According to the interview results, there were several factors influencing employees’ job satisfaction. In this section, the factors were raised and demonstrated separately by different position: front-line employee and supervisor/manager.
Front-line Employee
In this section, six factors affecting front-line employees’ job satisfaction were found according to every participant’s opinion. There are six factors make employees felt most satisfied with their job, including interpersonal relationship, work itself, learning and growth opportunities, working conditions, personal accomplishment and financial rewards and welfare showed as table 4.3.
Table 4.3.
The Factors Affecting Front-line Employees’ Job Satisfaction Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction
Interpersonal Relationship Work Itself Learning and Growth Opportunities Working Conditions
Personal Accomplishment Financial Rewards and Welfare
Interpersonal relationships.
For most participants, the relationship with co-workers and supervisors was a factor they felt satisfied with current job. They treated other employees like friend or family. Therefore, they felt satisfied with the job because they felt they have good relationship and interaction
with other employees in the workplace.
“Every employee helped and encouraged each other like we are family. We also solved problems together.” [Ca0606]
“I got along well with co-workers and supervisor. The interaction with my supervisor liked friend.” [Ea0606]
“The main reason I still worked here was that every employees in this company were
nice to me. There was no employee isolation happening here. Therefore, I liked this kind of feeling.” [Ha0606]
“I felt my employees like my family” [Ia0606]
Work itself.
Two participants satisfied that their work environment provide them with opportunity to interact with the customers. These two participants also enjoyed talking and interacting with people. Therefore, they were satisfied with the service work.
“I felt satisfied with the opportunity to contact with people.” [Ba0505]
“I like service work. When I worked here, I could concern the customer like I concern to
my family” [Ca0505]
Two participants mentioned that they enjoyed making food and brewing drinks in the workplace.
“I was satisfied that I could brew drinks and made desserts.” [Fa0505]
“I liked to make food and brew coffee.” [Ia0505]
Learning and growth opportunities.
Participants thought that the company provided them with learning and growth
opportunities. They felt that they could learn more in the workplace. Therefore, they were
satisfied with the job and hoped to stay in their current company.
“If you would like to learn anything, the supervisor would be very happy to help you to learn.” [Ea0505]
“I thought the system in our company was quite complete. Therefore, I thought I could learn a lot in this company by receiving training. [Fa0606]
“I hoped to learn more knowledge about coffee here. I would like to learn more in the
future.” [Ia0606]
Working conditions.
Working conditions was one of important factors determining employee’s job satisfaction (Roelen, Koopmans, & Groothoff ; 2008). Many participants satisfied with the job because of working conditions. Their work environment kept them enjoyed their work and felt comfort. The result of this study was consistent with the results of Roelen, Koopmans and Groothoff (2008).
“The work environment here was relaxing me” [Ba0606]
“I liked the environment here; I meant that I could contact customers directly. [Ha0606]
“Because this branch store was smaller than the other branch store, I could learn faster
here. …… I could learn different work station fast and efficiently.” [Ia0606]
Personal accomplishment.
Some participants felt self-affirmation during the work. One of them felt impressed when the customer give positive feedback to her. The other had a sense of achievement because of being a trainer.
“I was very impressed because the customers expressed their appreciation to me.”
[Ea0507]
“I would feel quite satisfied if I could teach a new employee and assisted him or her
being familiar with the work.” [Fa0505]
Financial rewards and welfare.
Two participants mentioned that financial rewards and welfare were important factors to them. They thought the company provided them with sufficient rewards and welfare.
“The company provided me with well welfare, such as year-end bonus and company trip.” [Ba0606]
“I felt that salary and welfare was pretty good, therefore, I still worked here. The main reason I stayed here was salary.” [Da0606]
Supervisor/ manager
Table 4.4 shows the eight factors affecting on supervisor/ managers’ job satisfaction, includes learning and growth opportunities, work itself, interpersonal relationship, satisfaction with supervisor’s leadership, personal accomplishment, job challenging, financial rewards and welfare and employee training system.
Table 4.4.
The Factors Affecting Supervisors/ Managers’ Job Satisfaction Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction
Learning and Growth Opportunities Work Itself
Interpersonal Relationship Satisfaction with Supervisor's Leadership
Personal Accomplishment Job Challenging
Financial Rewards and Welfare Employee Training System
Learning and growth opportunities.
“I was satisfied with the opportunity of learning how to brew coffee. [Db0505]
“Actually, I would like to learn from my supervisor. I thought I could learn a lot from him as his subordinate.” [Fb0606]
“For me, I liked to make foods. I could learn different things in this company.”
[Gb0606]
“I thought that there were many things that I had never learned so far, such as other
work content. Therefore, I would like to learn those work content.”[Gbb0606]
Work itself.
“This was my dream job. I liked this job and also enjoyed it.” [Cb0606]
“Actually, I liked to interact with customers. Some customers could become your friend and talked a lot to you.” [Eb0505]
“I was satisfied with the contact with customers. I also liked different interaction styles with customers.” [Fb0505]
“I felt most satisfied with first-line service.” “I thought I was satisfied with the
opportunity to interact with customers.” [Hb0505]
Interpersonal relationship.
“Our company liked a family, every employee concerned each other. I was satisfied with this and felt my leadership was successful.” [Fb0505]
“I felt that the interaction with employees much like interaction with family instead of
co-workers.” [Hb0606]
Satisfaction with supervisor’ leadership.
“My supervisor provided me opportunity to exert my ideas without limitation.”
[Bb0606]
“I was satisfied with that my supervisor provided you with huge freedom at work. He
never confined your working methods. In contrast, he would encourage you to learn something new and to enhance knowledge.” [Cb0505]
Personal accomplishment.
“I liked to chat with customers, and then we would receive some feedbacks and compliments from them. It was a huge accomplishment to me.” [Bb0505]
“I would feel very impressed if customers praised our service.” [Gbb0505]
Job challenging.
“Actually, I would like to try that how many things I could change in this company. I would like to confirm myself through job. [Bb0606]
“Sometimes, this company would change its operating model and kept me want to
challenge it. Because some different work contents would be announced every one and half years, I desired to challenge these new work contents.” [Gbb0606]
Financial rewards and welfare.
“Money was the reason why I still worked here. [Db0606]
“I kept on working here because of welfare. The welfare in this company was not worse
than the other companies. Actually, the welfare of food and beverage industry was almost the same level.” [Gb0606]
Employee training system.
“I felt the employee training system was very complete in this company. ……. Every
operation was standardized; we could easily know what I should do and how to do it. I thought this is the reason I stayed in this company. [Fb0606]
According to the interview results mentioned above, both of front-line employees and
supervisors/ managers were most concerned on interpersonal relationships/ learning and growth opportunities. Not only two factors mentioned above but salary and welfare, achievement and work itself were another three common factors between front-line employees and supervisors/ managers. In addition, supervisors/ managers were concerned on supervision and job challenging. The middle-level employees seemed more emphasized on their supervisor’s leadership and the challenging opportunities at work.
Maurya and Kaushik (2013) raised that there were nine factors of job satisfaction, For front-line employees, there were four factors consistent with the study of Maurya and Kaushik (2013), which were interpersonal relationship, learning and growth opportunities, working conditions and financial rewards and welfare. For supervisors/ managers, there were only three factors consistent with the study of Maurya and Kaushik (2013), which were learning and growth opportunities, interpersonal relationship and financial rewards and welfare. Choi and Sneed (2006) revealed that supervision quality and training were significantly related to job satisfaction. However, supervision had effect on employee’s job satisfaction. Training was not one of factors in affecting employee’s job satisfaction.
Many causes of job satisfaction raised by DuBrin (1992) were consistency with the results of this study, including mentally challenging work, contact with end user, scheduling of own work, meaningful rewards, helpful co-workers and superiors and more power and authority, work itself and good personal adjustment.