Job Satisfaction Factors

While considering job satisfaction today's generation is indifferent from the past generation. Jobs have a basic tendency of being changed because the most important thing is to be happy at work.

Changing your profile, taking up new challenges, and opting for something better is considered a trait worth adopting. Job satisfaction plays an important role in any job, and if that is missing then that is a completely legit reason for changing jobs.

One needs to find answers for some of these qustions before considering job satisfaction:

• What does job satisfaction mean?
• Something that gives the employee motivation to continue with the job?

• Something that makes him get up in the morning and actually want to go to work?
• Something that gives him a rush every time a new assignment or project comes his way? 

There are certain factors that an employee can look into:

This one would be the most basic factor that leads to taking up a job because it is the means to an end theory. The employee satisfaction surveys say that the pay that one gets and the growth pattern of that pay.

Periodic intervals for an appraisal or employee performance-based appraisal will influence the job satisfaction to a great level. If the employee is happy with his pay, it will show in his work by increasing his productivity.

Other than the salary factor, statistics show that any worker will thrive in an environment that provides constant challenges. There needs to be something that keeps him on the go, constantly having to think and use his thinking powers and his skills, education, and expertise to reach a solution.

A job that is not monotonous and provides for a challenging environment that allows an employee to prove herself over and over again leads to greater job satisfaction.

A job that has a good evaluation system whereby the employee's work is duly recognized and he is therefore encouraged and motivated to continue contributing to the firm, is one of the major factors that determine job satisfaction as well.

An employee who knows that his efforts will be recognized by providing better opportunities for the future will find his job more satisfying than someone who has lost interest in work or finds it a task because no matter what the amount of effort he puts in, no one even takes cognizance of the same. Thus proper recognition and encouragement are important.

There are certain goals that every person has formulated for himself. These goals have to do with professional growth. A job that provides for opportunities such that there is a scope for his goals to be met will naturally provide greater job satisfaction than one which forces him to be stuck in a rut.

The ergonomics in the workplace which includes the working conditions like lighting, space, and other such and such, as well as interpersonal and intra-personal relations with fellow colleagues, management, and other authority figures also plays a major role in determining the degree of job satisfaction.

If there is mutual respect and regard among employees and management as well as among employees themselves, it will show in the work.

A person will want to go to work if he enjoys being with the others there and they provide for an encouraging environment. In short, if there is good workplace communication as opposed to negativity and job stress due to miscommunication or other problems in the workplace.

Each of these factors play a major role in determining how happy and satisfied the employee is with his job. Job satisfaction cannot come about if due importance is not given to these factors and that will, in turn, have a direct effect on the performance of the employee. So if you want your business to prosper, make sure that the employees are happy.