointed out that
I/O psychologists research perspective moves beyond increasing the
bottom line of an organization. Happy employees do not negatively
affect productivity and can have a positive effect at workplace and
on society at large. It also positively impacts the organization's
brand image. Therefore, it still benefits all parties to have happy
and satisfied employees.
- Another fallacy is that the
pay is the most important factor in job satisfaction. In reality,
employees are more satisfied when they enjoy the environment in
which they work (Berry, 1997). An individual can have a high paying
job and not be satisfied because it is boring and lacks sufficient
stimulation. In fact, a low-paying job can be seen as satisfying if
it is adequately challenging or stimulating.
- There are numerous factors
that must be taken into consideration when determining how
satisfied an employee is with his or her job, and it is not always
easy to determine which factors are most important to each
employee. Job satisfaction is very subjective for each employee and
each situation being assessed.