Job Satisfaction Model

Future GroJob satisfaction

Job satisfaction describes hoe content an individual is with his or her job. The happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be. Job satisfaction is not the same as motivation or aptitude, although it is clearly linked. Job satisfaction has been defined as a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job an affective reaction to one’s job and an attitude towards one’s job.

History of job satisfaction:

One of the biggest preludes to the study of job satisfaction was the Hawthorne studies. These studies (1924-1933), primarily credited to Elton Mayo of the Harvard Business School, sought to find the effects of various conditions (most notably illumination) on worker’s

TWO FACTOR MODEL: Herzberg developed one of the earliest theories relating job satisfaction in 1950s. His two factor theory emphasis that there are factors in the workplace that create satisfaction (motivators) and those which lead to dissatisfaction if they are not present (hygiene factor). There are four motivators in the theory: achievement, recognition, responsibility, and administration, working condition, and security. The implication of the theory is the satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not opposite end of the same scale and job satisfaction may merely be absence of job satisfaction. Herzberg argues that it is necessary to have hygiene factor at acceptable levels simply to reach a neutral feeling about the job. The theory has been without its critics from the perspective of both the methodology of the studies and the underlying assumption that all individuals behave in a similar way in the work place. However, the theory is simple and has common sense appears. It also supports the argument that today managers should concentrate on removing the dissatisfaction from workplace and concentrate on employing and developing the right people on

1. Physical and mental health: The degree of job satisfaction affects an individual physical and mental feeling, its favourableness and unfavourableness affects the individual psychology which ultimately, affects the physical health further, since a job is in an important part of life. Job satisfaction influences general life satisfaction. The result is that there is spill over affects which occurs in both directions better job and life satisfaction.

2. Productivity: There are two views for the relationship between job satisfaction and productivity.

• A happy worker is a productivity worker: The view establishes a direct cause effects relationship between job satisfaction and productivity. When job satisfaction increases, productivity increases, when job satisfaction is decreased, productivity decreases. The basic logic behind this is that happy worker will put more efforts for job performance. However, this may not be there in all cases. For example- a worker having a low expectation from his job may feel satisfied but he may not have put more efforts because of his low expectation. Therefore view does not explain the complete relationship between job satisfaction and