The degree of job satisfaction experienced by site-based construction professionals

The construction industry worldwide is having problems attracting and retaining skilled workers. This study analyses a series of factors affecting job satisfaction of site-based construction professionals employed in medium to large scale metropolitan construction firms in Melbourne, Australia. The industry survey carried out identified salary as the strongest determinant of job satisfaction. However, many respondents reported being dissatisfied with pay levels when compared to other industries and the number of work hours expected. The greatest causes of dissatisfaction were related to difficulties in maintaining a work-life balance. The indicator "Variety, interest and challenge" was the most frequently cited positive aspect of a career in construction. Given the shortage of skilled construction workers in Australia, it is important for companies to maximise the retention of site-based construction professionals and ensure that key job satisfaction indicators are met.

Wellbeing, job satisfaction and commitment among Australian community health workers: the relationship with working conditions

The Australian community health sector has undergone extensive organisational reform in recent times, and, in the push to enhance efficiencies and contain costs, there are indications that these changes may have undermined the wellbeing of community health personnel and their ability to provide high quality illness-prevention services. The aim of this study was to examine the working environments experienced by community health service employees and identify conditions that are predictive of employee stress. The study was guided by a tailored version of the demand-control-support model, whereby the generic components of the model had been augmented by more situation-specific stressors. The results of multiple regression analyses indicated that job control, and, to a lesser extent, social support, were closely associated with the outcome variables (psychological health, job satisfaction and organisational commitment). The more situation-specific stressors also accounted for significant proportions of explained variance. Overall, the results suggest that working conditions, particularly job control, social support and specific job stressors, offer valuable opportunities for protecting and enhancingthe wellbeing of community health service personnel.

Management communication strategies determine job satisfaction in telecommuting

The aim of this article is to examine the relationships between several management communication strategies and the job satisfaction of telecommuters. A review of the literature revealed that several management communication strategies directly influence job satisfaction of telecommuters. However, this claim has not been objectively tested on Australian telecommuters. Hence, a sample of 43 telecommuters, mostly from IBM Australia, were surveyed and the results analysed using Pearson’s product-moment correlation. Eleven aspects of the strategies were found to have significant influence on the job satisfaction of telecommuters: communicating job responsibilities; goals and objectives; deadlines and job expectations; communicating freely and regularly; providing appropriate equipment; training and career development; and reviewing work and salary regularly. This article concludes that cultural, economic and social contexts may have a distinct part to play in the impact of management communication strategies on the job satisfaction of telecommuters.

Job satisfaction among financial planners in Australia

Purpose - Job satisfaction has been the subject of a considerable body of research. In this study, the authors examine job satisfaction among financial planners in Australia, a relatively new profession which has been the subject of very little research.

Method/Approach - A national survey of financial planners was conducted, using a sample of convenience drawn from websites of two large organisations in the financial and insurance industry employing, or having agency agreements with, financial planners. A job satisfaction questionnaire designed for Australian conditions was used.

Findings - Based on a literature review, hypotheses were examined regarding the relationship between job satisfaction and age, job tenure, gender and type of employing organisation, and between job satisfaction and motivation. Results of this survey indicated little correlation between job satisfaction and age, gender, tenure or type of employing organisation. On the other hand, a positive relationship between job satisfaction and motivation was evident.

Practical implications – Respondents comments helped elucidate reasons for financial planner’s job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Observations provided indicators that may help management nurture a positive job response among employees.

Value of this paper – Practically, this paper contributes to an underdeveloped area of research. It highlights scope for future research in two particular fields. Firstly, in-depth case studies to explore more thoroughly issues of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Secondly, with access to a larger number of employed financial planners a comparative study between those and self-employed financial planners on the subject of job satisfaction may enlighten managers and the profession generally.

Gender differences in organizational justice predicting the key employee outcomes of organizational commitment, job satisfaction and turnover intention

All four types of organizational justice – distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational – were included in this study of gender differences. Both male and female respondents perceived the distributive-procedural justice and interpersonal-informational justice pairings similarly and weakly. Females consistently discriminated more clearly across the pairings, however. The effect of the four justices was also found to be gender-dependent. Males’ perception of distributive justice directly predicted their turnover intentions and commitment to the organization, while females’ perception of distributive justice predicted only job satisfaction. Males’ perceptions of procedural and information justice both predicted job satisfaction. Females’ informational justice perceptions predicted job satisfaction and commitment to the organization. The paper contributes to the literature by presenting results from all four justice types and the simultaneous use of the three outcomes of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intention to quit. Overall, the males had a diffuse set of relationships between the justice types and the outcomes, whereas the relationships between the justice types and
the outcomes for females tended more to follow a limited number of pathways. The study was validated with data collected on two separate occasions.