job satisfaction

Job satisfaction is the very important factor in general quality of life because it is closely connected with working life. There are many definitions of job satisfaction. According to Spector (1997, p.2) Job satisfaction is: “simply how people feel about their jobs and different aspects of their jobs. It is the extent to which people like or dislike their jobs. It can also be considered as a global feeling about the job”. Colquitt, Lepine and Wesson (2009, p.105) defined job satisfaction as “a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience”. Colquitt, Lepine and Wesson (2009, p.37) also defines job performance as “the value of a set of employee behaviors that contribute, either positively or negatively, to organizational objective accomplishment. Job performance also includes behaviors that are within the control of employees, but it places a boundary on which behaviors are (and are not) relevant”.
Job satisfaction plays an important role for an employee in terms of health and well-being of an organization in terms of productivity, efficiency, employee relations, absenteeism and turn-over (Locke, 1976; Khaleque, 1984). Job satisfaction leads better performance which is based that performance is a natural product of satisfying the need of employees. Despite the fact, that the definitions of job performance vary, their common feature is that job satisfaction is a job-related emotional reaction. Basically, organizations that are able to make their employees happy will have more productive employees which means that if organizations satisfy their employees, the employees tend to perform better and choose to remain with the company for a longer period of time. Employees with high level of job satisfaction, experience positive feelings towards their duties or task activities but employees with low job satisfaction, experience negative feelings toward their duties. Job satisfaction is more likely when the employees’ values match those of the organization. Individuals can be satisfied or dissatisfied with their overall jobs and specific job facets, such as the level of pay, promotion opportunities, co-workers, working conditions and supervision, contingent rewards, benefits, nature of work or communication (Spector, 1997; Locke 1976).