Reflective Piece on Causes of Job Satisfaction

So what is job satisfaction and why is it so important? Job satisfaction is best define as a measure of workers contentedness with their job, weather or not they like the job or individual aspects or facets of jobs, such as nature of work or supervision. In my younger years what I looked for in a job was the pay. That’s all I cared about was how much in hour but now that I’m older and like to think wiser I care for so much more. It’s beyond the dollar bills, not always about the money. There are so many factors that come to play when figuring out what makes you happy in a job. It’s important to think about what makes you happy in a job? what makes you like your job? It’s worth some thinking about since you spend half of your life working. Job satisfaction is equally important to employees and employers they have the same equal effect if job satisfaction is not reached.

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I have experience both sides satisfied and dissatisfaction. When I use to work at Calvin Klein I experienced for the first time I wasn’t satisfied with my job. There were a lot of factors that made me unhappy at work one was because I didn’t like one of my managers. Megan was a very rude, dislikable person not just towards me but towards all of the employees she brought the whole store down with here. But what make her so dislikeable? Well for one her attitude she always had a negative energy around her inside and out. She always had a angry  face for no reason which didn’t make her so approachable if anything it made employees scared. She also never gave us positive feedback she only told us all the stuff we did wrong. She was very strict she couldn’t be understand us when we had a personal problem in our life that might affect us in at work she obeyed a very strict professional to employer relationship she definitely did not have our best interest I felt like a tool in her eyes. People started quitting every month we would get new people and start training them and teach them every position because we were low on staff but by the end of the month they were walking right out the front doors. People started to complain about how unhappy they with the company because of the manger or the amount the work that got. As this continued on and all the reasons to leave the company I didn’t because of a manger that I adore name Jeff. Jeff was the complete opposite to Megan very charismatic always stayed positive, and genuinely cared about his employees. Jeff made work tolerable. I stayed with the company for three months because I felt some loyalty towards Jeff I couldn’t just leave him like that. That was the least favorite job I’ve ever had hands down. I dreaded to go to work and moped around. I sure did not give my 100% at work and it was very disappointed for me because it was absolutely out of character. Not only did ruin my attitude but it ruin my charter it really took a huge impact on me.

Maintaining job satisfaction is also important to the employer too. Employees are an organization’s number one resource it is the reason that keeps the organization up and running. According to Villanova University published an article “How Important is Job Satisfaction in Today’s” talks about the reasons on how important job satisfaction to employers. Including lower turnover it states how turnover can be one of the highest costs attributed to the human resource department. Since the human resource department have to pay direct exit costs also in addition spend time and money on recruiting and retraining new employees. Also not to mention can waste resources such as equipment, benefits and uniforms. Villanova University can’t express enough that “ retaining workers helps create a better environment, and  makes it easier to recruit quality talent and save money … bottom line satisfied employees are typically much less likely to leave.”  Also mentions how satisfied employees increases high productivity, increase profits and loyalty. How does job satisfaction increase high productivity and profit, well it kind a obvious people tend to be more productive when they are feeling positive. For example, when I was working with Megan she brought my mood down I just didn’t want to do extra work if I didn’t have to or go the extra mile. I just wanted to get shift over with, customer satisfaction was my least concern. In the other hand when I worked with my other manager Jeff I noticed a big difference my mood would completely change I was more upbeat didn’t mind helping customers always had a smile on my face. Job satisfaction does impact employees production of productivity and profitability. Lastly, loyalty when employees feel like the company has their best interests at heart, they often support its mission and work hard to help achieve its objectives. For example, One time when Jeff asked me to do inventory which is not a fun thing to do I didn’t mind doing it for him and accepted the offer. These are all benefits for employers so why not put some time and resources on job satisfaction  that can only bring assets your organization.

What are some reasons for job dissatisfaction and why does it happen? There are many of reason why people feel dissatisfied its bound to happen at one point or another.  Some individuals can’t help it and leave their job for the better and some individuals stay and remain unhappy. According to small business.chron.com published by Rose Johnson an article called “Key Reasons for Job Dissatisfaction and Poor Employee Performance” gives us some perspectives on why people can be dissatisfied with their job.

One reason people get this dissatisfied feeling toward their job would be being or feeling of underpaid. It come from maybe the work is not parallel to the pay you might feel your doing so much work for such little money. Also another problem would be people making the money stretch for basic necessities and that’s not easy to deal with. Johnson states “ Not only must employees deal with stagnant wages but perhaps also the high cost of health insurance and rising costs for housing, utilities and food.. the stress of paying bills with limited income causes many workers to feel dissatisfied with their jobs.”  As a college student I can relate to the crisis of money problems it’s so difficult to handle especially if it’s out of your hands. It takes a huge toll on me because all I think about for a month is how am I going to pay this bill by the end of the month. That pressure doesn’t let me focus in school and also gives me anxiety. I can see why underpay can be leave some employees dissatisfied certainly once you are grown not only responsible  for yourself but your family if you have one and the respond stability of not being able to fall back to your parents you’re your only resource is frightening. and that pressure of the unknown if not being able to pay that bill can consume you.

In addition another reason that employees can be dissatisfied with their job can be Limited career growth and advancement. According to smallbusiness .chron.com it states “Lack of career growth and advancement is a reason why workers are dissatisfied at their job.. employees who feel stuck in their job positions are less motivated to maintain high productivity than those who do not.” In my past experience in being in retail all my life I have finally been caught in a dead end with that type of employment. I feel like have learn all the expertise that customer service had to offer. I feel staying in retail stops me from gaining new knowledge overall stops me from growing as an individual. I made a decision in my life to move forward with my career path to look for better job opportunities. I understand why people feel dissatisfied with their job feeling stuck, waste of their capabilities, nothing else to gain and experience lack of growth in staying in the same job.

Another reason why employees are unhappy is lack of interest in work. Most people are not going to pour their time and energy into something that doesn’t really matter to them. For example, working at Calvin I lost interest with the company when there was no more skills to master. Work started to become a routine for me there was no challenge. According an article done by Forbes called “8 Common Cause Of Workplace Demotivation” states “ 48% of employees worldwide don’t even like their job….  And only 30% feel engaged and inspired by their careers. Especially troubling for leaders and business owners, 18% are actively disengaged that is, present at work but hating every minute of it” As it turns out, it could be that is workers are uninterested, which can cause boredom and little motivation to concern themselves with workplace productivity. It’s not all about money when your unfulfilled with your job. According to Forbes also states “55% of Gen X and Gen Y workers believe that finding a job that’s personally fulfilling is worth sacrifices in salary” As it shows you really have to find a job that your passionate about, like an old-timer once said choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.

Now that we talked over what are some reasons that make employees dissatisfied with their jobs. Let’s discuss what make what causes job satisfaction. As the years progress, the concept of job satisfaction vastly shifts. What once was very labor intensive is now very service oriented and the spectrum of job duties increases as the demand for different services arise. Though there are similar underlying factors that are considered when you think about what satisfies a person and what deflates a person’s ambition, the focus on satisfying employees is changing. This change comes from the rise in competitors within a company and the need to have everything done at a rapid pace, continuously. Having job satisfaction comes from interest in the field, career growth opportunities, company culture, and constant stimulation. Dissatisfaction from a job can come from the environment you are in, becoming tired of routine, and not feeling fulfilled. Overlapping this with how companies are affected with employee job satisfaction results in factors such as having low turnover rates, customer satisfaction, and ensures company loyalty. On the flip side, having unsatisfied employees can lead to inefficiency and a disconnected staff.

One reason that can give you job satisfaction is working for a job that fuels your interests. Work interest is one of the key elements when considering what satisfies an employee. Though it can be hard to find something of interest at a job that you are simply using to get by before landing a career, it is useful to look at job descriptions to see if any tasks align with your career path in some way. In an article discussing the benefits of being in a satisfying job, Zarin Bathena describes how important it is to feel fulfilled in a job not only for the employee, but for the company as a whole. When an employee thoroughly enjoys their work tasks, they will “go the extra mile to achieve goals and take pride in their jobs, their teams and their achievements”. An example, of this would be someone who works at a retail store and their end goal is to be a retail store owner. Working in a smaller division of a company may seem miniscule, but it can end up being a major role in their progression of one day being a successful business owner. Similarly, someone who wants to become a restaurant owner and begins as a waiter may seem pointless to the end goal but delving into the industry can teach someone a lot about what it takes to be in that environment. Learning the ins and outs of a company is vital to a successful employee and having the mentality of wanting to learn and seeing how it can benefit you in the future will make a job a lot more enjoyable and rewarding. In addition, your employer will notice your motivation for even the smallest of tasks and that employee will stand out in a staff that may treat mundane tasks with a mundane attitude. It is important to see each job as a networking opportunity so building positive relationships with your employer and other employees can be highly beneficial in the long run. Overall, simply having interest in your job can build job security and leave you feeling highly motivated in the long run.

 Another reason for job satisfaction would be rewards can be external or internal. As talked in our Organizations: Behavior, Structure Processes book extrinsic rewards include salary, fringe benefits and promotions. Intrinsic rewards include Completion, achievement, personal growth and autonomy. Rewards can help employees have a better attitudes towards other, less enjoyable areas of their work. According to the National Business Research Institute it states “Employees are more satisfied when they feel they are rewarded fairly for the work they do.” Not that far of a stretch of a comparison to work relationship compare to personal relationship. Would you be happy in a relationship in where your significant other stops giving complements or show any affection. I suppose not if there is no more of recognition of you effort love dies down.

Another reason for job satisfaction would be co-worker relationships being able to worke peers that you like. According to smallbusiness.chron.com it states “If an employee feels emotionally or socially detached at work and cannot seem to fit into the organization’s culture or blend with other colleagues, feelings of dissatisfaction may start to surface.” Not having that connection with someone with the organization can make you feel lonely and secluded. Having no one to tell if something is bothering you or you can relate to when difficulty task can take a toll on individual. Finding that connection may motivate employees when times are tough to keep pushing through and it also increase enthusiasm. For example, when I worked at Calvin even though I didn’t like my job I stayed two extra months because I had a really good relationship with my co-workers. They made work more fun, if it wasn’t for my coworkers I would quit instantly. Working with peers that you enjoy to be around with makes everything better.

Now that we discussed about the benefits, importance and causes of job satisfaction. We can conclude there are so many benefits of acknowledging the importance of job satisfaction. But why do employers or employees make any change? Why do employees stick to a job that makes them so miserable and what puts them in that situation in the first place?

One theory I can think of to why employees find themselves in this dilemma is because of expectations. The expectation of having a better quality of life than our parents. I think we can all relate to when we were kids we would get lectured on how our parents struggled so measly hard to get to the position to where they are now only to provide you a better lifestyle then what they had. The concept of going to school to be successful not only did my parents engraved this in my head but also society as a whole. Why do people feel subject to them and why do we listen to them after all it is your life. Maybe because we don’t want to look like a failure in society eyes and we want to make parents proud as well. I believe it’s more of a problem now because we’re now living in an era where with more and more occupations requiring advanced education. What it boils down to, to be successful in life you have to go to school. While others may have other motivations most go to get financial gain, job stability and success. In such a young an age more specifically early twenties we have to take career choice. Making a huge decision on what you want to major in with not knowing much about self-knowledge, life experience and information. According to Career Advising Online it states “The average person will change careers 5-7 times during their working life according to career change statistics. With an ever increasing number of different career choices on offer, approximately 30% of the total workforce will now change jobs every 12 months. By the age of 42 you will probably already have had about ten jobs.” This expectations confuse people on picking a career path that can give them money and success instead of doing something in what we really want to do in life and lose what truly makes us happy. Sometime people suppress their desire of what they make them happy to achieve a certain level of success. Which at the end can leave them changing jobs and create the dilemma of job satisfaction.