Topic 4: Job Satisfaction

Job Satisfaction

How employees feel about their jobs.

Organizational Commitment

The level of attachment and involvement an employee has with their organization.

Employee Attitudes

Satisfied employees are more likely to stay, show up to work, perform well, and help the organization.

Genetic Dispositions

Natural tendencies towards satisfaction or dissatisfaction based on genetics.

Core Self-Evaluations

Traits like emotional stability, self-esteem, and internal locus of control that influence job satisfaction.

Life Satisfaction

Generally, people who are happy in life are also happy with their jobs.

Job Fit

Higher satisfaction occurs when an employee’s values and skills align with the job and organization.

Enjoyable Tasks

Enjoyable tasks contribute to higher job satisfaction.

Relationships at Work

Good relationships with supervisors and coworkers can enhance satisfaction and productivity.

Coworker Influence

Employees' satisfaction can be affected by the attitudes of their coworkers.

Equity Theory

Employees feel satisfied when they perceive fair rewards compared to others.

Distributive Justice
Procedural Justice
Interactional Justice

Organizational Justice are composed of

Distributive Justice

Fairness of the outcomes or decisions.

Procedural Justice

Fairness of the process used to make decisions.

Growth Opportunities

Job rotation, enlargement, and enrichment can enhance job satisfaction.

Interactional Justice

Fair treatment in personal interactions.

Job Rotation

Switching between different tasks to learn more and reduce boredom.

Job Enlargement

Adding more tasks to the current job to make it more engaging.

Job Enrichment

Giving employees more control and responsibility in their job.

Job Characteristics Theory

Jobs are more satisfying when they involve skill variety, meaningful tasks, and feedback.

Faces Scales

Employees mark a face that represents how they feel about their job. (Not used as much anymore.)

Job Descriptive Index (JDI)

Rates satisfaction with supervision, pay, promotions, coworkers, and the work itself

Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ)

Measures satisfaction on specific job aspects across 20 areas

Job in General (JIG) Scale

Measures overall job satisfaction.

Meyer and Allen’s Commitment Survey

Measures three types of commitment—affective (emotional attachment), continuance (cost of leaving), and normative (feeling of obligation to stay).

Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ)

Measures commitment in terms of accepting the organization’s values, willingness to work hard, and desire to stay.

Organizational Commitment Scale (OCS)

Measures three aspects of commitment—identification with the organization, exchange of rewards, and a sense of belonging

Absenteeism

Employees may miss work if they are dissatisfied. Older workers tend to be absent more often than younger workers.

Turnover

When employees leave, there are visible costs (like hiring and training new employees) and hidden costs (like lost productivity).

Consequences of Dissatisfaction

Absenteeism and turnover can result from employee dissatisfaction.

Reducing Absenteeism

Strategies include rewarding attendance and offering wellness programs.

Turnover Costs

Visible costs include recruiting and training, while hidden costs involve lost knowledge and productivity.

Counterproductive Behavior

Actions that harm individuals or the organization, such as gossip or theft.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)

Extra efforts by employees that benefit the organization beyond their job description.

Upward Communication

Flow of information from employees to management, often through surveys and suggestion boxes.

Serial Communication

Occurs when messages are passed consecutively from one person to another.

MUM (Minimize Unpleasant Messages) Effect

This phenomenon hinders the flow of vital information to upper management.

Upward

These are examples/methods of _ Communication

• Attitude Surveys: Conducted annually by external consultants to gauge employee satisfaction.

• Focus Groups and Exit Interviews: Allow employees to share feedback and suggestions before they leave.

• Suggestion or Complaint Boxes: Employees can anonymously submit ideas or concerns.

• Third-Party Facilitators: A liaison or ombudsperson collects employee feedback and works with management to resolve issues.

Downward Communication

Information flow from management to employees, using methods like newsletters and policy manuals.

Downward

These are examples/methods of _ Communication

• Bulletin Boards: Used for informal or non-urgent announcements.

• Policy Manuals: A formal method that outlines company rules and procedures. Legally binding and includes key disclaimers like employment at-will.

• Employee Handbooks: Shorter than policy manuals and contain essential policies.

• Newsletters: Used to provide feedback and celebrate employee success.

• Intranets: Online platforms that house important resources like job postings, employee handbooks, and training courses.

Business Communication

Sharing business-related information among employees, management, and customers.

Business

These are examples/methods of _ Communication

• Memos

• Telephone Calls

• Email and Voicemail

Memos

A type of business communication and provides detailed information quickly to many people

telephone Calls

A type of business communication that allows clearer tone and inflection, though disadvantage is nonverbal cues are absent.

Email and Voicemail

Efficient but can reduce personal contact and lead to misinterpretation.

Office Design

Layouts that facilitate communication, including freestanding and cubicle designs.

Freestanding Design (bullpen design)

All desks are placed in a large area that is completely open

Uniform plans

Under Office Design where desks are placed at uniform distances and are separated by panels into cubicle areas

Free-form workstations

Use a combination of designs so that different needs of each worker can be accommodated

Boulevards

Portable offices, wide hallway that runs through several departments containing employee's computer, files, and supplies

Landscaped Office

Can increase contact and communication and are less expensive than regular offices, but often they can lessen productivity and job satisfaction

Informal Communication

Unofficial communication networks within an organization, such as gossip and grapevine.

Grapevine

type of informal comm; unofficial ,informal communication network

Single-strand grapevine

A pattern of grapevine communication in which a message is passed in a chain-like fashion from one person to the next until the chain is broken.

Gossip grapevine

A pattern of grapevine communication in which a message is passed to only a select group of Individuals.

Probability Grapevine

Type of grapevine; Messages shared randomly among employees.

Cluster Grapevine

Type of grapevine; Message passed to a few people who then share it with others

Gossip

Poorly substantiated information and insignificant information that is primarily about individuals.

Rumor

Poorly substantiated information that is passed along the grapevine.

Noise

any interference that affects proper reception of a message

Intimacy zone

extends from physical contact to 18 inches away from a person and is usually reserved for close relationships such as dates, spouses, and family

Personal distance zone

ranges from 18 inches to 4 feet away from a person and is the distance usually reserved for friends and acquaintances

Social distance zone

4 feet to 12 feet away and is the distance typically observed when dealing with business people and strangers

Public distance zone

ranges from 12 feet to 25 feet away and is characteristic of such large group interactions as lectures and seminars

Paralanguage

Involves the way we say things and consists of variables such as tone, tempo, volume, number and duration of pauses, and rate of speech

Artifacts

The things people surround themselves with (clothes, jewelry, office decorations, cars, etc.) that communicate information about the person

leveled

describes a message from which unimportant informational details have been removed before the message is passed from one person to another (leveled/sharpened/assimilated)

sharpened

describes a message in which interesting and unusual information has been kept in the message when it is passed from one person to another (leveled/sharpened/assimilated)

assimilated

a description of a message in which the information has been modified to fit the existing beliefs and knowledge of the person before it is passed on to another person (leveled/sharpened/assimilated)

Interpersonal Communication

The exchange of messages between individuals, with potential problems in clarity and interpretation.

Communication Overload

Strategies like omission and queuing help manage excessive communication.

Improving Communication Skills

Workshops and readability tests enhance employees' communication abilities.

Omission

a response to communication overload that involves the conscious decision not to process certain types of information

Error

deviation from a standard of quality; also, a type of response to communication overload that involves processing all information but processing some of it incorrectly

Queuing

a method of coping with communication overload that involves organizing work into an order in which it will be handled

Escape

a response to communication overload in which the employee leaves the organization to reduce the stress

Listening Skills

Effective listening involves focusing on the speaker and asking clarifying questions.

Leisure listening

the listening style of a person who cares about only interesting information

Inclusive listening

the listening style of a person who cares only the main points of a communication

Technical listening

the listening style of a person who cares about only facts and details

Empathic listening

the listening style of a person who cares primarily about the feelings of the speaker

Nonconforming listening

listening style of a person who cares about only information that is consistent with his or her way of thinking

Fry Readability Graph

A method of determining the readability level of written material by analyzing sentence length and the average number of syllables per word.

Flesch Index

A method of determining the readability level of written material by analyzing average sentence length and the number of syllables per 100 words.

FOG Index

A method of determining the readability level of written material by analyzing sentence length and the number of three-syllable words.

Dale-Chall Index

A method of determining the readability level of written material by looking at the number of commonly known words used in the document.