Editing Job satisfaction (section)

{{Short description|Attitude of a person towards work}}
[[File:Post office works to keep customers happy DVIDS107587.jpg|thumb|right|A post office worker appears to be happy as she pushes a mail cart.]]
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'''Job satisfaction''', '''employee satisfaction''' or '''work satisfaction''' is a measure of workers' contentment with their job, whether they like the job or individual aspects or facets of jobs, such as nature of work or supervision.<ref name="Spector 1997">{{cite book|last=Spector|first=P.E.|title=Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes and consequences|year=1997|publisher=SAGE|location=Thousand Oaks, CA}}</ref> Job satisfaction can be measured in cognitive (evaluative), affective (or emotional), and behavioral components.<ref name="Hulin, C. L. 2003 pp. 255-276">Hulin, C. L., & Judge, T. A. (2003). Job attitUdes. In W. C. Borman, D. R. ligen, & R. J. Klimoski (Eds.), Handbook of psychology: Industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 255-276). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.</ref> Researchers have also noted that job satisfaction measures vary in the extent to which they measure feelings about the job (affective job satisfaction).<ref name="Thompson">{{cite journal|last1=Thompson|first1=E.R.|author2=Phua F.T.T.|title=A Brief Index of Affective Job Satisfaction|journal=Group & Organization Management|year=2012|volume=37|issue=3|pages=275–307 |doi=10.1177/1059601111434201 |s2cid=145122368}}</ref> or cognitions about the job (cognitive job satisfaction).<ref name="Moorman">{{cite journal|last=Moorman|first=R.H.|title=The influence of cognitive and affective based job satisfaction measures on the relationship between satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior|journal=Human Relations|year=1993|volume=46|issue=6|pages=759–776|doi=10.1177/001872679304600604|s2cid=146393339}}</ref>

One of the most widely used definitions in organizational research is that of [[Edwin Locke|Edwin A. Locke]] (1976), who defines job satisfaction as "a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job or job experiences" (p.&nbsp;1304).<ref>Locke, E.A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M.D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp.1297-1349). Chicago: Rand McNally.</ref> Others have defined it as simply how content an individual is with their job; whether they like the job.<ref>{{cite book|title=Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes and consequences|last=Spector|first=P.E.|publisher=SAGE|year=1997|location=Thousand Oaks, CA}}</ref>

It is assessed at both the global level (whether the individual is satisfied with the job overall), or at the facet level (whether the individual is satisfied with different aspects of the job).<ref name="Spector 1997"/> Spector (1997)<ref name="Spector 1997"/> lists 14 common facets: appreciation, communication, coworkers, fringe benefits, Job conditions, nature of the work, organization, personal growth, policies and procedures, promotion opportunities, recognition, security, and supervision.