Job satisfaction (JS) undoubtedly impacts significantly on the productive capacity and general well-being of academic staff within universities. Poor JS affects not only individual performance but also broader institutional goals and may culminate in a decline in staff morale, disloyalty, constant labor migration and unending industrial actions by labor unions within the university. Enhancing job satisfaction can improve staff’s quality of service, staff retention, productivity, and the overall academic quality of the institutions. This study reviews factors associated with job satisfaction among academic staff in universities, and how these factors independently contribute to overall job satisfaction. This study draws on expert opinions and experiential knowledge, underpinned by an extensive review of scholarly literature, peer evaluations, and document analysis in the field of advanced career development. These methodologies were employed to deeply understand the key factors influencing job satisfaction within academic settings. By synthesizing insights and ideas from seasoned academic literature with empirical data, the aim to construct comprehensive thoughts and ideas for the identifications of the key factors and enhancing knowledge on job satisfaction at all levels beyond the university environment, thereby fostering better organizational outcomes was construed. Therefore, this paper in its quests to underpin knowledge recommends that Institutions of higher learning should ensure quality leadership and effective management practices aimed at addressing key factors for job satisfaction among university staff and create an equitable platform for all university staff irrespective of cadre and race. This paper lays out knowledge of the key factors that predict job satisfaction among university staff. Also setting the basis for further research.
References
[1]
Aazami, S., Shamsuddin, K., Akmal, S., & Azami, G. (2015). The Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Psychological/Physical Health among Malaysian Working Women. Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 22, 40-46.
[2]
Abraham, S. (2012). Job Satisfaction as an Antecedent to Employee Engagement. SIES Journal of Management, 8, 27-36.
[3]
Aksoy, C. G., Barrero, J. M., Bloom, N., Davis, S. J., Dolls, M., & Zarate, P. (2022). Working from Home around the World. National Bureau of Economic Research.
[4]
Alabi, B., & Šarkiūnaitė, I. (2022). The Impact of Workplace Environment on Expatriates’ Adaptation to New Workplace. In 16th Proceedings of Vladas Gronskas International Scientific ConferenceKaunas (pp. 5-13). Vilnius University Kaunas Faculty. https://doi.org/10.15388/isc.2022.1
[5]
Ali, A. D., Narine, L. K., Hill, P. A., & Bria, D. C. (2023). Factors Affecting Remote Workers’ Job Satisfaction in Utah: An Exploratory Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, Article 5736. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095736
[6]
Alonderiene, R., & Majauskaite, M. (2016). Leadership Style and Job Satisfaction in Higher Education Institutions. International Journal of Educational Management, 30, 140-164. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijem-08-2014-0106
[7]
Alspach, G. (2009). Craft Your Own Healthy Work Environment: Got Your BFF? Critical Care Nurse, 29, 12-21. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2009931
[8]
Arulkumar, S. (2015). A Study on Work Life Balance among University Employees. International Journal of Management and Social Science Research Review, 1, 49-54.
[9]
Biney, P. A., & Cheng, M. (2021). International Students’ Decision to Study in China: A Study of Some Selected International Students from Universities in China. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 9, 305-325. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2021.98021
[10]
Bozeman, B., & Gaughan, M. (2011). Job Satisfaction among University Faculty: Individual, Work, and Institutional Determinants. The Journal of Higher Education, 82, 154-186. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2011.0011
[11]
Brady, M. (2010). Healthy Nursing Academic Work Environments. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 15. https://doi.org/10.3912/ojin.vol15no01man06
[12]
Breevaart, K., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Derks, D. (2015). Who Takes the Lead? A Multi-Source Diary Study on Leadership, Work Engagement, and Job Performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 37, 309-325. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2041
[13]
Cao, X., Zhang, H., Li, P., & Huang, X. (2022). The Influence of Mental Health on Job Satisfaction: Mediating Effect of Psychological Capital and Social Capital. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, Article 797274. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.797274
[14]
Carboni-Jiménez, A., Vaillancourt, M., Zhu, P., & Seon, Q. (2022). Social Media and Mental Health: What We Know. McGill Journal of Medicine, 20. https://doi.org/10.26443/mjm.v20i2.852
[15]
Caringal-Go, J. F., Teng-Calleja, M., Bertulfo, D. J., & Manaois, J. O. (2021). Work-Life Balance Crafting during COVID-19: Exploring Strategies of Telecommuting Employees in the Philippines. Community, Work & Family, 25, 112-131. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2021.1956880
[16]
Chen, C. Y. (2023). Are Professors Satisfied with Their Jobs? The Factors That Influence Professors’ Job Satisfaction. SAGE Open, 13. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231181515
[17]
Chukwusa, J. (2019). Perceived Democratic Leadership Style of University Librarians and Library Staff Work Attitude. Library Philosophy and Practice.
[18]
Coolidge, H. J. (1932). ArchibaldCaryCoolidge. Houghton Mifflin.
[19]
Costa, R. L. D., Gonçalves, R., Feixeira, C., Dias, Á., & Pereira, L. (2020). The Work-Life Balance and Job Satisfaction. International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 43. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijsom.2020.10036724
[20]
Ćulibrk, J., Delić, M., Mitrović, S., & Ćulibrk, D. (2018). Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment and Job Involvement: The Mediating Role of Job Involvement. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 132. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00132
[21]
Dey, M., Frazis, H., Loewenstein, M., & Sun, H. (2020). Ability to Work from Home: Evidence from Two Surveys and Implications for the Labor Market in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Monthly Labor Review.
[22]
Di Fabio, A. (2017). The Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development for Well-Being in Organizations. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 1534. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01534
[23]
Ding, Y. Q., & Niu, X. Y. (2020). Impact of Organization Information Providing Behavior on Employees’ Mental Health: The Chain Mediation Effect of Cognitive and Affective Job Insecurity. Commercial Research, 62, 82.
[24]
Dmour, H., Al Hasan, R., Thneibat, M., Masa’deh, R. E., Alkhadra, W., Aldmour, R., & Alalwan, A. (2023). Integrated Model for the Factors Determining the Academic’s Remote Working Productivity and Engagement: Empirical Study. SAGE Open, 13. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231194393
[25]
Don, Y., & Raman, A. (2019). School Management and Leadership: Teamwork in Schools. Multidisciplinary Journal of Instruction, 1, 14-36. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340479493_SCHOOL_MANAGEMENT_AND_LEADERSHIP_TEAMWORK_IN_SCHOOLS
[26]
Franco, L. S., Picinin, C. T., Pilatti, L. A., & Franco, A. C. (2021). Work-Life Balance in Higher Education: A Systematic Review of the Impact on the Well-Being of Teachers. Ensaio: Avaliação e Políticas Públicas em Educação, 29, 691-717. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0104-403620210002903021
[27]
Garfin, D. R. (2020). Technology as a Coping Tool during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic: Implications and Recommendations. Stress and Health, 36, 555-559. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2975
[28]
Garmendia, P., Fernández-Salinero, S., Holgueras González, A. I., & Topa, G. (2023). Social Support and Its Impact on Job Satisfaction and Emotional Exhaustion. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 13, 2827-2840. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13120195
[29]
Giroux, C. R. (1960) The Motivation to Work, by F. Herzberg, B. Mausner and B.-C. Snyderman, John Wiley & Sons, New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1959. Relations Industrielles, 15, 275-276. https://doi.org/10.7202/1022040ar
[30]
Goldberg, P. (1972). The Detection of Psychiatric Illness by Questionnaire. Oxford University Press.
[31]
Gu, Z. J., Chupradit, S., Ku, K. Y., Nassani, A. A., & Haffar, M. (2022). Impact of Employees’ Workplace Environment on Employees’ Performance: A Multi-Mediation Model. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, Article 890400. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.890400
[32]
Han, Z., Wang, D., Jiang, C., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Enhancing Employee Job Satisfaction Responding to COVID-19: The Role of Organizational Adaptive Practices and Psychological Resilience. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 16, 4555-4567. https://doi.org/10.2147/prbm.s432982
[33]
Harris, A. (2000). Book Reviews: What’s New in School Improvement?: Law, S and Glover, D. (2000) Educational Leadership and Learning, Buckingham, Open University Press. £14.99 Earley, P. Fidler B. and Ouston, J. Improving Schools and Inspection: The Self-Inspecting School, Paul Chapman. £13.99 Coleman, M. and Anderson, L. (2000) Managing Finance and Resources in Education, London, Paul Chapman. £14.99. Improving Schools, 3, 56-57.
[34]
Harris, D. L., Lloyd, J. W., & Marrinan, M. J. (2004). Hospital Management Principles Applicable to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 31, 273-280. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.31.3.273
[35]
Hee, O. C., Shi, C. H., Kowang, T. O., Fei, G. C., & Ping, L. L. (2020). Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction among Academic Staffs. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 9, 285-291.
[36]
Kacane, I., Fedorova, A., Koropets, O., & Bartoli, E. (2019). Work Environment and Job. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 9,285-291.
[37]
Kalim, U., Tran, P. Q. B., Bibi, S., & Khamphouvong, L. (2022). Impact of Academic and Non-Academic Service Quality on International Students Satisfaction in Chinese Universities. Journal of Education and Learning, 11, 86-95. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v11n6p86
[38]
Kirchmeyer, C. (2000). Work-Life Initiatives: Greed or Benevolence Regarding Workers Time. In C. L. Cooper, & D. M. Rousseau (Eds.), Trends in Organizational Behavior (Vol. 7, pp. 79-93). John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
[39]
Kniffin, K. M., Narayanan, J., Anseel, F., Antonakis, J., Ashford, S. P., Bakker, A. B. et al. (2021). COVID-19 and the Workplace: Implications, Issues, and Insights for Future Research and Action. American Psychologist, 76, 63-77. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000716
[40]
Kosec, Z., Sekulic, S., Wilson-Gahan, S., Rostohar, K., Tusak, M., & Bon, M. (2022). Correlation between Employee Performance, Well-Being, Job Satisfaction, and Life Satisfaction in Sedentary Jobs in Slovenian Enterprises. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, Article 10427. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610427
[41]
Lane, K. A., Esser, J., Holte, B., & McCusker, M. A. (2010). A Study of Nurse Faculty Job Satisfaction in Community Colleges in Florida. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 5, 16-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2009.05.001
[42]
Long, R., Kennedy, M., Malloy Spink, K., & Lengua, L. J. (2021). Evaluation of the Implementation of a Well-Being Promotion Program for College Students. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, Article 610931. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.610931
[43]
Lonska, J., Mietule, I., Litavniece, L., Arbidane, I., Vanadzins, I., Matisane, L. et al. (2021). Work-Life Balance of the Employed Population during the Emergency Situation of COVID-19 in Latvia. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 682459. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682459
[44]
Meeks, K., Peak, A. S., & Dreihaus, A. (2021). Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among Students, Faculty, and Staff. Journal of American College Health, 71, 348-354. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1891913
[45]
Memon, A. H., Khahro, S. H., Memon, N. A., Memon, Z. A., & Mustafa, A. (2023). Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Employee Performance in the Construction Industry of Pakistan. Sustainability, 15, Article 8699. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118699
[46]
Mythili Devi, P., & Alban Nishanth Lalu, G. F. (2023). Stress and Work-Life Balance of School Teachers: A Social Work Intervention. Journal of Social Work Education and Practice, 3, 57-61. https://jswep.in/index.php/jswep/article/view/55
[47]
Newman, S. A., & Ford, R. C. (2021). Five Steps to Leading Your Team in the Virtual COVID-19 Workplace. Organizational Dynamics, 50, Article 100802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2020.100802
[48]
Norsuhaily Abu Bakar, N. A. R. ( 2019). Factors and Job Satisfaction Dimension among Academic Staffs of Public Universities. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, 8, 427-430.
[49]
Poulsen, S., & Ipsen, C. (2017). In Times of Change: How Distance Managers Can Ensure Employees’ Wellbeing and Organizational Performance. Safety Science, 100, 37-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2017.05.002
[50]
Pucciarelli, F., & Kaplan, A. (2016). Competition and Strategy in Higher Education: Managing Complexity and Uncertainty. Business Horizons, 59, 311-320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2016.01.003
[51]
Rawat, S., & Meena, S. (2014). Publish or Perish: Where Are We Heading? Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 19, 87-89.
[52]
Raziq, A., & Maulabakhsh, R. (2015). Impact of Working Environment on Job Satisfaction. Procedia Economics and Finance, 23, 717-725. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(15)00524-9
[53]
Reiter, N. (2007). Work Life Balance: What Do You Mean? The Ethical Ideology Underpinning Appropriate Application. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 43, 273-294. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886306295639
[54]
Ross, P. M., Scanes, E., & Locke, W. (2023). Stress Adaptation and Resilience of Academics in Higher Education. Asia Pacific Education Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-023-09829-1
[55]
Saba, I. (2011). Measuring the Job Satisfaction Level of the Academic Staff in Bahawalpur Colleges. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 1, 12-19.
[56]
Senin, A., Shaukat, M. Z., Ahmed, I., Shah, I., & Mahfar, M. (2014). Job Satisfactions of Academics in Malaysian Public Universities. Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 114, 154-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.12.676
[57]
Susanto, P., Hoque, M. E., Jannat, T., Emely, B., Zona, M. A., & Islam, M. A. (2022). Work-life Balance, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance of Smes Employees: The Moderating Role of Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 906876. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.906876
[58]
Tavárez de Henríquez, J. C., & Domínguez Valerio, C. M. (2023). Satisfaction with the Work Done in University Employees: A Study from a Developing Country. Administrative Sciences, 13, Article 221. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13100221
[59]
Umaru, R. I., & Ombugus, D. A. (2017). Determinants of Job Satisfaction of Colleges of Education Lecturers: A Study of Nasarawa State College of Education, Akwanga. Asian Business Research Journal, 2, 8-13. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.518.2017.21.8.13
[60]
van Dalen, H. P., & Henkens, K. (2012). Intended and Unintended Consequences of a Publish-or-Perish Culture: A Worldwide Survey. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63, 1282-1293. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22636
[61]
Wang, M., & Degol, J. (2014). Staying Engaged: Knowledge and Research Needs in Student Engagement. Child Development Perspectives, 8, 137-143. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12073
[62]
Wang, X., Li, C., Chen, Y., Zheng, C., Zhang, F., Huang, Y. et al. (2022). Relationships between Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, Burnout and Job Performance of Healthcare Professionals in a District-Level Health Care System of Shenzhen, China. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 992258. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992258
[63]
Winefield, A. H., Gillespie, N., Stough, C., Dua, J., Hapuarachchi, J., & Boyd, C. (2003). Occupational Stress in Australian University Staff: Results from a National Survey. International Journal of Stress Management, 10, 51-63. https://doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.10.1.51
[64]
Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R. (2000). Psychological Well-Being and Job Satisfaction as Predictors of Job Performance. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5, 84-94. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.5.1.84
[65]
Xu, C., Guo, L., Wang, K., Yang, T., Feng, Y., Wang, H. et al. (2023). Current Challenges of University Laboratory: Characteristics of Human Factors and Safety Management System Deficiencies Based on Accident Statistics. Journal of Safety Research, 86, 318-335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2023.07.010
[66]
Yielder, J., & Codling, A. (2004). Management and Leadership in the Contemporary University. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 26, 315-328. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080042000290177
[67]
Zhang, S. X., Liu, J., Afshar Jahanshahi, A., Nawaser, K., Yousefi, A., Li, J. et al. (2021). Corrigendum to “at the Height of the Storm: Healthcare Staff’s Health Conditions and Job Satisfaction and Their Associated Predictors during the Epidemic Peak of COVID-19” [Brain Behav. Immun. 87 (2020) 144-146]. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 92, 243-244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.11.021
