Introduction
Many organisations often strive to make sure their employees are satisfied with their jobs (Gregory, 2014). They do so because they know that job satisfaction influences organisational productivity (Shajahan, 2007). Relative to this assertion, Rast and Tourani (2012) say,
“Satisfied employees would produce superior performance in a short time, which leads to increase profits. When employees are satisfied with their work, they would be more creative and innovative and offer advances that allow companies to evolve positively over time with changes in market conditions” (p. 91).
According to Ghuman (2014), the failure to acknowledge the importance of job satisfaction has a negative impact on employee performance because research studies have shown that dissatisfied employees are often less committed to their work and are less likely to steer an organisation to achieve its goals.
Supporting this assertion, Gaspar, Bierman, Kolari, Hise and Smith (2005) found out that job satisfaction shares an indirect correlation with employee absenteeism, workplace accidents, and employee stress. Based on the negative effects that job dissatisfaction could have on organisational productivity, researchers have strived to investigate different factors that would influence job satisfaction. Their findings appear in the literature review below
Literature Review
Job satisfaction is a relatively common research topic in studies that investigate employee relations (Gaspar et al., 2005). Most of them have identified unique theories that apply to the issue. The disposition and the hygiene theories are common theoretical underpinnings of this research issue. However, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is another framework that has gained traction in this field of study. A discussion of these theories appears below
Disposition Theory
The disposition theory postulates that job satisfaction levels closely tie with employee personality (Ghuman, 2014). According to Rast and Tourani (2012), different personality types predispose employee groups to different levels of satisfaction. The satisfaction standards are often constant for a long time. Longitudinal studies in the US have affirmed this fact by showing that personality types could cause stable and constant job satisfaction levels of up to five years, regardless of changes in careers (Rast & Tourani, 2012).
Motivator-Hygiene Theory
The Motivator-Hygiene Theory uses different premises to investigate factors that affect job satisfaction. Unlike other organisational behaviour theories, it argues that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are not two ends of the same continuum (Ghuman, 2014). This assertion stems from studies, which have shown that the two concepts may be unrelated and sometimes separate (Shajahan, 2007).
Based on this understanding, the motivator-hygiene theory suggests that motivating factors, such as financial benefits, employee recognition programs and increased pay have a strong impact on job satisfaction (compared to employee personality and other inherent organisational factors) (Ghuman, 2014).
Similarly, the motivator-hygiene theory argues that hygiene factors, working conditions, job security and similar environmental factors have a strong impact on job satisfaction levels within an organisation (Rast & Tourani, 2012). Within this analogy, proponents of the concept say that an organisation that has poor hygiene factors is bound to suffer from low employee satisfaction levels (Shajahan, 2007).
However, the opposite is false because the researchers affirm that the presence of motivating factors does not necessarily imply employee satisfaction. Instead, it implies the lack of dissatisfaction and (or) the presence of neutrality towards employee satisfaction (Shajahan, 2007). This assertion accounts for the complexity of employee satisfaction factors and indices. For example, it may explain why employees may be satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time.
The motivation-hygiene theory supports the earlier assertion, which demonstrates that job dissatisfaction and job satisfaction are not two opposites of the same continuum, based on the premise that hygiene and motivational factors are different (independent). This theory is a product of the first attempts by researchers to distinguish between job satisfaction and dissatisfaction (Ghuman, 2014).
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Proponents of the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory name it after its founder, Abraham Maslow (Shajahan, 2007). It is among the first theories to explain the main contributors to job satisfaction. To do so, it identified five levels of human satisfaction – physiological needs, the need to feel safe, the need to belong, esteem factors, and self-actualisation factors (Shajahan, 2007). The theory postulates that most organisations should satisfy these needs in a hierarchical format, underlined by the following pyramid.
Figure 1: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Source: King, 2009).
According to the diagram above, hierarchy of needs theory postulates that simple needs (low-level needs), such as physiological needs, need to be satisfied first before satisfying needs that are more complex (King, 2009). Generally, Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs theory to explain the human motivation for working (Rast & Tourani, 2012).
Nonetheless, its tenets have been widely applied in the human resource field to explain job satisfaction. In the work setting, financial rewards and health care benefits are some motivations that would help an employee to satisfy their most basic needs (physiological needs). Safety needs in the workplace could manifest through job security and a safe working environment (especially for manual labourers).
After satisfying these needs, the proponents of the Maslow theory agree that most employees would feel a sense of belonging to the workplace (Rast & Tourani, 2012). Such a manifestation could emerge through nurturing employee relationships (with colleagues or supervisors) and a renewed sense of team ownership. The last stage of self-actualisation manifests when employees strive to maximise their potential by growing and learning (King, 2009).
For example, an employee may want to be a department head, or part of the management team, as a self-actualisation goal. Albeit all the levels in the hierarchy of needs may seem distinct, they contribute towards self-actualisation (King, 2009). Furthermore, they emphasise the need for organisations to meet basic needs first before moving to higher-level needs (Shajahan, 2007).
Summary
This literature review shows that many researchers have explored factors that affect employee job satisfaction. The hierarchy of needs theory, motivator hygiene theory and the dispositional theory are key frameworks highlighted in this paper. They offer a general understanding of the research issue.
However, they lack a contextual understanding of factors that affect job satisfaction. For example, they do not specifically explain factors that affect job satisfaction in specific industries (different industries have unique external and internal factors affecting employee productivity).
In this regard, there is a literature gap because the same factors that affect job satisfaction in the manufacturing industry are not likely to be the same factors that rank highly in influencing job satisfaction in a service-oriented industry, such as the airline industry.
Indeed, while researchers rarely contest the importance of job satisfaction to organisational performance and employee welfare, factors that influence job satisfaction vary (Rast & Tourani, 2012). Based on this fact, this paper proposes a research study to evaluate the factors that influence job satisfaction in Emirates Airline.
Formulation of Research Question
The proposed study would build on existing research by providing a contextual understanding of job satisfaction. It would use general organisational factors (established by other researchers) that affect job satisfaction and extrapolate them to the context of the study to find out how they measure up to the dynamics of the service sector (airline industry).
These organisational factors include working conditions, financial rewards and opportunities for advancement. They outline the premise for the formulation of research variables (independent variables). The dependent variable remains job satisfaction.
Research Aim
- To find out factors that affect job satisfaction at Emirates Airline
Research Questions
- To what extent do working conditions affect job satisfaction in Emirates Airline?
- To what extent does financial reward affect job satisfaction in Emirates Airline?
- To what extent do opportunities for career advancement affect job satisfaction in Emirates Airline?
Hypotheses
- Working conditions have a significant impact on job satisfaction in Emirates Airline
- Financial Rewards have a profound effect on job satisfaction in Emirates Airline.
- The opportunities for career advancement have a non-significant impact on job satisfaction in Emirates airline.
Methodology
This section of the research proposal outlines details concerning the methods that I will use in the proposed study. It contains details about the subjects, measurements, data collection techniques, data analysis techniques and the research design. The following subsections of this paper explain these issues
Research Design
The proposed study would be a mixed-method investigation of the factors affecting job satisfaction at Emirates airline. This research design is appropriate for the proposed study because it merges both qualitative and quantitative assessments of a research phenomenon (Hesse-Biber, 2010). The research issue has both attributes.
For example, job satisfaction is subject to human behaviour, which is a product of qualitative assessments of perceptions and feelings. The proposed study would also include aspects of the quantitative research design in the data collection and data analysis processes because of the use of measurable attributes for investigation.
Data Collection
Subjects
The sample population would comprise of 150 employees of Emirates Airline. This sample population is significant, relative to the population of employees who work for the airline. They would come from all departments of the airline and consist of both lower level and high-level workers.
Measures
The questionnaires would include a 7-point Likert scale for measuring the employees’ sentiments towards job satisfaction. The 7-point Likert scale would be appropriate to use in the proposed study because it gathers more accurate data compared to the 5-point Likert scale (Hesse-Biber, 2010). Furthermore, having 7-points of assessment would be enough to investigate the research phenomenon, without including too many response options that could confuse the respondents.
Data Collection Method
The proposed study would gather data using questionnaires. The researcher will administer them as a survey. Since Emirates Airline is large, the study would use a cross-section survey to make inferences about the entire employee population in the airline. Researchers recommend its use in large companies with large populations (Hesse-Biber, 2010). This support comes from the fact that it provides a snapshot of the entire population.
Data Analysis
The data analysis process of the proposed study would use descriptive statistics to describe the basic features of the data collected. As opposed to inferential statistics, the use of descriptive statistics would help the researcher to provide summaries about the sampled data and measures.
This analytical method would also simplify the large volumes of data collected from the employees. The study would also use the standard of deviation tool for the descriptive analysis. It would measure dispersion of the variables obtained. Stated differently, the statistical technique would help to identify the spread of values around the central tendency.
The justification for using the standard of deviation is its prowess in providing accurate and detailed estimates of dispersion (Gaurav, 2011). This need emerges from the fact that outliers could exaggerate ranges. The standard of deviation technique would identify the relationship of each measurable value to the mean.
Statistical Analysis
The proposed study would use the multiple regression technique to investigate the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The justification for using this statistical analysis tool is its ability to measure several independent variables and one variable at the same time (Gaurav, 2011).
The proposed study has only one dependent variable – job satisfaction. The independent variables are working conditions, financial rewards and opportunities for career advancement. The multiple regression analysis would help to identify which of these independent variables have a strong influence on job satisfaction. Its capability in this regard comes from its proficiency in identifying the best predictors of job satisfaction, despite the multiplicity of independent variables.
Discussion
According to Gregory (2014), a dissatisfied employee, or a worker who is not interested in his /her job, could appear to be hardworking during the first years, or months, of working. However, eventually, such employees would be bored with their work because of a lack of motivation. Thereafter, they could resign and look for “greener pastures,” or where they believe they would enjoy job security or financial security.
Organisations that often encounter such cases suffer from high employee turnover. Despite the academic contribution that the proposed paper would make in understanding factors that affect job satisfaction, the findings of the study would provide a contextual understanding of factors that affect job satisfaction in the airline industry. Job satisfaction is an important operational factor in service-oriented industries, such as the airline sector, because customer satisfaction and customer loyalty depend on employee input.
Dissatisfied employees are not likely to treat customers well and in this regard, they are bound to cause customer dissatisfaction (Gregory, 2014). By understanding the main factors that affect job satisfaction in the industry, airlines could take proactive actions to improve the welfare of their employees and benefit from customer loyalty, improved sales numbers and such like factors.
The findings of this study would also be useful to other airlines because Emirates has among the best performance records in the global aviation industry. Employee productivity is essential to its success and job satisfaction sits at the centre of the entire analogy (Shajahan, 2007).
Therefore, by understanding the factors that influence employee satisfaction in the Middle East carrier, other airlines would be a step closer to reaching higher levels of success that Emirates Airline enjoys. The findings of this study would also help to expand the body of knowledge surrounding job satisfaction in the airline sector. Stated differently, it would ease the understanding of specific employee-satisfaction factors that relate to the industry.
By using the findings of this paper, airline managers may identify possible areas to improve their organisational performance, increase customer satisfaction and improve profitability. Based on these contributions, employers (airlines) should focus on how they would satisfy their employees. The findings of this paper would provide them with a framework and direction to do so.
References
Gaspar, J., Bierman, L., Kolari, J., Hise, R., & Smith, L. (2005). Introduction to Business. London, UK: Cengage Learning.
Gaurav, K. (2011). Multiple Regression Analysis: Key to Social Science Research. London, UK: Grin Verlag.
Ghuman, A. (2014). Management: Concepts, Practice & Cases. London, UK: Tata Mcgraw-Hill Education.
Gregory, K. (2014). The Importance of Employee Satisfaction. Retrieved from https://www.neumann.edu/
Hesse-Biber, S. (2010). Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory with Practice. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
King, P. (2009). Climbing Maslow’s Pyramid. New York, NY: Troubador Publishing Ltd.
Rast, S., & Tourani, A. (2012). Evaluation of Employees’ Job Satisfaction and Role of Gender Difference: An Empirical Study at Airline Industry in Iran. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(7), 91-100.
Shajahan, S. (2007). Organisation Behaviour. New York, NY: New Age International.