Global comparisons of job satisfaction across occupational categories

Pages38-59
Published date31 December 2019
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-09-2019-0086
Date31 December 2019
AuthorMaureen Snow Andrade,Jonathan H. Westover
Subject MatterHR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM
Global comparisons of
job satisfaction across
occupational categories
Maureen Snow Andrade and Jonathan H. Westover
Department of Organizational Leadership,
Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah, USA
Abstract
Purpose Job satisfaction has positive outcomes for individuals and organizations. These include decreased
turnover and conflict, increased productivity, improved work quality and creativity and innovation.
Determinants entail worklife balance, advancement and development opportunities, relationships with
co-workers and managers, working conditions and intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, among others.
Understanding these determinants across workers and contexts is critical for effective management and the
achievement of organizational goals. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach This study, based on data from the International Social Survey
Program, examines the impact of various aspects of work-life balance, rewards and work relations on job
satisfaction across occupations.
Findings Findings indicate more differences than similarities among countries and occupations with
workers in managerial and professional positions experiencing the highest job satisfaction levels.
Originality/value Although extensive research has documented the benefits and determinants of job
satisfaction, it has not focused on global comparisons across occupational categories.
Keywords Occupations, Job satisfaction, Worklife balance, Intrinsic motivation, Extrinsic motivation,
Global comparisons, Work relations
Paper type Research paper
Job satisfaction is a positive feeling about ones work based on an evaluation of its
characteristics (Robbins and Judge, 2017). Liking ones job has a positive impacton motivation
and performance as well as organizational success. The outcomes of job satisfaction commonly
comprise increased performance (Chaudhry et al., 2011; Souza-Poza and Souza-Poza, 2000),
productivity (Appelbaum and Kamal, 2000), motivation (Chaudhry et al., 2011), achievement
(Lusch and Serpkenci, 1990) and higher quality work (Tietjen and Myers, 1998) as well as
creativity, innovation and willingness to change (Das and Jain, 2018; Hausknecht et al., 2008;
Lee et al., 2008). At the organizational level, worker job satisfaction can result in improved
customer loyalty (Brown and Lam, 2008; Rogers et al., 1994; Deci and Ryan, 2000), business
competitiveness (Garrido et al., 2005), organizational effectiveness (Koys, 2001; Ostroff, 1992)
and company value (Edmans, 2012).
Determinants of job satisfaction include worklife balance, advancement and
development opportunities, relationships with co-workers and managers, working
conditions and intrinsic and extrinsic rewards (Hameed et al., 2018; Mueller and Kim, 2008;
Walton, 1973). Identifying these determinants and understanding how they impact
workers in various contexts as well as how to design a work environment that results in
job satisfaction to achieve desired outcomes is the subject of much research and theory.
For example, job design that offers employees control, flexibility and variety can
improve motivation and positively impact innovation, creativity and performance
(Garg and Rastogi, 2006).
Job satisfaction studies within a specific profession or country have been extensively
conducted (e.g. bankers in the USA; Abate et al., 2018; tourist industry employees in
Taiwan; Pan, 2015; academics in Turkey; Başand Ardıç, 2002; accountants in Iran;
Evidence-based HRM: a Global
Forum for Empirical Scholarship
Vol. 8 No. 1, 2020
pp. 38-59
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2049-3983
DOI 10.1108/EBHRM-09-2019-0086
Received 20 September 2019
Revised 31 October 2019
Accepted 1 December 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2049-3983.htm
38
EBHRM
8,1
Mashihabadi et al., 2015; insurance company employees in the USA; May et al., 2004; home
support care workers in Canada; Panagiotoglou et al., 2017; media industry workers in
Malaysia; Valaei and Jiroudi, 2015).
A few multi-country or global comparative studies on job satisfaction exist but are
generally limited to a single profession (e.g. bank employees in Kenya and the USA;
Walumbwa et al., 2005; academics in multiple countries; Bentley et al., 2013; Shin and Jung,
2014). Similarly, we found only two comparative studies across occupational categories.
One is situated in France (Léné, 2016) while the other is in Jordan (Al-Zoubi, 2012).
Additionally, research on determinants of job satisfaction for specific occupational
categories (e.g. managers, professionals, technicians, clerical support workers, service
workers, etc.) as opposed to professions is limited.
This study explored how worklife balance, extrinsic rewards, intrinsic rewards and
work-relations impact job satisfaction for workers across 37 countries based on data from
the International Social Survey Program (ISSP, 2015). As such, it fills a research gap
pertaining to both global studies on job satisfaction and for understanding job satisfaction
and its determinants by various occupational categories.
Literature review
While it might be assumed that occupation impacts job satisfaction and differences in
satisfaction occur across occupations, research has tended to focus on a single profession or
context rather than comparisons across occupational categories or settings. As such, we
broaden the review to focus on job satisfaction for specific professions and contexts as well
examining various types of comparison studies.
The current study examines on worklife balance (work from home, work weekends,
schedule flexibility, flexibility to deal with family matters and work interferes with family);
intrinsic rewards (interesting work, job autonomy, help others and job useful to society);
extrinsic rewards (job security, pay, promotional opportunities, physical effort and work
stress); and work relations (relations with co-workers, management, contact with others,
discriminated against at work and harassed at work). These general categories are
represented in the studies we review although the variables used to operationalize job
satisfaction may differ.
Job satisfaction determinants
Some general conclusions can be made from job satisfaction research. Job satisfaction
increases with education level (Clark and Oswald, 1996; Léné, 2016; Valaei and Jiroudi, 2015),
age (Clark et al., 1996; Moynihan and Pandey, 2007; Valaei and Jiroudi, 2015) and good
health (Léné, 2016) with some exceptions (Al-Zoubi, 2012). Being female (Al-Zoubi, 2012;
Clark, 1997; Léné, 2016; Valaei and Jiroudi, 2015), born abroad or the primary breadwinner
has a positive impact (Léné, 2016). Having children (Léné, 2016), good relationships
with co-workers and management (Alegre et al., 2016; Pan, 2015; Souza-Poza and
Souza-Poza, 2000; Snipes et al., 2005; Valaei and Jiroudi, 2015) or clients (Morgan et al., 2013),
working in small companies, not working ove rtime (Léné, 2016 and job desig n
(May et al., 2004) also increase job satisfaction.
Negative effects on job satisfaction can result from being overqualified or overpromoted
(Rose, 2003; Léné, 2016), lacking or not using skills, physical exertion, a dirty work
environment (Léné, 2016), work overload (Green and Tsitsianis, 2005; Léné, 2016), job stress
(Mashihaba di et al., 2015), unpredictable working hours, tension among workers or with
supervisors,stress and low pay (Léné, 2016). However, pay is often not enoughto compensate
for other factors in the work environment such as the quality of working life and worklife
balance (Al-Zoubi, 2012). Similarly, having a higher level of education can result in
dissatisfaction as expectations due to high expectations that are unmet (Al-Zoubi, 2012).
39
Global
comparisons of
job satisfaction

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