Introduction
Job satisfaction involves the positive attitude an employee has towards his or her job. According to Schulze (2006), job satisfaction is pleasurable and positive emotional state that comes from the appraisal of an individual’s experience in place of work. Satisfied employees maintain a favorable environment for working. Job satisfaction plays an important role in employee retention, motivation and loyalty to the organization (Schulze, 2006). Employees in different sectors try to ensure that they attain satisfaction in the place of work (Arnolds & Boshoff, 2001). In order to understand job satisfaction, I conducted an interview that included a senior employee of Delta Holding Company in Serbia. The employee provided the personal perspective of job satisfaction and motivation.
Overview of Delta Holding Company
Delta Holding was founded in 1991; the company is a conglomerate of three companies Delta Distribution, Delta Agrar Group and Delta Real Estate Group. The member companies are involved in the wholesale distribution, food processing, and real estate. The company has had tremendous growth, which is attributable to management practices and assimilation of international experiences and motivated workforce.
Job Satisfaction, Motivation and Performance
The success of Delta Holding is driven by motivated employees and balanced workforce. The employee explained the various steps the management of the company had taken to improve the experience of the employees. The key concepts that the employee noted are company’s policies that promote work-life balance, proper remuneration and leadership process that promotes the welfare of the employees.
From the employees’ perspective, the human resource management has put in place policies that cut across the different departments to enhance the job satisfaction and the motivation of the employees. As a result, the employees are motivated, and labor turnover has reduced. For example, the employee has worked for the company for eight years and attested that the company has programs that motivate employees and hence promote performance.
According to the employee, one crucial aspect that the company has enhanced performance is by initiating policies that promote work-life balance. Karakas and Lee (2004) defined work life balance as the ability to spend good time with the members of the family. It entails having spare time to enable an employee to relax in order to boost emotional well-being and the health of family members.
It also includes the ability to have good communication and social interactions from the fellow work mates. A good work-life balance is satisfactory and beneficial when minimum role conflict is achieved. In addition, work-life balance is manifested by employees’ overall sense of harmony in the general life (Karakas & Lee, 2004). The interviewee noted that the company has policies that ensure that the employees can attend to their responsibilities and at the same time perform optimally in the work. For instance, the company has regulations that allow time for employees to attend to evening classes, personal responsibilities, and flexible work leaves.
A work-life balance is essential for the employees to meet their other life expectations. Work life balance boosts the morale of the employees (Karakas & Lee, 2004). The employee pointed that Delta Holding endeavors to ensure that employees are provided with the resources they require to have a complete balanced professional and personal life. For instance, the company has put in the place employee assistance program, fitness center, and transportation subsidy.
In addition to the work-life balance, the company has mechanisms that ensure personal growth. In order to promote the personal growth and motivate employees, Delta Holding has enacted policies that relate to remuneration and supervisions. The remuneration is part of the hygienic motivation factors. The salaries are reviewed based on personal performance and overall company annual turnover. According to the interviewee, the personal growth, activity and responsibility accorded to all employees within Delta Holding play a crucial role in influencing job satisfaction. Schulze (2006) noted that job satisfaction depends on multiple factors that include hygienic factors. An example of the hygienic factor is the salaries and wages, which play an integral factor that influence job satisfaction, pay relates to policy factor.
Enhancing the Experience and Loyalty of the Employees
It was interesting to note that the employee pointed to freedom of interaction with co-workers and communication as some of the factors the Delta Holding has put in place to enhance employee motivation. The assertions by the employee align to the fact that job dissatisfaction and satisfaction do not solely depend on the nature of the job itself. Job satisfaction is also determined by the expectations of what the job is to supply to the employees. According to Schulze (2006), intrinsic rewards and social orientations increase job satisfaction. The interactions with the co-workers provide the social aspect while the physical conditions inherent in the job influence the individual achieve either job satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
The employee also pointed to the need for the Delta Holding to invest in programs that enhance the capability and experience of the employees. One of the crucial programs is continuous training of the employees in matters that relate to their job. In addition, the employee emphasized that the company should engage in activities that promote the sense of community ownership and inclusivity such as corporate social responsibility. The employee noted that the activities integrate the employees to the company process; hence, promote the sense of belonging to the company. The sense of belonging encourages teamwork and plays a critical role in motivating and enhancing the productivity of the employees.
A trained and motivated workforce forms an important component of the organization. Employees take part in most functions in relation to the day-to-day running of the business (Arnolds & Boshoff, 2001). Many organizations strive for a type of human resource group that is best suited to propel the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. The expectation of the interviewee was that the top management leaders should make maximum utilization of the available resources such as training opportunities to ensure that they remain competitive in the market. Arnolds and Boshoff (2001), pointed that trained workforce understands the vision, mission and the goals of the company. Therefore, the human resource department should work hard in hand with the training department to ensure continuous training of the staff in relation to the current trends.
Reduction of Stress and Labor Turnover
Employees who are stressed contribute to reduced work performance. According to Burke (2001), stress is related to increased labor turnover. In order to reduce work-stress levels and reduce turnover, the employee noted that Delta Holding should be strict in implementing the policies that affect the social life of the employees. The policies should improve the work environment and put in place a leadership style that responds promptly to the employees’ needs. The integration of the factors and good salaries will enhance good work experience, reduce the stress levels and reduce labor turnover.
The observations by the employee align to the stipulations by Burke (2001) that several factors are responsible for employee level of job satisfaction. The factors include communication, independence, accomplishment, wages, team environment, job security, working conditions and the acknowledgment of the employees. Furthermore, Allen and Wilburn (2002) noted that leadership style plays a role in determining the employee satisfaction level.
Therefore, there is the need for Delta Holding to establish policies that enhance the positive relationship among workers. A leadership style in which the employees are not satisfied, adverse results will be manifested such as low profits, increased operational costs due to high labor turnover, withdrawal behavior, and job dissatisfaction. The employee also noted that the company should promote flexible work schedules as a means to reduce stress among employees. According to Allen and Wilburn (2002), high labor turnover and attritions are caused by the inflexibility of the work schedules.
Conclusion
The interview pointed to the important aspects that contribute to employees’ job satisfaction in Delta Holding. The factors that enhance the wellbeing of the employees improve their motivation and enhance the performance of the organization. Therefore, from the employee’s perspective and studies by different scholars, job satisfaction is based on multiple factors. The factors include policies that affect leadership, social integration of the workforce, community service and programs that enhance personal growth such as remuneration and sense of belonging to the organization.
References
Allen, D. and Wilburn, M. (2002). Linking customer and employee satisfaction to the bottom line. Milwaukee, Wis: ASQ Quality Press. Web.
Arnolds, C. and Boshoff, C. (2001). The challenge of motivating top management: a need satisfaction perspective. Journal of Industrial Psychology, 27 (1), 39- 42. Web.
Burke, W. (2001). Full leadership development: building the vital forces in organizations. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 12 (1), 99-102. Web.
Karakas, F. and Lee, M. D. (2004) A qualitative investigation into the meaning of family well-being from the perspective of part-time professionals. Equal Opportunities International, 23 (1), 57-77. Web.
Schulze, S. 2006. Factors influencing the job satisfaction of academics in higher education. SAJHE, 20 (2), 318-335. Web.