Environments of Compensation and Benefits Administration

Job Satisfaction

How well a person likes their job depends on the gap between an individual's work values, what a person wants, needs, or expects from a job, and what the job provides. Studies show that job satisfaction is dependent on several factors.

Job Satisfaction Factors:

• Respectful treatment – a work environment with rude, unpleasant, or inappropriate behavior from coworkers raises stress levels and lowers job satisfaction.

• Trust between employees and senior management – If employees know they will be treated fairly, receive recognition when deserved, and have access to their supervisors to discuss any concerns they may have, they will enjoy a higher level of job satisfaction.

• Working conditions – providing employees with a safe and comfortable work environment while using up-to-date technology will promote higher job satisfaction.

• Compensation or pay – how employees perceive the fairness of the company’s pay structure and their own pay will impact job satisfaction. Having a transparent and easily understandable pay policy, including performance evaluation and, where possible, incentives, will improve job satisfaction.

• Career advancement opportunities – offering support and opportunities for career advancement is important to maintain job satisfaction.

• Job security – if supervisors promote a work environment that is highly competitive or the company is not well managed, employees’ job satisfaction will be low.

• Opportunities to use skills and abilities – job satisfaction can also be affected by whether employees believe their skills and abilities are being properly utilized to make contributions to the company.

• Benefits – the benefits package is part of the employee’s financial security (health care, retirement) and includes paid time off. It may also include benefits such as childcare, company paid education, and public transport costs. Employees will often forego a higher salary for what they perceive as good benefits, and job satisfaction for many employees is tied to their benefits.

• Work/Life balance – having a reasonable workload that allows for family or personal time supports job satisfaction. Stress levels increase when workloads are too heavy, and employees have difficulty getting their work done on time.