The Influencers of Job Satisfaction in Demanding Crime Investigation
| Published date | 01 September 2011 |
| Author | Terhi Kankaanranta |
| Date | 01 September 2011 |
| DOI | 10.1350/pojo.2011.84.3.525 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
DR TERHI KANKAANRANTA
Researcher (economic crimes), The Police College of Finland
THE INFLUENCERS OF JOB
SATISFACTION IN DEMANDING
CRIME INVESTIGATION
Job satisfaction influences employees’ labour supply decisions,
such as decisions to change workplaces. Therefore, it is
essentially important to identify the influencers of it. The
police organisations are expecting an increase in retirements
due to an aging population. Therefore, to prevent recruitment
difficulties new hires are needed to replace retired employees.
The general reputation of an occupation, strongly influenced
by job satisfaction, plays a key role when people make
decisions regarding their future careers.
This study extends the research of job satisfaction in police
organisations in Finland by analysing investigators working in
sectors rarely studied before: officers working in demanding
and long-standing crime investigation. The investigators of
economic, narcotic and violent crimes were found to be
satisfied or very satisfied with their work. Explorative factor
analysis revealed that factors influencing job satisfaction were
related to leadership, working environment, flow of informa-
tion, payment system, work content and employer image.
Keywords: economic crime investigator; factor analysis;
job satisfaction
Introduction
Job satisfaction has been reported to affect employees’ labour
supply decisions, such as absenteeism, intentions to change jobs
or even to stop working completely (Clark, 2001; Böckerman &
Ilmakunnas, 2004; Kankaanranta et al., 2007; Kankaanranta
2008a; Kankaanranta & Rissanen (2008b); Lambert & Hogan,
2009). Job satisfaction has also been reported to have a negative
correlation with burnout, whereas job dissatisfaction has a
positive relation to the level of cynicism (Bennett & Schmitt,
2002; Griffin et al., 2010). As the population ages, the coming
years are expected to see an increase in retirements in many
professions. To prevent recruitment difficulties or even staff
shortages in organisations, it is essential to analyse the influ-
encers of job satisfaction. By increasing the overall level of job
satisfaction, it is possible to influence the attractiveness of a
234 The Police Journal, Volume 84 (2011)
DOI: 10.1358/pojo.2011.84.3.525
profession and therefore ensure an adequate supply of labour.
Job satisfaction is also closely related to productivity. By
increasing job satisfaction, it is possible for instance to decrease
the number of medically related absences and therefore increase
productivity.
Job satisfaction is a multidimensional concept and there is no
single fixed definition of it. Job satisfaction is the degree to
which people like their jobs (Spector, 1997) and reflects
employee judgements on how fulfilled and rewarded people feel
in their current work situation. Therefore, it is a subjective,
individual-level feeling that reflects the extent to which a per-
son’s needs are being met by a particular job (Burke & Paton,
2006; Griffin et al., 2010). The issue of how to measure job
satisfaction has remained unresolved in the literature, but two
primary approaches exist. Those researchers who favour a fac-
eted approach measure the multiple sub-dimensions that make up
a person’s satisfaction with his or her job. However, researchers
of global measurement agree that it is up to the worker to decide
and in this approach a worker is asked about his or her overall
satisfaction with the job. Both approaches have benefits and
drawbacks. By asking respondents about their overall level of
job satisfaction, it is also possible to ask them to assess mentally
what they feel are the relevant dimensions of job satisfaction. On
the other hand, if measures are based on the assumption that the
composite scale includes all relevant aspects of job satisfaction,
it may be possible to identify specific problem areas that need to
be considered to increase the level of job satisfaction (Lambert et
al., 2002).
Influencers of job satisfaction are widely studied in distinct
disciplines. Psychological studies have mainly focused on non-
pecuniary factors and how they may influence job satisfaction,
whereas the economic literature has traditionally focused on
analysing financial aspects (Tett & Meyer, 1993; Hellman, 1997;
Lu et al., 2005). As early as 1776, Adam Smith stated that the
attractiveness of different jobs is related to factors such as the
level of pay. According to the traditional labour economic
analyses, workers compare wages with the value of forgone
leisure when making labour supply decisions. However, today it
is assumed that the motivation to work also arises from a variety
of social and psychological elements related to, for example,
working conditions. Professional ambitions, such as possibilities
for advancement in one’s career or prestigious position, could be
non-pecuniary forms of compensation increasing the worker’s
The Police Journal, Volume 84 (2011) 235
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