The Hawthorne research, carried out in the 1930s brought up the issue of the relationship between a happy employee and the level of productivity, which pioneered other studies on the topic of job satisfaction and employee performance. It shows that businesses which provide their employees with a comfortable work environment have more productive workers thus highlighting the importance of looking into factors which cause employee dissatisfaction and resolving them.
Low Salary and Wages
Monetary motivation in terms of salary and wages proves a useful motivator for the performance of employees. According to the research conducted by Accenture, a globally recognized company, 47 and 44 percent of women and men respectively felt dissatisfaction for their jobs because their employers offered them low salaries. An Employee who feels his work performance does not correspond with his payment is more likely to lose his or her morale. The low morale results in poor performance.
Work Relationships
The work relationships employees foster in a workplace have an effect on the level of job satisfaction and the quality of work performed. This includes the relationship between the managers and the employees, for example, the level of fairness managers offer the different employees and the standards of supervision. In addition, the relationship between co-workers is important for example, an employee who suffers from bullying in the workplace has less chance of gaining satisfaction with his job which may negatively affect his quality of productivity.
Job Stress
The stress that an employee undergoes at work can negatively affect his performance and lead to dissatisfaction with his job. This stress may present itself when the demands of the job do not correspond with the skills of the employee or the resources which he or she has in the job thus leading to feelings of incompetence and lack of satisfaction with their work. Job stress is harmful to an employee’s health and can lead to fatigue, loss of appetite and depression, disrupting his or her work schedule. Although challenge in a workplace is important for molding of work talent excessive stress is harmful to the productivity of the business.
Inadequate Opportunities
Employees who feel their work does not offer them opportunities for growth or advancement in their careers are likely to become dissatisfied with their work and deliver poor quality work. This is because the interest the employee derives from his or her job increases when they have better opportunities to look forward to. The business should have in place a program to advance the careers of their employees such as promotions.
Lack of Appreciation
Employees who feel their employer appreciates and respect their work derive more satisfaction from their jobs and as a result, boost their work productivity. Employers who do not respect the work done by their workers de-motivate them which may result in reduced productivity of workers. Respect in the workplace gives employees the morale to work even harder to maintain their ratings.
