Job Satisfaction - Articles Review Paper Sample

1. Why did you select the articles?

I chose the articles because they present relevant topics in our organizational environment today. The articles are well written, straightforward and convincing with an essential message for organizations to consider the aspect of rewarding employees to ensure they are satisfied with their jobs. Today, the world reports that most employees are less satisfied with their jobs because they are neither motivated by reward systems such as better pay. Employers fail to realize that pay is a significant source of income for most employees and when employees are less satisfied with their jobs, their work performance and efforts will also reduce. The articles also offer significant and relevant information on how reward structures such as an increase in pay and other reward systems lead to employee commitment, performance, and organizational success. Therefore, the articles provide divided opinions and help us to understand the influence of pay satisfaction on employee job performance and turnover.

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2. What are the reasons for the research?

The primary reason for the research is to understand the impacts that pay satisfaction has on employee psychological condition on performance, commitment, and employee turnover or withdrawal. The authors look at different opinions such as pay raise, pay level, benefits and pay structure as part of organization fairness that influences employee efforts and commitment to their jobs. The articles also look at particular benefits such as salary, benefits, financial resources, interest in their work and availability of funding as the most critical variables that influence job engagement. These variables were considered because employees job engagement is based on the aid and support they receive. For employees to be healthy, employers should creatively expand and maintain their employees through benefits and rewards. Thus, the studies from the two articles are relevant because they present strategic policies to ensure, the employee is more engaged in their job while at the same time reduce employee turnover and withdrawal.

3. Concepts that are discussed and how do these relate to your weekly class topic? (the topic is: Employee Motivation and Leadership Inspiration, "Needs Theories of Motivation")

The concepts discussed in the articles related to our weekly topics such as employee motivation and leadership inspiration and needs a theory of motivation.

Employee Motivation

Employee motivation is a psychological need that drives or activate behavior, which is aimed at a specific incentive or goal. Motivation can arouse, energize, direct and sustain employee performance. Therefore, motivation stimulates employees actions through a commitment to achieve the desired tasks. Organizations need to motivate employees to humanize work that would make employees more satisfied. Motivation generates employee commitment to act towards organizational goals and the commitment to stay with the company. Therefore, managers should motivate employees to drive performance.

Leadership Inspiration

Leadership inspiration is positively linked with better employee working conditions. Managers reinforce ethical values and high morale to impart a sense of vision to the subordinates. The inspirational influences are motivators which energize employees through empowerment, responsibility, and ownership. Leadership inspiration also leads to transformational leadership that can meet the needs of employees. When managers enhance the personal development of employees through naturing, mentoring, and advising it leads to an environment that creates a climate of belongingness and autonomy. Therefore, effective leadership and positive aspirations lead to high levels of satisfaction.

Needs theory of motivation

Needs theories determine the internal factors, which influence one's behavior. Needs are physiological or psychological insufficiencies, which leads to behavioral responses. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory helps to explain how the internal pressure can affect one's behavior. The theory states that motivation is an attempt by an individual to fulfill the following needs: self-actualization needs, esteem needs, social needs, safety needs and psychological needs.

The hierarchical order of the needs shows that the lower-level needs should be met first before higher-level needs. Once needs are satisfied, they no longer become motivators, and actions can only be taken to fulfill other needs that have not been met.

4. Do you agree/disagree with the author's hypotheses?

I agree with the author's hypothesis that pay satisfaction has a positive and significant impact on job engagement. Benefits are the primary variable that influences job engagement. This occurs because, the more aid or support and employee received, the more satisfied an employee would become and experience positive emotions on job engagement. I also agree with the author's hypothesis that when employees are less satisfied with pay, they are more likely to leave the job. The pay structure is an important variable, which can lead to job withdrawal. When employee consider that the pay is fair, their satisfaction level increases and vice versa. Therefore, to ensure employees are satisfied, the pay structure must be fair and transparent.

5. Any assumptions within the articles?

The primary assumption is that employee level of satisfaction is linked to withdrawal or turnover. There are other complexities such as job expectations, and the components of the working environment that can cause employee withdrawal or turnover.

6. Conclusions

The articles present relevant to the level of satisfaction among employees through reward systems such as better pay. They also offer significant and relevant information on how reward structures such as an increase in pay and other reward systems lead to employee commitment, performance, and organizational success. The authors look at different opinions such as pay raise, pay level, benefits and pay structure as part of organization fairness that influences employee efforts and commitment to their jobs. Therefore, the articles provide divided opinions and help us to understand the influence of pay satisfaction on employee job performance and turnover.

7. One direct quotation from each article.

Article 1: "Nearly half of respondents across all participating nations say that the availability of funding is cutting into their job satisfaction. That was the biggest negative indicator of job satisfaction in the survey; more than salary, interest in their work and level of guidance (Smaglik, Kaplan, Kelly, & Penny, 2014).

Article 2: "Employees' pay satisfaction had a significant and positive effect on job engagement (except pay raise) (Jung & Yoon, 2015)."

References

Jung, H. S., & Yoon, H. H. (2015). Understanding pay satisfaction: The impacts of pay satisfaction on employees' job engagement and withdrawal in a deluxe hotel. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 48, 22-26. doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.04.004

Smaglik, P., Kaplan, K., Kelly, S., & Penny, D. (2014). Job satisfaction: Divided opinions. Nature, 513(7517), 267-269. doi:10.1038/nj7517-267a