Satisfaction in the Workplace
Chris Richards
“People often say that motivation doesn't
last. Well, neither does bathing- that’s why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar
Clocks large and small depend on gears
and cogs to keep the time accurately. In some clocks lubrication is needed to
ensure that the gears are moving smoothy. In the world of business a companies
lubrication can be compared to employee moral or motivation.
Employee motivation and job satisfaction
for most companies are a high priority. According to Aamodt (2009) the cost of
loosing then going through the recruiting, training, and assimilating new
employees far exceeds the salary of the lost employee. Therefore there is a
finical concern that employers have to keep their cog or employees satisfied in
their jobs.
The following essay will discuss several
major psychological factors that determine job satisfaction. It will also review
how motivation plays a role within these psychological factors. The essay will
then review what managers can implement to improve employee satisfaction and
methods by which they might measure the variables of improved satisfaction and
motivation.
Self-esteem is a basic building
block to who a person is. According to Aamodt (2009) it has been found that
those who have high self-esteem or those who view themselves as valuable and
worth are better motivated which then leads to higher performance. One psychological
theory that focuses on self-esteem and motivation is the Consistency Theory. At
the heart of the consistency theory is connection between self-esteem and
performance but that the individual has the desire to perform well and at
higher levels (Aadmot, 2009)
Ones personality also plays a part
in their motivation and subsequent job satisfaction.
Personality
can be seen in terms of Type A and Type B. According to Glazer and Beehr (2002)
Type A behavior reacts to situations in an aggressive manner, they are fast
paced and achievement oriented. Conversely Type B responds with a care free and
easy going approach leisurely accomplishing tasks. According to Hanif and
Sarwat (2011) those with Type A personalities by nature though they can be
highly motivated often experience low job satisfaction. They also found that
those with Type B personality have very high job satisfaction.
Abraham Maslow has made his mark in
the world of psychology for studying human motivation (Reeve, 2009).
This theory states that a person has basic needs that need to be met before
higher needs can be satisfied. For instance before an employee will need to
feel safe in a work environment before they will be able to appreciate and
enjoy working there (Reeve, 2009). A firm understanding the basic needs of
a person and how they can apply in a work environments will help managers
better plan and strategize an employee’s coaching.
The hierarchy involves five main steps
from the bottom up they are biological and physical needs, a person must be
sheltered, fed, and well rested before they can attempt to meet higher needs.
The next step is safety needs, now that a person is fed and sheltered they can
tend to security and feeling protected. The next three steps are moving past
physical needs and into more emotional needs. Belongingness and Love mark the
next step. To move forward, Maslow, has observed that a person needs to be
loved or belong to social groups. Could be family, friends, or an organization.
Now that a person belongs they can now meet their esteem needs, these needs
include achievement, status, or reputation. Most people rarely fulfill the
highest step in the Hierarchy, Self-actualization. When a person is self-
actualized they know who they are, and is firm with their current state. They
are able to see the world outside of themselves (Reeve,
2009).
A basic
understanding of these psychological variables and factors which lead to
employee motivation and job satisfaction is a vital tool to any supervisor or
manager. Once this basic understanding is in place there are steps that can be
taken as a manager to help foster an environment where motivation and job
satisfaction are high.
Managers do not
always have large amounts of finical resources to reward and motivate their
employees so there are many other methods that can be used to keep job
satisfaction high. One method suggested by Aamodt (2009) is to introduce a
system of employee recognition. A system by which supervisors monitor employee
performance and behavior and then at either official or informal proceedings
give recognition for positive action.
As stated by
Drucker (1990) employees often want to be included in large scale company
plans, not necessarily the planning phases but at the least be made aware of
changes before they take place. They like to feel like they are included, as
Druker (1990) employees do not want too many surprises when it comes to their
workplace. This need for a steady work place or at the least knowing what
changes are coming could be a connection to Maslow’s step of feeling physically
secure.
Situations
arise in companies, where despite best intentions, employees are assigned jobs
or duties that are not suited to their skill sets. These situations can lead to
frustrated employees and supervisors when an employee can not accomplish tasks
assigned to them, this frustration then can lead to lack of job satisfaction
and according to Aamodt (2009) sometimes turn over or termination.
Aamodt suggests
that managers be constantly on the lookout for employees who are not able to
accomplish job tasks but are exhibiting positive behavior in an effort to
constantly matching skills with the correct jobs. This may result, for example,
in an employee leaving the sales team to mange the stocking team or for them the
transfer to customer service. This type of transition would then save the
company money in less turn over and keep moral and job satisfaction for all in
the company.
As discussed
above there are many different methods that a supervisor can use to help motivate
and promote job satisfaction. However not every method is going to work with
every employee or team of employee. Just as there are many different methods to
promote job satisfaction there are many different instruments to measure it.
There are two
major methods that can be used to measure employee variables surrounding job
satisfaction and motivation, surveys and inventories. According to Roberts and
Savage (n.d) performing job surveys can indicate what is working and what is
not working. Surveys can consist of questions about the current state of job
satisfaction and its efficiency. Employees can also add their own suggestions
for improving job satisfaction.
A more
quantitative measure would be using different scales and inventories. These inventories
vary by profession and need of the employee and often include questions that
are based off of job description or assigned job related tasks (Brown and
Hardison, 2006).
Motivation and
job satisfaction are a vital operation to companies large and small. The
process of creating a work environment that fosters motivation and job
satisfaction should be a living process. One that changes with the tides of the
workforce. The steps discussed within this essay are ones that will enable
supervisors understand the foundations of motivation and then build programs to
help their teams drive themselves to success.
References
Aamodt, M.
G. (2009). Industrial/organizational psychology, an applied approach. (6
ed.). Wadsworth Pub Co.
Brown, M.
B., Hardison, A., & Bolen, L. M. (2006). A Comparison of Two Measures of
School Psychologists' Job
Satisfaction. Canadian Journal of School
Psychology, 21(1/2), 47-58.
Drucker, P.
(1990). Managing the non-profit
organization. New York: Harper Business.
Glazer, S., and Beehr, T. A. (2002). Similarities and differences in
human values between nurses in four
countries. International Joumal of
Cross-Cultural Management, 2, 185-202.
Hanif, A., & Sarwat, S. (2011). Type A-B Personality And Locus Of
Control: A Combined Factor Determining
Job Satisfaction. IBA Business Review,
6(2), 90-96
Reeve,
J (2009). Understanding motivation and emotion (5th ed). University
of Iowa. John Wiley &
Sons, Inc
Roberts, K.
H., & Savage, F. (n.d). Twenty Questions: Utilizing Job Satisfaction
Measures. California Management Review, 15(3), 82.
No comments:
Post a Comment