Quality of work life and Generation Y. How gender and organizational type moderate job satisfaction
| Published date | 16 October 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2018-0448 |
| Pages | 265-283 |
| Date | 16 October 2019 |
| Author | Birgit Muskat,Bernd F. Reitsamer |
| Subject Matter | Hr & organizational behaviour,Global hrm |
Quality of work life
and Generation Y
How gender and organizational type
moderate job satisfaction
Birgit Muskat
Deakin Business School,
Deakin University, Burwood, Australia and
Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany, and
Bernd F. Reitsamer
Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine how quality of work life (QWL) influences jobsatisfaction
and to test if gender and organizational type moderate this relationship for Generation Y (Gen-Y).
Design/methodology/approach –Questionnaire data were collected from 328 Gen-Y employees in
European hospitality businesses. Drawing on generational theory, socialrole theory and person–environment
(P–E) fit theory, the authors discuss how gender and organizational types (i.e. independent vs corporate
structures) moderate Gen-Y’s QWL–job satisfaction relationship.
Findings –The findings of the paper are as follows: first, gender and organizational type influence the QWL–job
satisfaction relationship for Gen-Y. Second, job security does not change job satisfaction levels for female employees
while high levels of job security negatively influence job satisfaction for male employees. Third, receiving
appreciation at work increases job satisfaction for both women and men but, when receiving little appreciation at
work, women remain more satisfied. Fourth, having opportunities to contribute to decisions positively affects
Gen-Y’s job satisfaction. Fifth, having the right to say is more important in independent organizations, while the
opportunity to realize an employee’s own potential leads to higher job satisfaction in corporate organizations.
Originality/value –The study contributes to the limited empirical scholarly research, adding to a deeper
understanding of influencing factors of Gen-Y’s QWL–job satisfaction relationship.
Keywords Gender, Quantitative, Generation Y, Job satisfaction, Social role theory,
Quality of work life (QWL), Generational theory
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Human resource (HR) managers are challenged with contributing to strategies and activities
that increase their employees’job satisfaction. A number of job-related attributes within the
quality of work life (QWL) domain have been identified as suitable measures to manage job
satisfaction. These attributes include physical safety, payment, job security, appreciation of
one’s work, contribution to decisions affecting one’s work area (i.e. having the right to say)
and opportunities to realize one’s own potential (Kim et al., 2017; Nadler and Lawler, 1983;
Rathi and Lee, 2017; Robbins, 1998; Sirgy et al., 2001).
Generational differences in perceptions of these QWL attributes and how these relate to
job satisfaction, however, are not well understood (Abubakar et al., 2018). Today’s
workplaces include employees with a broad range of ages and generational membership.
Consequently, HR managers are confronted with an interplay of Baby Boomers ( frequently
in upper management and executive positions), Generation X (constituting the largest share
of the workforce) and Generation Y (Gen-Y) (entering the job market and striving toward
mid-management) employees, creating an inventory of cohort-based differences and conflict.
Most importantly, this variation in workforce raises questions about the nature,
characteristics and outcomes of supposed generational difference (Costanza et al., 2012).
Personnel Review
Vol. 49 No. 1, 2020
pp. 265-283
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-11-2018-0448
Received 6 November 2018
Revised 25 April 2019
Accepted 8 June 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
265
Quality of
work life and
Generation Y
The extant research has shown that Gen-Y employees differ in terms of their values,
motivation to work and workplace behavior when compared to other generations (Deal et al.,
2010; Kuron et al., 2015). Precisely, Gen-Y employees have a higher appreciation for leisure
and job security (Guillot-Soulez and Soulez, 2014), higher self-esteem and are more
self-centered (Holt et al., 2007). Recent studies moreover confirm that Gen-Y employees need
a nurturing and supportive work environment whilst demonstrating a lack of long-term
organizational commitment (Twenge et al., 2010). Taking these considerations into account
it remains largely unclear whether Gen-Y employees value the same QWL attributes that
have been identified for other generations. Similarly, the relationship among QWL and job
satisfaction should differ compared to previous generations.
It remains furthermore unclear if gender differences exist for Gen-Y in this QWL–job
satisfaction relationship. Despite the attempted changes toward more gender equality in
participation in work (Smith et al., 2012), there is still debate around whether social roles of
women and men have changed, and whether traditional social roles have been passed on
from previous generations (Huang and Gamble, 2015; Powell, 2018). Studies posit that men
and women differ in their underlying career attitudes, self-direction and organizational
mobility preferences (Enache et al., 2011; Maxwell and Broadbridge, 2014), but it is unknown
whether these differences also exist for Gen-Y. Hence, a deeper understanding of gender in
the context of job satisfaction is of great importance.
Another important gap lies in the current lack of studies that investigate how different
organizational types, such as independent vs corporate structures and hierarchies (e.g.
Porter and Lawler, 1965), influence the QWL–job satisfaction relationship (García-Serrano,
2011). Following person–environment (P–E) fit theory, employees choose a job environment
that aligns with their interests, values and goals (Nye et al., 2012). This job “environment”
predominantly involves organizational type (e.g. structures and hierarchies) as the core
determinant for working conditions. HR managers must therefore understand how QWL
attributes appeal for different organizational types in order to enhance targeted recruitment,
retention and job satisfaction strategies. Yet, there is scant literature providing a
contextualized understanding of the QWL–job satisfaction relationship in relation to the
dichotomy of independent vs corporate structures (Hodson, 1984).
This study aims to empirically contribute to the literature with a more detailed
understanding of the QWL–job satisfaction relationship for Gen-Y employees. A theoretical
framework is developed to explain the link between QWL and job satisfaction for Gen-Y
employees. Drawing on generational theory, we highlight the unique characteristics and
motivation of Gen-Y. Applying social role theory, we discuss gendered job expectation and
the job satisfaction-gender paradox. A self-administered online survey and hierarchical
regression analysis are used to explore job satisfaction of Gen-Y employees within the
European hospitality sector for the very first time. We particularly corroborate existing
literature by showing that gender and organizational type serve as vital mediating variables
in this relationship. Precisely, we demonstrate that specific QWL attributes obviously have
lost importance for Gen-Y employees (e.g. job security), whereas others (e.g. appreciation,
having a right say, promotion prospects) are considered as crucial for their job satisfaction.
Most importantly, the effects were found to differ among men and women as well as among
private and corporate organizational structures. Results are discussed and theorized,
practical implications relevant to HR managers are presented.
Research framework and hypotheses
Job satisfaction and quality of work life (QWL)
Job satisfaction represents the “pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the
appraisal of one’s job or job experience”(Locke, 1976, p. 1304). It refers to a person’s
attitudinal state of readiness influencing one’s response toward decisions, situations,
266
PR
49,1
To continue reading
Request your trial