Job Satisfaction

• How employees feel about their jobs.

Organizational Commitment

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

Why Should We Care About Employee Attitudes?

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

What Causes Employees to Be Satisfied with and Committed to Their Jobs?

• Genetic Dispositions: Some people may be naturally more prone to satisfaction or dissatisfaction based on their genetics (e.g., anxiety or stress).

• Core Self-Evaluations: Includes traits like emotional stability, self-esteem, self-confidence (self-efficacy), and belief that they control their own success (internal locus of control).

• Culture: Different cultures show different job satisfaction levels. For example, employees in Denmark, Norway, and Mexico report high satisfaction.

• Intelligence: Smarter employees may be less satisfied with simple jobs, but this difference disappears in complex jobs.

Are Employees Satisfied with Other Parts of Their Lives?

• Generally, people who are happy in life are also happy with their jobs, and vice versa.

Are Employees’ Job Expectations Being Met?

• If what employees expect from their job isn't met, their satisfaction and commitment drop, and they may want to leave.

Is the Employee a Good Fit with the Job and Organization?

• Satisfaction is higher when an employee’s values, interests, personality, and skills match the job, organization, and coworkers.

Are the Tasks Enjoyable?

• Tasks that employees enjoy can lead to higher job satisfaction.

Do Employees Enjoy Working with Supervisors and Coworkers?

• Good relationships with supervisors and coworkers can increase satisfaction and productivity.

Are Coworkers Unhappy?

• According to Social Learning Theory, employees' satisfaction can be influenced by the attitudes of their coworkers.

Are Rewards and Resources Given Fairly?

• Equity Theory: Employees feel satisfied when they believe they are rewarded fairly compared to others.

Organizational Justice

• Distributive Justice: Fairness of the outcomes or decisions.

• Procedural Justice: Fairness of the process used to make decisions.

• Interactional Justice: Fair treatment in personal interactions.

Is There a Chance for Growth and Challenge?

• 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 use a variety of skills, involve meaningful tasks, allow decision-making, and provide feedback.

Measuring Job Satisfaction and Commitment

• 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.

Measures of Commitment

• 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.

Consequences of Dissatisfaction and Negative Work Attitudes

• 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).

Reducing Absenteeism

• Reward for Attendance: Offering bonuses, paid time off, or recognition for good attendance.

• Disciplinary Actions: Penalizing employees for missing work without a valid reason.

• Reducing Employee Stress: Offering programs like counseling (Employee Assistance Programs) to help employees cope with personal problems.

• Wellness Programs: Encouraging healthy behaviors to reduce absenteeism due to illness.

Turnover

• Visible Costs: Expenses like recruiting, training, and lost productivity.

• Hidden Costs: Lost knowledge, overtime for others covering the position, and training costs for new hires.

Reducing Turnover

• Unmet Needs: Employees may leave if their needs (like pay or work-life balance) aren't met.

• Escape: Some employees leave to escape stress or bad work conditions.

• Unmet Expectations: When the reality of the job doesn’t match what the employee expected, they are more likely to leave.

Counterproductive Behavior

• Aimed at Individuals: Gossip, harassment, bullying, etc.

• Aimed at the Organization: Theft, sabotage, etc.

Lack of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)

• OCB refers to extra efforts employees make that aren't part of their job but benefit the organization, like helping coworkers.

Types of Organizational Communication

Upward Communication

• Refers to communication flowing from employees to management.

• Ideal when employees can speak directly to management in an open-door environment.

• However, it's not always practical due to the sheer volume of communication that could arise.

Serial Communication

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

• Issues:

  1. Content and tone often change as the message moves from person to person.

  2. Bad news and complaints rarely get passed along.

  3. Less effective over long distances, especially with informal communication.

MUM (Minimize Unpleasant Messages) Effect: This phenomenon hinders the flow of vital information to upper management.

Methods of Upward Communication:

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

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

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

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

Downward Communication

• Information flows from management to employees.

• Common methods:

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

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

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

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

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

Business Communication

• Involves sharing business-related information among employees, management, and customers.

• Methods:

  1. Memos: Provide detailed information quickly to many people.

  2. Telephone Calls: Allows for clearer tone and inflection, though nonverbal cues are absent.

  3. Email and Voicemail: Efficient but can reduce personal contact and lead to misinterpretation.

Email Etiquette Tips:

• Include a greeting and detailed subject line.

• Avoid writing in all caps.

• Take care to write clearly and allow time for responses.

Voicemail Etiquette Tips:

• Speak clearly and leave your name and phone number at the beginning and end.

• Avoid rambling and suggest times for a callback.

Business Meetings: Often necessary for collaboration but can be inefficient if not managed properly.

Office Design

• Designed to facilitate communication:

  1. Freestanding (Bullpen) Design: Open layout with all desks in one area.

  2. Uniform Plans: Desks arranged in cubicles.

  3. Free-Form Workstations: A combination of designs to meet different needs.

Trends in Office Design:

• Boulevards: Wide hallways with portable offices.

• Landscaped Offices: Increase contact but may reduce productivity and satisfaction.

Informal Communication (Grapevine)

• Unofficial communication network within an organization.

• Common patterns include:

  1. Single-Strand Grapevine: Message passed in a chain-like fashion.

  2. Gossip Grapevine: Message shared with a select few.

  3. Probability Grapevine: Messages shared randomly among employees.

  4. Cluster Grapevine: Message passed to a few people who then share it with others.

Interpersonal Communication

• The exchange of messages between individuals.

• Problems can arise at various stages of the communication process.

Problem Area 1: Intended Message vs. Message Sent

• The sender might not communicate exactly what they intend to.

• Solutions:

  1. Think before speaking.

  2. Practice communication for clarity.

  3. Learn better communication skills through training.

Problem Area 2: Message Sent vs. Message Received

• Factors like word choice, communication channels, and noise can affect how the message is received.

Nonverbal Cues:

• Body Language: Position and movement convey meaning.

• Use of Space: The distance between people can indicate relationships.

• Use of Time: How someone manages their time can communicate nonverbal messages.

Reactions to Communication Overload

• Strategies employees use to manage too much communication:

  1. Omission: Ignoring less important information.

  2. Error: Misprocessing information due to overload.

  3. Queuing: Organizing communication in a priority order.

  4. Escape: Leaving the organization to reduce stress.

  5. Gatekeeping: Assigning someone to filter information.

Problem Area 3: Message Received vs. Message Interpreted

• Even when a message is received as intended, interpretation may vary due to factors like emotions, cognitive ability, and bias.

Listening Skills:

• Effective listening is crucial in communication. Tips for better listening include:

  • Stop talking and focus on the speaker.

  • Ask clarifying questions.

  • Be patient and use nonverbal cues to show you're listening.

Improving Employee Communication Skills

• Workshops help employees develop better interpersonal and written communication.

• Readability tests like the Fry Readability Graph and Flesch Index ensure that written materials are easy to understand.