EFFECT OF JOB SATISFACTION

Effect of Job Satisfaction on Employee's Performance



Effect of Job Satisfaction on Employee's Performance

Introduction

The purpose of this research essay is to make an analysis on how does job satisfaction increase employee's performance.

The research aim was to broaden the research agenda to the banking sector in general and to the Lebanon in particular. While there is limited research into job satisfaction in the Middle-East the focus is principally concerned with gender and limited to Kuwait (Metle, 1997, 2001), or to leadership and commitment in the United Arab Emirates (Yousef, 2000). Drawing on a sample of 202 employees from nine commercial banks in the Lebanon, the results of this research indicate that job satisfaction is not independent in all job facets and that satisfaction with one facet might lead to satisfaction with another.

Discussion

Job satisfaction is one criterion for establishing the health of an organisation; rendering effective services largely depends on the human source (Fitzgerald et al., 1994) and job satisfaction experienced by employees will affect the quality of service they render. The impact of other variables on efficiency, such as infrastructures and internal relationships, should also be recognised. Job satisfaction has been defined as a positive emotional state resulting from the pleasure a worker derives from the job (Locke, 1976; Spector, 1997) and as the affective and cognitive attitudes held by an employee about various aspects of their work (Kalleberg, 1977; Mercer, 1997; Wright and Cropanzano, 1997; Wong et al., 1998); the later implying that satisfaction is related to the component facets rather than the whole job, which is consistent with Spector's (1997) view.

The relationship between job satisfaction and performance is still open to question; it would be unwise to assume that high job satisfaction leads to high performance, or that high performers are satisfied with their jobs (Euske et al., 1980). A number of studies indicate a weak link (Petty et al., 1984; Iaffaldano and Muchinsky, 1985) while others (Caldwell and O'Reilly, 1990; Spector, 1997) suggest a potential relationship between satisfaction and performance. The cause and effect determinants are still unclear and it cannot be assumed that satisfaction leads to high performance, or that high performers are necessarily satisfied with their jobs (Euske et al., 1980).

The tough job market of the past two years has made life very difficult for those who are either unemployed or underemployed. And so you might think that your employees, because they have jobs, would be ecstatic. They aren't. While no doubt grateful for a pay check, U.S. workers are actually less satisfied than they've been in many years.

A November 2003 survey by Career Builder, a leading job-search Web site, documents the extent of this dissatisfaction(Baruch, 2006). The survey found that nearly one in four workers are now dissatisfied with their jobs, a 20 percent increase over 2001 levels, with some six out of ten workers planning to leave their current employer for other pursuits within the next two years(Iaffaldano, 1985). A similar survey by the Society for Human Resource Professionals revealed ...