JOB SATISFACTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

In its most basic sense, job satisfaction is a positive emotional state resulting from evaluating one’s job experiences. Job dissatisfaction occurs when these expectations are not met. For example, if an employee expects clean and safe working conditions on the job, then the employee is likely to be dissatisfied if the workplace is dirty and dangerous.

Job satisfaction = A positive emotional state resulting from evaluating one’s job experiences.

Job satisfaction has many dimensions. Commonly noted facets are satisfaction with the work itself, wages, recognition, rapport with supervisors and coworkers, and chance for advancement. Each dimension contributes to an individual’s overall feeling of satisfaction with the job itself, but the “job” is defined differently by different people.

The number of people who are dissatisfied with their jobs nationally varies with the unemployment rate. Higher unemployment rates usually mean more dissatisfied workers because it is more difficult to change jobs, and people stay longer on jobs they do not like. Those workers who are mostly satisfied with their jobs vary from 60 to 85 percent of the total. These numbers are similar to those found in Europe when employees are asked about satisfaction with their jobs.

Individual managers seem to have a greater impact on employee satisfaction than the company itself.

There is no simple formula for predicting a worker’s satisfaction. Furthermore, the relationship between productivity and job satisfaction is not entirely clear. The critical factor is what employees expect from their jobs and what they are receiving as rewards from their jobs. Although job satisfaction itself is interesting and important, perhaps the “bottom line” is the impact that job satisfaction has on organizational commitment, which affects the goals of productivity, quality, and service.

If employees are committed to an organization, they are more likely to be more productive. 

Organizational commitment is the degree to which employees believe in and accept organizational goals and desire to remain with the organization.

Organizational Commitment = The degree to which employees believe in and accept organizational goals and desire to remain with the organization.

Research has revealed that job satisfaction and organizational commitment tend to influence each other. What this finding suggests is that people who are relatively satisfied with their jobs will be somewhat more committed to the organization and also that people who are relatively committed to the organization are more likely to have greater job satisfaction.

A logical extension of organizational commitment focuses specifically on continuance commitment factors, which suggests that decisions to remain with or leave an organization ultimately are reflected in employee absenteeism and turnover statistics. Individuals who are not as satisfied with their jobs or who are not as committed to the organization are more likely to withdraw from the organization, either occasionally through absenteeism or permanently through turnover.