Thomas Ma

EVALUATING FACTORS IMPACT JOB SATISFACTIONS EMPLOYEES IN SMEs (VN)

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Abstract

Keyword: Evaluation, Factors, Job satisfaction, Organization

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CHAPTER I: Introduction: Today, employees play an important role in organizations. Employees are a key element to determine for prosperous development and stable organizations although organizations apply to use science equipment-modern technology. What causes can make employees changing job? Probably, those causes are yourself organizations have not generated job satisfaction of employees. Creating job satisfaction of employees and their loyal in organizations is great asset tangible for organizations. Competition draw labor force more and more highly specially, workforce have skills and well-experienced, so organizations need to create job satisfaction of employees because it will be taken work effectively. Which factors can increase job satisfaction of employees? Which factors can stimulate employees do effectively. These are concerned problems in organizations. From these imperative problems, I have selected the topic Evaluating factors influence job satisfaction of employees in organizations Purpose of Research: The job satisfaction has got great attention in organizational research. The main goal of this research is carried out to: Firstly, evaluating the factors impact job satisfaction in organization. Secondly, overview research models of job satisfactions employee

previously. Thirdly, analysis and measuring the research models and factors influence to job satisfactions employees in organization (using collection data, information from articles, books, newspapers, results of researchers). Finally, proposing some solutions to increase level of job satisfaction of employees in organizations.

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Significant of Research:

The significance of research is expected to provide both theoretical and practical implications for levels of job satisfaction of employees in organization. Top management is having a general view about information and large picture factors influence job satisfaction of employees in organization, namely: determining which factors highest impact to job satisfaction. From that, depth understanding and helping top management of organization promote dimensions of job satisfaction of employees, and it will be obtained the achievement organizations goals.
CHAPTER II: REVIEW Of LITERATURE

There were many studies have focused primarily on job satisfaction of employees in organization such as: Vladimirova, K. and Atanassova, M., Flexible employment forms: State and possibilities for development (in Bulgarian) Sofia, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2008. This project was performed by a team of researchers from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). The survey sample included 196 employers and 452 employees in micro and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in different economic sectors and regions throughout the country. The questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 2007 and the results were published at the end of 2008. The survey provides information on employee satisfaction with 12 aspects of their working conditions as well as employers assessment of these aspects on a five-point scale. And outcome of survey conducted that women were more satisfied than men; the share of satisfied respondents increased with age and educational level; satisfaction with working conditions, and working time. Frederick Herzberg studied to determine which in an employees work environment causing satisfaction or non satisfaction. He
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published his finding in the book The Motivation to Work. And he showed that there were six top factors (company policy, supervision, relationship with boss and peers, work condition, salary). According to National Business Research Institute
(NBRI) have been surveyed employees job satisfaction identified six factors that influenced job satisfaction in organizations. When these six factors were high, job satisfaction was high. When the six factors were low, job satisfaction was low. These factors are similar to what being to found in other organizations.

The definitional issues of job satisfaction: What is job satisfaction? What job satisfaction means to us, society and organizations, how many of us to know it. In reality, not a lot of us to know what is job satisfaction. That thing will be found out by researchers. The concept job satisfaction is complex and defined by many researchers in many ways such as. Stephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (OB Fourteenth Edition p. 111) defines job satisfaction as a positive feeling about ones job resulting from an evaluation of its characteristics This definition focuses on personal feeling when a person has positive feeling it means that he or has high level of job satisfaction. While Locke & Lathans (1976) give a comprehensive definition of job satisfaction as pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experience This essay only introduce some definitions job satisfaction for readers to see from that the essay will focus on the factors influence job satisfaction.

Is job satisfaction important? Of course, this question will be answered the clearly. Firstly, If Employees have been a positive feeling and satisfied with their job. They will work effectively at workplace. A
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person feels happy in her or his life that means they feel happy more creative in their job (Teresa Amiable). High job satisfaction will increase working more interesting, creating, planning. On the contrary, Low job satisfaction can make to a negative thinking with their recent job which cause may lead employee to work less and focus on the passive aspects of their job. They feel depressed and frustration, dissatisfy with their job, having many major in their problems. The end of strategy thinking of them decide to find others job. Secondly, with employers if employees have high job satisfaction make their organizations develop, succeed and more profitability. Finally, how do employers make high job satisfaction? That is the most important thing for organizations doing it. And there are many variances lead to having high job satisfaction. This part let to discuss later. Therefore, job satisfaction is very important. According to Gregory P. Smith said happy employees make productive employees Factors influence to job satisfactions employees in organization Many researchers showed that there are a great deal of factors which affects job satisfaction in organizations such as: stress at work, working condition, job security, opportunity, education level, information communications technology, co-workers, payThe time changing, so the factors affect job satisfaction may also change. That why this essay only focuses on six factors: opportunity, stress, leadership, work standards, fair rewards, and adequate authority. According to National Business Research Institute (NBRI) identified six factors that influenced job satisfaction in organizations. NBRI surveyed over 15.000 largely white collar employees nationwide from all levels of participating organizations.

Opportunity promotion According to Luthans (2002:231), promotion usually occurs when employees are appraised and remunerated for the effort they have contributed to the organization.
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Promotion can be based either on seniority or performance but both results in job satisfaction, especially promotion based on performance. The promotion opportunities of employees evaluate on their performance in organizations. Why do employees need promotion? It generates for employees a motivation to work effectively. They have positive feel with their job and pride on working. They always want to complete job well. Promotion opportunities bring employees that believe on objectives which organizations have proposed. Moreover, Challenging opportunities at work make employees more satisfy consist of chances to join in interesting projects, and increasing their mission to the organizations. Stress In the modern life, most of jobs at workplace are stress. Work place is not only place for employees to strive with working, to succeed but also a place to bring the disease age. Stress can lead the bad health problems. The causes of stress are many responsibilities with job, conflict with colleague, working environment. Stress at work can be bad in mood which making lower the level of job satisfaction of employees. When the level of stress is high, the level of employees job satisfaction is low (Management job satisfaction, 2002). They feel their jobs are not guaranteed therefore employees are dissatisfaction with current job. A bad result, employees can find others job (Mullins, 2002:649-652 and Robbins). Organization needs to readjust the aspects to reduce work stress In order to generate satisfaction of employees. When employees have motivation they will be done well and contributed with their work.

Leadership Leadership is an important role to make employees work well who being created friendly environment and supported employees, increasing level job satisfaction at work.
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According to Robbins (2003:85), friendly and supportive co-workers lead to increased job satisfaction. Following the Rich Yvanovich, attractive leadership is considered power soft to succeed. Leadership will be generated and maintained good environment working for employees using and promoting all abilities to work for organization. The most important thing has to build to employees having a positive attitude to do. By this doing, employees feel general objectives of organization to spend their time and power on working. How do organizations keep successful? So that carried out this thing successful, leadership must make employees commitment. Work standards A work standard is a written description of how a process should be done. It guides consistent execution. At its best, it documents a current best practice and ensures that it is implemented through accompany. At a minimum, it provides a baseline from which a better approach can be developed. This is an order helping employees to conform to carry out working. It encompasses the manipulation and some steps of job performance. Written documents describes helping employees handle with job clearly. Employees need communicate to job performance and know what facts about organization, and their specific job, customers, product or service in order to employees be seeing when there are problems. Organization must provide them practical skills required to do their job well. Workplace lacks communications tool that is also caused to lead lower satisfaction of employees. Organization provides modern communication tool to serve job such as: cell phones, laptops. Employees can be easy to connect when necessity for job. From there they increase job satisfaction at work. In accord with Mullins claim, Robbins (2003:9) reports that the use of cell phones and laptops can enable both managers and employees to be available 2 hours per say. Fair rewards Reward can be a tool to stimulate employees work effectively it also can be wasted of money. The problems are plan and how reward. If organizations reward right it bringing
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successful for organizations. Reward will attract and keep talent employees. They feel fairly rewarded with their skills, knowledge, what contribution. Reward is not fair that will be affected who is expecting reward and they feel disappointed with what they are receiving. How do organizations reward fairly? Organization should put up reward strategy and specify objectives namely: Showing the objectives and can measure it. For example, employees increase 1/3 time answer for customers call or reduce a half amount of customer complaining. Showing the objectives connect employees with successful organization. Ensuring objectives for employees can obtain. Periodic reward applies for employees doing well. Adequate authority Authority can be defined as ability of an individual to seek compliance to the required instructions of the superior. It refers to the formal right inherently available to a manager to give orders and see their compliance (Organization Behavior by Tashraf). Beside distribute work for employees that Organization should hand over authority to without difficulty in carrying out their job. It generates for satisfied employees and feels their responsibility with job. This is an important factor to motivate employees working hardly so that getting the goals. How do organizations hand over authority? When manager hand over authority wrong or unfair it will influence badly to organization. By this doing, organization brings out the objectives namely. Overview research models of job satisfactions employee previously Based on collection of Spector (1997) including: group 4 models measure level of job satisfaction on each aspect and group 2 models measure general job satisfaction. The group 4 models measure about job satisfaction which is being symbolic of on the world and used in many researches such as: The Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), (Spector, 1985);
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the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), (Smith, Kendall, & Hulin, 1969); the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), (Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967); and the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS), (Hackman & Oldham, 1975). And following, group 2 models measure general job satisfaction such as: Job in General (JIG) scale (Ironson, Smith, Brannick, Gibson, & Paul, 1989); Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire Satisfaction subscale (Cammann, Fichman, Jenkins & Klesh, 1979). Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), (Pau E. Spector, 1985) The job satisfaction survey is a 36 items that is a survey tool designed to measure 9 facets of job satisfaction, consist of: 1) Pay 2) Promotion 3) Supervision 4) Benefits 5) Contingent reward 6) Operating produces 7) Co-workers 8) Nature of work, and 9) Communication. Last JSS models were applied for productive business. The result of these models was low effectively. So, Spector (1997) has built the specific model for staffs in the field of services. It developed and applied for main personnel department of services organizations. And non-government organization: hospital, health care center. Job Descriptive Index (JDI); (Smith, Kendall, & Hulin, 1969) Job Descriptive Index is used to measure job satisfaction including 5 factors: pay, promotions and promotion opportunities, co-workers, supervisor and work itself. JDI has used 72 items to measure level of job satisfaction of employees in 5 factors. The validity and reliability of JDI is evaluated very high in both theory and reality (Mayer 1995) .With 50% researches were published to use it. It is a simple to use with all types of respondent. The participants answer yes, no or cannot decide. Disadvantage of JDI was not model measuring general job satisfaction.

Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), (Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967) Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire is very popular to compare with JDI and JSS. MSQ specifies for any organizations and subjects (Spector 1997). It used in measuring table like: one measuring table including 100 items. Each aspect will be measured by 5 variables and short measuring table including 20 items (20 factors). MSQ evaluated
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general level satisfaction for each aspect (Schmit & Allscheid, 1995). However, the biggest weak MSQ was so long questionnaire. If using 20 shorter questions being big error deviation and not to reflect employees feeling.

Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS), (Hackman & Oldham, 1975) The expectation factors which JDS has exposed Hackman and Oldham thought that job characteristics is also influenced to job satisfaction of employees and Hackman & Oldham put forward scales to evaluate directly working environment (five core job characteristics: skills variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback) and measure factors impact to work such as: a) general level satisfaction b) aspects of job satisfaction. However, JDS has a great many limitations being difficult to distinct five core job characteristics. JDS is only suitable for well-employees, less absent from work and situation to design job and put up policy to encourage employees. Job in General (JIG) scale (Ironson, Smith, Brannick, Gibson, &. Paul, 1989) Job In General scale includes 18 items and describes general feeling. JIG was evaluated a suitable tool to evaluate about the general satisfied employees (Spector, 1997). Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire Satisfaction Subscale has used 3 variables below, and evaluating general satisfaction. a) In general, I feel satisfied job. b) Overall, I do not like current working. Overall, I like working here. The reliability of measuring scale was proved through many researches. Many researches showed out that this measuring scale has high correlation with variables job. Evaluating research models We would know that the models exposed having both advantages and disadvantages. With JDI is quite popular in the world but questions are so long and not having
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measuring scale about general level satisfaction. JDI is only

Contingent rewards

appreciated with personnel in the field of production. With JDS measures 5 factors and focus on job characteristic. Both JDI & JDS have expressed many different aspects. MSQ may measure scale that is quite enough to express relationship between satisfied employees with 20 aspects of job. On the other hand, MSQ sets up so long questions (100 items) or so short (20 items) that is difficult to Opportunity promotion Pay observe accurately. Operating procedures Fringe benefits

From the limitation of above Co-Workers Stress essay models, uses in and this 60 6 Nature of work Work standard

questions

aspects to measuring job satisfaction in many organizations (NBRI).

Leadership

Job satisfaction

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MODEL OF JOB SATISFACTION

Work itself Some solutions

Communication

increase level of job satisfactions employees in organization. Today, there are a great deal of employee who looking for balance between work and life. Therefore, manager always increases employee felling happy at work place. Level of job satisfactions employees is one of criterion to evaluate the successful organizations. Employees satisfied with their jobs that meaning they will work effectively and have a strong attachment for organization. How do organizations keep employee work? In order to do that, organizations must create job satisfaction for employees and increase job satisfaction:
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Creating job satisfaction Good work atmosphere and environment Arranging is flexible work Training and developing employees Let them opportunities, challenges Chances to have responsibilities with their jobs Flexible advantages such as health care, child care, insurance, exercise facilities. Update technology Competitive salaries and opportunities for promotion (The Harvard Professional Group, 1998) Promoting communication skills Increasing job satisfaction Reduce stress at workplace Provide employee opportunities and challenges clearly Building relationship between leadership and employee Empower employee Ensuring each employee must know the organizations goals Group building activities Creating good work condition The problem about job satisfaction is many factors which making employees happy with job. These factors affected job satisfaction from day to day. Expecting factors mentioned above, job satisfaction is also affected by employees characteristics, managers characteristics, and management style. Manager wants to retain level of job satisfaction at work place. Manager has to understand need, behavior, attitude, personality employees. From that manager could manage, arrange them at suitable for job position. Conclusion

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This research aims to show the factors impact to job satisfaction, and some models measuring job satisfaction. In that basis, this essay analysis and evaluate from factors and models measuring job satisfaction and some solutions to increase satisfied employee in organization so that proposing sample of model job satisfaction suitable at work place. The result indicates that job satisfaction is influenced by factors. It plays an important role which makes high level of job satisfaction in organization. In reality, nothing is perfect that these factors are only contributed to increase satisfied employees. It is still depending on their attitudes positive with job. Employees who work in organization if organization lacks of one these factors strongly but they are also working well because of employees having attitudes positive job that is play a vital role in job satisfaction. References:
1.

Cammann, C., Fichman, M., Jenkins, D., & Klesh, J. (1979). The Michigan organizational assessment questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

2.

Greg Smith is dynamic keynote speaker, motivational speaker and change management consultant focusing on Organizational Change.

3.

Hackman & Oldham, (1974). The Job Diagnostic Survey: An instrument for the diagnosis of jobs and the evaluation of job redesign projects. New Haven, CT: Yale University, Department of Administrative Sciences.

4. 5. 6. 7.

http://www.nbrii.com/Employee_Surveys/Satisfaction_Study.html. Indian Journal of Commerce & Management Studies questionnaire short form. Ironson, Smith, Brannick, Gibson, &. Paul, 1989. Locke, E.A. (1976). the nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M.D. Dunnette (Ed).Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Chicago: Rand McNally College Publishing Company.

8.

Locke, E. A. & Lathans, G. P. (1976), Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance, Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall.

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9.

Mayer, R., Davis, J., and Schoolman, F., (1995), An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust, Academy of Management Review.

10.

Spector, P. E. (1997). Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes, and consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

11.

Smith, P. C., Kendall, L. M., & Hulin, C. L. (1969). The measurement of satisfaction in work and retirement Chicago, IL: Rand McNally.

12.

Spector, P. E. (1985). Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey. American Journal of Community Psychology.

13.

Teresa Amabile is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School.

14.

Weiss DJ; Dawis RV; England GW; Lofquist LH, (1967), Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire short form.

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