Job Satisfaction

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Job Satisfaction
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Questions

• What is job satisfaction?
• What are some of the benefits of having a
  satisfied workforce?
• What are some of the disadvantages of having a
  dissatisfied workforce?
• What causes employees to be satisfied with their
  jobs?

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What is Job Satisfaction?

• An employees cognitive and affective evaluation
  of his or her job
• overall
• specific components
• pay
• promotions
• work tasks
• coworkers
• supervisors
• others??

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Why Should Organizations Care?

• Organizational Commitment
• Job Withdrawal - turnover and retirement
  intentions
• Work Withdrawal - behaviors to avoid performing
  ones work tasks
• Absenteeism and tardiness
• Missing meetings
• Long/frequent coffee breaks
• What about Job Performance?

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Organizational Commitment

• Definition
• An acceptance of organizational goals
• A willingness to work hard for the organization
• The desire to stay with the organization
• Research findings (Probst, 2000)
• strong correlation with coworker, promotions,
  supervisor, and work satisfaction (r .50)
• lower with pay (r .18)
• strong correlation with overall satisfaction (r
  .70)

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Job Withdrawal

• Employee intentions to leave the organization
• Research findings
• Moderate relationship between satisfaction and
  turnover intentions
• Coworker r -.30
• Pay r -.11 (ns)
• Promotions r -.26
• Supervisor r -.39
• Work r -.21

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Work Withdrawal

• Employee behaviors to avoid work tasks
• Research findings
• Weak relationship between satisfaction and work
  withdrawal
• Coworker r -.11 (ns)
• Pay r .03 (ns)
• Promotions r -.21
• Supervisor r -.18
• Work r -.26
• Why? Affective reactions better predictor

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What About Job Performance?

• Why would we expect a relationship??
• Research findings
• r .14
• Are happy workers productive workers? OR Are
  productive workers happy workers?

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What Causes Job Satisfaction?

• Genetic Predisposition
• Affective Disposition
• Life Satisfaction
• Discrepancy Theories
• Wants/Values/Expectations vs. Actual Rewards
• Our Outcomes vs. Others Outcomes
• Current job vs. Alternative jobs vs. Past Jobs

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Genetic Predisposition

• Were (dis)satisfied because we are genetically
  programmed to be.
• Research evidence
• Study of twins reared apart
• 30 of variability in satisfaction accounted for
  by genetics (r .55)
• Recommendation
• hire applicants with good job satisfaction genes

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Affective Disposition

• Some people complain about everything!
• Negative affectivity (NA)
• The tendency to experience negative emotions
  (distress, agitation, pessimism)
• Research evidence
• Job satisfaction and NA
• r -.23 (more NA, less satisfaction)
• Job satisfaction and turnover
• r .00 for gripers r -.39 for non-gripers

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Life Satisfaction

• People happy with life are happy with work.
• Spillover effect between life and work
• Organizational implications regarding
• flexible work hours
• work-family conflict
• on-site daycare