Concept of Employee Satisfaction

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Introduction
Theoretical Framework
Purpose and Rationale
Theoretical Implications of the Paper
Hypothesis
Examining Methods of Increasing Job Satisfaction
Methodology
Conclusion
Reference List

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of employee satisfaction and whether a new orientation program, mentoring, or continuous training development program would increase job satisfaction in the work place. All in all the paper highlights several interesting points regarding the practice including its inherent cost versus possible alternatives, the views of various authors regarding its use and finally asks the underlying question of whether it is actually effective in the long term.

In order to further explore this topic the researcher utilized a focus group consisting of research subjects recruited from locations near the university, near the central business district of the city and finally near the researchers own home in order to have a diverse array of subjects. A survey method was utilized using the only survey tool surveymonkey.com in order to have an efficient method of collecting the responses and correlating the results.

Introduction

When it comes to employee retention and performance, job satisfaction is the deciding factor behind such principles of corporate human resource development and as such should be examined from a multilevel perspective in order to ensure employees continue to perform adequately and stay longer with the company (Gill et al., 2012).

There are many ways in which this can be accomplished ranging from new orientation, mentoring, continuous job training development and other such factors which contribute towards increased job satisfaction (Jha & Bhattacharyya, 2012). Yet, it must be questioned which particular process is the most suitable for corporations and which is the most preferred by employees. As such this paper will conduct an investigation into the aforementioned processes which contribute to job satisfaction in order to determine which is the most effective.

Theoretical Framework

Attribution theory centers around the derived assumption of a particular individual/group of people regarding a particular process, product or service based on their experience with it. It is often used as means of investigating consumer opinions regarding a particular product and to determine the level of satisfaction derived from its use.

By utilizing this particular theory as the framework for this study the researcher will be able to properly correlate the opinions of the research subjects regarding their assumptions over what practices lead to job satisfaction.

Purpose and Rationale

The reason behind the creation of this particular study is quite simple, job satisfaction is inherently connected with performance and employee retention rates and as such by delving into the subject and investigating what practices would be most effective this study will be able to contribute towards corporate best practices that would enable employers to not only derive better levels of performance from their employees but would reduce employee churn rates as well (referring to the number of employees that enter/leave a company) (Kawada & Otsuka, 2011).

Theoretical Implications of the Paper

What you have to understand is that there are numerous reasons that contribute to the way in which a person behaves, this can be influenced either by levels of stress, general disposition over the tasks being given and the overall satisfaction attributed to a particular job.

Thus, the theoretical implications of this paper centers around the concept of behavioral influences that effect an individual’s (or in this case a group of individual’s) general perception regarding what activity would result in job satisfaction.

As such attribution theory in this instance is concerned with what attitudes and behavioral changes from a particular set of potential measures for increasing job satisfaction (i.e. a new orientation program, mentoring, or continuous training development program) would result in the best possible outcome.

Hypothesis

It is the assumption of this study that, job satisfaction is connected to the degree development and the number of new tasks associated with a job that make it interesting thus resulting in a far greater degree of interest.

Examining Methods of Increasing Job Satisfaction

Mentoring

Mentoring in the case of job satisfaction involves guiding an employee via either a team leader or an adjunct employee that is willing to “take them under their wing” so speak in order to help adjust to the various aspects of the job, teach them how to do it well and guide them as they advance.

The advantage of this particular method is that it eliminates the dissatisfaction employees have with a job by enabling them to see “the bigger picture” and have them develop a development plan from which they can ascertain what they want out of their current job. It must be noted though that while this method is effective it hinges on the fact that the mentor will actually have time to address and guide the concerns of the person that he/she is mentoring.

In instances where there is sporadic mentorship what often occurs is that employees fall back into old habits and job dissatisfaction occurs as a direct result. What must be understood is that mentorship which is a benefit is not as effective as a process/program instilled by a company that creates the necessary self-motivated interested within an employee and as such should not be considered 100% effective. It must also be noted that due to the size of certain organizations mentoring is at times not feasible and as such is limited because of this.

Continuous Training Development Programs

When it comes to continuous training development programs it is interesting to note that researchers such as Gil et al. (2012) indicate that by continuing to develop employees in order for them to accomplish multiple different tasks actually results in a greater degree of job satisfaction since it takes away factors related to repetitious actions that actually cause job dissatisfaction.

From the perspective of Gil et al. (2012), an employee actually loses satisfaction with their job over time unless some degree of variability is included in order to make the job more interesting. For example, various studies in psychology that have attempted to use economic theories as a means of explaining certain types of human behavior state that a job can be construed as being similar to the concept of marginal utility wherein the more you consume a particular product the more likely you will consume less of it later on.

The same can be said for doing the same job over and over again wherein it will eventually reach a point where the marginal utility derived from doing it will be negative thus resulting in job dissatisfaction.

In order to avoid such an occurrence, it is recommended that continuous training development programs which allow employees to assume different job roles as well as sufficiently progress in their career are an optimum method for increasing job satisfaction since this enables them to “reset’ their marginal utility so to speak as they are placed into new roles. This creates continued interest, the desire to learn and improve which in the end results in high degrees of job satisfaction.

New Orientation Programs

Overall, new orientation programs are an effective means of training new employees into developing a certain degree of interest in the job they have. Unfortunately they lack a sufficient enough means of being sustainable over the long term and as such it results it job dissatisfaction after a certain amount of time.

Methodology

Introduction to Methodology

Null Hypothesis

Alternative Hypothesis

Job satisfaction is connected to how interesting a job becomes and thus is connected to the concept of development.

Research Design

The present study will utilize a quantitative research design to explore whether a new orientation program, mentoring, or continuous training development program increases job satisfaction more. This methodological approach will objectively answer the key research questions.

It must be noted that most quantitative research designs are concerned with determining the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables in a study framework (Donham et al., 2010).

In this study, understanding the correlation between job satisfaction within the context of mentoring and continuous training development programs will be instrumental in designing and implementing effective methodologies aimed at improved company decision making processes involving employee retention programs and increasing job satisfaction. It has been observed that most quantitative studies are either descriptive or experimental.

The study will utilize a descriptive correlational approach because participants will be measured once (Laramee, 2010). Further, it is imperative to note that the study will employ a survey technique for purposes of collecting participant data from the surrounding areas located near the central business district of the city, the University as well as the home of researcher.

According to various research guides, a survey technique is used when the researcher is principally interested in descriptive, explanatory or exploratory appraisal, as is the case in this study (Shehzad, 2011). The justification for choosing a survey approach for this particular study is grounded on the fact that participants will have the ability to respond to the data collection tool by way of self-report (Rozakis, 1999).

Such analysis, according to various researchers, is important in identifying the actual constructs that determine efficient employee management programs because “it goes beyond mere description of variables in a situation to an understanding of the relationships among factors of interest”(Tu & Seng, 2009).

Subjects

The subjects in this study will be recruited from the surrounding areas near the university, central business district of the city as well as near the general vicinity of the home of the researcher. All subjects will be picked at random in order to simulate actual market conditions with drinks and refreshments provided during each session so as to compensate for the loss of their time devoted towards completion of the surveys (depending on the budget for the research).

The participants will not be chosen based on either race, income status or any other distinguishing features rather the researcher will make sure that all those involved have no association whatsoever with the researcher and were not briefed about the study prior to their involvement. This ensures that the results of this study will be beyond reproach for being unduly influenced by the researcher beforehand (Slomp, 2012).

The individuals involved in this study will all be asked to read from a prepared softcopy of relevant text detailing their consent to be part of the research procedures with their signatures affixed at the bottom to indicate their consent. All research subjects will be assured of their anonymity should the research results be presented in a public forum (i.e. presented in class or in front of a panel).

Procedure

The procedure for this study is actually quite straightforward, 30 subjects will be picked at random from three different population sets namely those near the university, within the central business district of the city and those near the area of residence of the researcher. All participants will be compensated via free food/drinks (depending on the budget for the research) in order to participate in the short study.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Study

Overall, the main weakness of this study is in its reliance on questionnaire results as the primary source of data in order to determine the general opinion of workers regarding current practices that would increase their level of job satisfaction.

There is always the possibility that the responses could be false or that the workers in question really don’t know anything at all regarding the various methods of job satisfaction improvement that will be indicated within the questionnaire (Shepherd, Patzelt & Wolfe, 2011). While this can be resolved by backing up the data with relevant literature it still presents itself as a problem that cannot be easily remedied.

Reliability and Validity

Reliability in any research process implies that the same set of data would have been collected each time in repeat examinations of the same variable or phenomenon, otherwise referred to as consistency of measurement. To realize reliability of the study findings, the researcher will certify that items incorporated in the survey schedule will only capture data that are of interest to the broader objectives of the study.

The range of measurement of the three sets of survey schedules (taken near the university, near the central business district of the city, and near the home of the researcher) will also be adjusted upwards to enhance internal consistency of the study findings.

Various research study guides have determined that validity is a measurement that is used to describe a measure or instrument that correctly reflects the variable or phenomena it is intended to evaluate, thus reinforcing the conclusions, assumptions, and propositions made from the analysis of data.

Internal validity, which denotes the soundness of a study or investigation, will be achieved through the establishment of a framework for the application of effective sampling techniques and employing a validated and reliable survey schedule for the propose of data collection.

Conclusion

Based on the results ascertained from research it can be see that the assumption of this study that, job satisfaction is connected to the degree development and the number of new tasks associated with a job that make it interesting thus resulting in a far greater degree of interest has been confirmed. Continuous development programs actually result in better job satisfaction since it allows employees to experience different types of job roles thus making a job more interesting and satisfying in the long run.

Reference List

Donham, J., Heinrich, J. A., & Bostwick, K. A. (2010). Mental Models of Research: Generating Authentic Questions. College Teaching, 58(1), 8-14.

Gill, A., Sharma, S. P., Mathur, N., & Bhutani, S. (2012). The Effects of Job Satisfaction and Work Experience on Employee-Desire for Empowerment: A Comparative Study in Canada and India. International Journal Of Management, 29(1), 190-200.

Jha, S., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2012). Study of Perceived Recruitment Practices and their Relationships to Job Satisfaction. Synergy (0973-8819), 10(1), 63-76.

Kawada, T., & Otsuka, T. (2011). Relationship between job stress, occupational position and job satisfaction using a brief job stress questionnaire (BJSQ). Work, 40(4), 393-399.

Laramee, R. S. (2010). How to Write a Visualization Research Paper: A Starting Point. Computer Graphics Forum, 29(8), 2363-2371

Rozakis, L. (1999). Schaum’s Quick Guide to Writing Great Research Papers. McGraw-Hill.

Shehzad, W. (2011). Outlining Purposes, Stating the Nature of the Present Research, and Listing Research Questions or Hypotheses in Academic Papers. Journal Of Technical Writing & Communication, 41(2), 139-160.

Shepherd, D. A., Patzelt, H., & Wolfe, M. (2011). Moving forward from project failure: negative emotions, affective commitment, and learning from the experience. Academy Of Management Journal, 54(6), 1229-1259

Slomp, D. H. (2012). Challenges in assessing the development of writing ability: Theories, constructs and methods. Assessing Writing, 17(2), 81-91.

Tu, Y., & Seng, J. (2009). Research intelligence involving information retrieval – An example of conferences and journals. Expert Systems With Applications, 36(10), 12151-12166.

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