What Is Job Satisfaction?

Job satisfaction is defined as the level of contentment

employees feel with their job. This goes beyond their daily
duties to cover satisfaction with team members/managers,
satisfaction with organizational policies, and the impact of
their job on employees’ personal lives.

Job satisfaction is defined as the extent to which an employee feels self-

motivated, content & satisfied with his/her job. Job satisfaction happens
when an employee feels that he/she is having job stability, career growth
and a comfortable work life balance. This implies that the employee is
having satisfaction at job as the work meets the expectations of the
individual.
There are a lot of factors which go together to ensure high job
satisfaction rates in a company. To begin with hygiene factors like good
pay, work life balance, perks, leaves etc. play a very important role in
making sure that the employee is content in the job. Job satisfaction can
be a relative term as it may depend on an individual's perception but
overall job satisfaction can be judged through various indirect
parameters like productivity, attrition rate, employee feedback etc. It
may also differ from industry to industry. The measurement or
perception of job satisfaction may be different from IT sector when
compared to manufacturing sector.

Job Satisfaction Factors

Job satisfaction is related to the psychology of an employee. A happy &

content employee at a job is always motivated to contribute more. On the
other hand, a dissatisfied employee is lethargic, makes mistakes &
becomes a burden to the company. The elements & factors which
contribute to job satisfaction are:
1. Compensation & Working conditions
One of the biggest factors of job satisfaction are the compensation and
benefits given to an employee. An employee with a good salary,
incentives, bonuses, healthcare options etc. is happier with their job as
compared to someone who doesn’t have the same. A healthy workplace
environment also adds value to an employee.
2. Work life balance
Every individual wants to have a good workplace which allow them time
to spend with their family & friends.
Job satisfaction for employees is often due a good work life balance
policy, which ensures that an employee spends quality time with their
family along with doing their work. This improves the employee's quality
of work life. 
3. Respect & Recognition
Any individual appreciates and feels motivated if they are respected at
their workplace. Also, if they are awarded for their hard work, it further
motivates employees. Hence recognition is one of the job satisfaction
factors.
4. Job security
If an employee is assured that the company would retain them even if the
market is turbulent, it gives them immense confidence. Job security is
one of the main reasons for job satisfaction for employees.
5. Challenges
Monotonous work activities can lead to dissatisfied employees. Hence,
things like job rotation, job enrichment etc can help in job satisfaction of
employees as well.
6. Career Growth
Employees always keep their career growth part as a high priority in
their life. Hence, if a company helps groom employees and gives them
newer job roles, it enhances the job satisfaction as they know they would
get a boost in their career.

There are several theories given which help in evaluating & measuring
job satisfaction of employees at workplace. Some of them are:
- Hierarchy of Needs by Maslow
- Hygiene Theory by Herzberg
These help in understanding the parameters or factors which influence
job satisfaction of employees at workplace.

Theories of Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction theories help to identify what factors are influencing job
satisfaction and what can be done to get higher employee job
satisfaction.
Hierarchy of Needs by Maslow :

Although commonly known in human motivation literature, Maslow’s

needs hierarchy theory was one of the first theories to examine the
important contributors to job satisfaction.

The theory suggests that human needs form a five-level hierarchy

consisting of physiological needs, safety, belongingness/love, esteem,
and self-actualization.

Maslow’s needs hierarchy was developed to explain human motivation in

general.

However, its main tenants apply to the work setting and have been used
to explain job satisfaction.

Within an organization, financial compensation and healthcare are some

of the benefits which help an employee meet their basic physiological
needs.

Safety needs can manifest itself through employees feeling physically

safe in their work environment, as well as job security.
When this is satisfied, the employees can focus on feeling as though they
belong to the workplace.

This can come in the form of positive relationships with colleagues and
supervisors in the workplace.

Once satisfied, the employee will seek to feel as though they are valued
and appreciated by their colleagues and their organization.

The final step is where the employee seeks to self-actualize; where they
need to grow and develop to become everything they are capable of
becoming.

Hygiene Theory by Herzberg :

 Herzberg’s two-factor theory suggests that job satisfaction and
dissatisfaction are not two opposite ends of the same continuum, but
instead are two separate and, at times, even unrelated concepts.

‘Motivating’ factors like pay and benefits, recognition and achievement

need to be met for an employee to be satisfied with work.

On the other hand, at the absence of ‘hygiene’ factors (such as working

conditions, company, policies, and structure, job security, interaction
with colleagues and quality of management) employees will be
dissatisfied with their jobs.

Quality of Work Life (QWL)

The term Quality of Work Life (QWL) aims at changing the
entire organizational climate by humanizing work, individualizing
organizations and changing the structural and managerial systems. It
takes into consideration the socio-psychological needs of the employees.
It seeks to create such a culture of work commitment in the
organizations which will ensure higher productivity and greater job
satisfaction for the employees.

Quality of work life refers to the favourableness or unfavourableness

of the job environment of an organization for its employees. It is generic
term which covers a person’s feelings about every dimension of his work
e.g. economic incentives and rewards, job security, working conditions,
organizational and interpersonal relationships etc. The term QWL has
different meanings for different people.

A few important definitions of Quality of Work Life (QWL)  are as

follows:

 According to Harrison: “Quality of Work Life is the degree to which

work in an organization contributes to material and psychological well-
being of its members.”
 According to D.S. Cohan “Quality of Work Life is a process of joint
decision making, collaborations and building mutual respect between
management and employees.”

Quality of Work Life   influences the productivity of the employees.

Researchers have proved that good QWL leads to psychologically and
physically healthier employees with positive feelings.

Richard E. Walton explains quality of work life in terms of eight broad

conditions of employment that constitute desirable quality of work life.
He proposed the same criteria for measuring QWL. Those criteria
include:

1. Adequate and Fair Compensation: There are different opinions

about adequate compensation. The committee on Fair Wages defined
fair wage as” . . . the wage which is above the minimum wage, but below
the living wage.”
2. Safe and Healthy Working Conditions: Most of the organizations
provide safe and healthy working conditions due to humanitarian
requirements and/or legal requirements. In fact , these conditions are a
matter or enlightened self-interest.
3. Opportunity to Use and Develop Human Capacities: Contrary to
the traditional assumptions, QWL is improved… “to the extent that the
worker can exercise more control over his or her work, and the degree to
which the job embraces and entire meaningful task” … but not a part of
it. Further, QWL provides for opportunities like autonomy in work and
participation in planning in order to use human capabilities.
4. Opportunity for Career Growth: Opportunities for promotions are
limited in case of all categories of employees either due to educational
barriers or due to limited openings at the higher level. QWL provides
future opportunity for continued growth and security by expanding one’s
capabilities, knowledge and qualifications.
5. Social Integration in the Work Force: Social integration in the
work force can be established by creating freedom from prejudice,
supporting primary work groups, a sense of community and inter-
personnel openness, legalitarianism and upward mobility.
6. Constitutionalism in the Work Organization: QWL provides
constitutional protection to the employees only to the level of desirability
as it hampers workers. It happens because the management’s action is
challenged in every action and bureaucratic procedures need to be
followed lat that level. Constitutional protection is provided to
employees on such matters as privacy, free speech, equity and due
process.
7. Work and Quality of Life: QWL provides for the balanced
relationship among work, non-work and family aspects of life. In other
words family life and social life should not be strained by working hours
including overtime work, work during inconvenient hours, business
travel, transfers, vacations etc.
8. Social Relevance of Work: QWL is concerned about the
establishment of social relevance to work in a socially beneficial manner.
The workers’ self esteem would be high if his work is useful to the society
and the vice versa is also true.

To summarize, Quality of Work Life is the degree to which employees of

an organization are able to satisfy their personal needs through
experience in the organization. It main aim is to create a work
environment where employees work in cooperation with each other and
contribute to organizational objectives.

Scope of Quality of Work Life :

Quality of work life is a multi-dimensional aspect. The workers expect
the following needs to be fulfilled by the organizations:

1. Compensation: The reward for work should be above a minimum

standard for life and should also be equitable. There should be a just an
equitable balance between the effort and the reward.
2. Health and Safety: The working environment should be free from all
hazards detrimental to the health and safety of the employees. The main
elements of a good physical environment for work should be reasonable
hours of work, cleanliness, pollution free atmosphere, risk free work etc.
3. Job Security: The organization should offer security of employment.
Employees should not have to work under a constant concern for their
future stability of work and income.
4. Job Design: The design of jobs should be such which is capable of
meeting the needs of the organization for production and the individual
for satisfying and interesting work. Quality of work life can be improved
if the job allows sufficient autonomy and control, provides timely
feedback on performance and uses a wide range of skills.
5. Social Integration: The workers should be able to feel a sense of
identity with the organization and develop a feeling of self-esteem. This
includes the elimination of discrimination and individualism, whilst
encouraging teams and social groups to form.
6. Social Relevance of Work: Work should not only be a source of
material and psychological satisfaction, but also a means of social
welfare. An organization that has greater concern for social causes can
improve the quality of work life.
7. Scope for Better Career Opportunities: The management should
provide facilities to the employees for improving their skills both
academic and otherwise. The management should always think of
utilizing human resources for expansion and development of the
organizations.

Principles of Quality of Work Life :

According to N.Q. Herrick and M. Maccoby there are four basic
principles, which will humanize work and improve the Quality of Work
Life:

1. The Principle of Security: Quality of work cannot be improved until

employees are relieved of the anxiety, fear and loss of future
employment. The working conditions must be safe and fear of economic
want should be eliminated. Job security and safety against occupational
hazards is an essential precondition of humanization of work.
2. The Principle of Equity: There should be a direct and positive
relation between effort and reward. All types of discrimination between
people doing similar work and with same level of performance must be
eliminated. Equity also requires sharing the profits of the organization.
3. The Principle of individualism: Employees differ in terms of their
attitudes, skills, potentials etc. Therefore, every individual should be
provided the opportunities for development of his personality and
potential. Humanization of work requires that employees are able to
decide their own pace of activities and design of work operations.
4. The Principle of Democracy: This means greater authority and
responsibility to employees. Meaningful participation in decision making
process improves the quality of work life.

Techniques for Improving Quality of Work

Life :
The quality of work life movement is of recent origin and has a long way
to go. Individual as well as organized efforts are required to improve the
 quality of work life for millions of workers in the country. Some of
the techniques used to improve the QWL are as given below:

1. Flexible Work Schedules: There should be flexibility in the work

schedules of the employees. Alternative work schedules for the
employees can be flexi time, staggered hours, compressed work week etc.
Flexi time is a system of flexible working hours, staggered hours
schedule means that different groups of employees begin and end work a
different intervals. Compressed work week involves longer hours of work
per day for fewer days per week.
2. Job Redesign: Job redesigning or job enrichment improves the quality
of the jobs. It attempts to provide a person with exciting, interesting,
stimulating and challenging work. It helps to satisfy the higher level
needs of the employees.
3. Opportunity for Development: Career development is very
important for ambitious and achievement oriented employees. If the
employees are provided with opportunities for their advancement and
growth, they will be highly motivated and their commitment to the
organization will increase.
4. Autonomous Work Groups: Autonomous work groups are also
called self-managed work teams. In such groups the employees are given
freedom of decision making. They are themselves responsible for
planning, organizing and controlling the activities of their groups. The
groups are also responsible for their success or failures.
5. Employee’s Participation in Management: People in the
organization should be allowed to participate in the management
decisions affecting their lives. Quality circles, Management by objectives,
suggestion system and other forms of employee’s participation in
management help to improve the Quality of Work Life.
6. Job Security: Employees want stability of employment. Adequate job
security provided to the employees will improve the Quality of Work Life
to a large extent.
7. Equitable Justice: The principle of equitable administrative justice
should be applied in disciplinary actions, grievance procedures,
promotions, transfers, work assignments etc. Partiality and biasness at
any stage can discourage the workers and affect the Quality of Work Life.
 Quality Circles (Q.C)

Meaning of Quality Circles:

Conceptually Quality Circles can be described as a small group of
employees of the same work area, doing similar work that meets
voluntarily and regularly to identify, analyse and resolve work related
problems.

This small group with every member of the circle participating to the full
carries on the activities, utilising problem solving techniques to achieve
control or improvement in the work area and also help self and mutual
development in the process.

The concept of the Quality Circle is based on “respect for the human
individual” as against the traditional assumption based on suspicion and
mistrust between management and its employees.

Quality circles built mutual trust and create greater understanding

between the management and the workers. Cooperation and not
confrontation is the key element in its operation. Quality Circles aims at
building people, developing them, arousing genuine interest and
dedication to their work to improve quality, productivity, cost reduction
etc.

Thus we can say that a quality circle is a group of 5 to 8 employees

performing similar work, who volunteer themselves to meet regularly, to
identify the cause of their on-the-job problems, employ advanced
problem-solving techniques to reach solutions and implement them.

Characteristics of Effective Quality

Circles:

1. The atmosphere should be informal, comfortable and relaxed. The

members should feel involved and interested.

2. Everyone should participate.

3. The objectives should be clear to the members.

4. The members should listen to each other.

5. The group should feel comfortable even when there are disagreements.

6. The decisions should generally be taken by a kind of consensus and

voting should be minimum.

7. When an action is required to be taken, clear assignments should be

made and accepted by all the members.

8. The leader should not dominate the group. The main idea should not
be as to who controls but how to get the job done.

9. Until a final solution is found and results are attained feedback is

necessary.

Objectives of Quality Circles:

Some of the broad objectives of the Quality Circle are:

(i) To improve quality, productivity, safety and cost reduction.

(ii) To give chance to the employees to use their wisdom and creativity.

(iii) To encourage team spirit, cohesive culture among different levels

and sections of the employees.

(iv) To promote self and mutual development including leadership

quality,

(v) To fulfill the self-esteem and motivational needs of employees.

Benefits of Quality Circles (Q.C.):

1. Through the forum of Q.C. the chronic problems-of organisations

which really create hurdles in work get resolved by the grass root
employees of organisation, whose knowledge and experience otherwise
is not fully utilized.

2. With such a capable work force, any organisation can easily undertake
more difficult and challenging assignments for its growth and profit.

3. As the employees gain experience they take more challenging projects,

in due course they undertake projects on cost reduction, material
handling, quality improvement, preventing wastage, improving delivery
schedule, improving customer service, improving inspection and test
methods, preventing accidents improving design and process etc.

4. Cost reduction.

5. Increased productivity.

6. Improved quality.

7. Better communication.

8. Better house-keeping.

9. Increased team work.

10. Smooth working.

11. Better mutual trust.

12. Greater sense of belongingness.

13. Increased safety.

14. Better human relations.