There are many factors which influence the performance of the employees such as the working condition, the salary, the job tasks, the relationships between employees and managers including levels of their communication between them etc. (Hoppock, 1935; Greenberg & Baron, 1983) Bellow is a list of the factors I have taken into consideration while constructing the Job Satisfaction Questionnaire.

1. Pay

Findings from several studies underline pay as one of the most important factors influencing one's level of job satisfaction.In a study conducted by Lawler (1971), pay has been identified as a determinant factor as most employees rated it as the most influential factor related to job satisfaction.Furthermore, according to Herzberg (1959), employees who are dissatisfied with their pay, is likely that they are also dissatisfied with their work.

2. Job Security 

Job security has attracted a great deal of research interest in recent years. The importance of job security comes from the fact that it is vital for influencing work-related outcomes.
Job security appears to be an important determinant of employee health (Kuhnert et al., 1989); for employee turnover (Arnold and Feldman, 1982); for job satisfaction and for organizational commitment (Ashford et al., 1989).
Ashford et al., (1989) examined the impact of job insecurity on organisational commitment and job satisfaction and found that job insecurity is leads to reduced satisfaction and commitment. There is also evidence were job insecurity reduces job performance (Rosow & Zager, 1985).

3. Social Simulation

Work and social simulation is another determinant factor of job satisfaction.

Employees prefer positions were they are active rather than bound to a working routine that is likely produce feelings of boredom.

Employees who perceive their job as a way of making a career out of it rather than seeing it as a temporary position, are more likely to prefer challenges in their working tasks and seek further developmental opportunities in their working role (Greenberg & Baron, 1983).

4. Demographic Factors

Studies have shown that age, race and gender have important effects on job satisfaction.

In a study conducted by Kalleberg and Loscocco, (1983) older workers were more satisfied than younger workers and minority groups of different ethnicity were less satisfied than the rest of the workers (Amy S. Wharton, Thomas Rotolo, and Sharon R. Bird ,2000).

However, the effects of gender on job satisfaction vary with the level at which an individual works.

A study by H. Jack Shapiro and Louis W. Stern found that professional women such as clinical psychologists, social workers, and medical workers experienced lower levels of job satisfaction than their male counterparts (Shapiro & Stern, 1998). Among non professionals the reverse was true.

In a consequent study, job satisfaction was examined across graduates five years after they had graduated from university and the results show that at higher occupational levels men expressed more satisfaction than women in terms of pay and opportunities for advancement (Philip E. Varca, Garnett S. Shaffer, Cynthia D. McCauley, 1983).

In addition, Charlotte Chiu (1998), found that female lawyers had significantly lower job satisfaction than male lawyers, and that the reason for the difference was that women feel they have fewer opportunities for promotion than men.

The present questionnaire adds another demographic factor such as the type of job in order to make vertical and horizontal comparisons between and within types of jobs and departments.

5. Opportunity For Promotion 

Employee perceptions about opportunity for promotion are also another determinant that influences job satisfaction.

One survey found that a perceived lack of promotion opportunities was the strongest reason why federal employees left government service (U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board 1987).

6. Recognition & Appreciation 

In a study that was carried out in 23 Romanian organisations, recognition and appreciation were found to be motivating factors responsible for increased effectiveness of employees at work and their high levels of job satisfaction (Farhad Analoui, 1999).

7. Interpersonal Relationships


Several studies take a social approach to job satisfaction, examining the influence of supervision, management, and co-worker social support.

An individual's level of job satisfaction might be a function of personal characteristics and the characteristics of the groups to which she or he belongs to. The social context of work is likely to have a significant impact on a worker's attitude and behaviour Relationships with both co workers and supervisors are important.

Some studies have shown that the better the relationship, between fellow workers and between workers and their immediate boss, the greater the level of job satisfaction (Arne L. Kalleberg and Loscocco, 1983).

8. Opportunity To Use One's Abilities

Internal rewards involve job characteristics, or the nature of the task that an employee performs.

Employees generally need and like jobs that make use of their abilities. (National Commission on the State and Local Public Service, 1993)

9. Working Hours & Physical Conditions

Two elements related to job satisfaction are the working hours and the physical conditions under which workers spend their working days.

According to Siegel and Lane (1974), the level of importance to some factors is strongly related to job type.

10. Adequate Authority & Sense of Control

Another important component of job satisfaction is the worker's attitude toward the job. The intrinsic rewards of a job, such as a sense of control over one's work and a feeling of accomplishment are important determinants of job satisfaction. Employees are more satisfied when they have adequate freedom and authority to do their jobs and to choose their own method of working. When workers have various autonomous tasks in their jobs, they tend to have more of a sense of control. Previous studies have shown that job satisfaction is negatively related to the performance of routine tasks, and also that job satisfaction is positively related to the performance of more complex and autonomous tasks (Gary Blau, 1999).


11. Equal Opportunities Working Environment

Other factors that affect one's levels of job satisfaction appear to be related to ethical issues and individual differences. Workers prefer an equal opportunities environment where they will be respected in terms of their race, religion, gender, educational background, physical disability etc.

An environment as such encourages workers to feel equal among them and contributes to job satisfaction (Finchham & Rhodes, 1994)

Minimizing the hassles of timetable conflicts is a major concern addressed by bringing many services together at the SAS work site. The sprawling 300-acre North Carolina campus has two subsidized day-care centers and a summer camp for children. Near the center of the campus is a free health clinic used by 90% of SAS employees and their families. The health center costs $4.5 million but is estimated to save the company $5 million because employees don't have to kill time in waiting rooms. The campus also has hairdressers, dry cleaning, a UPS depot, and, during the season, a tax preparer. The three subsidized cafeterias provide takeout meals to bring home to the family. There are a score of kitchens around the campus that provide endless free snacks and candies.

On-campus stress-reduction programs include massage, yoga, hiking, aerobics, harmonic sound healing and scent mixology. There are weight management and quit smoking programs. "Dive in" movies are watched from a float on the pool. SAS provides seminars on divorce, adoption, and raising teenagers. Family nights off-campus include rodeo nights, circus nights and Monster Jam Trucks.

SAS requires only a 35-hour work week. No one punches a clock and there is no personnel grinch to keep tabs on workers. Employees share in the profits and the company remains private and thus sheltered from Wall Street sharks and the financial panics they generate.

Keeping employees happy has certainly paid off for SAS with a 40-fold increase in revenues since 1984 based on holding a niche in the software industry that is immune from competition. Treating employees well is a profitable strategy because they reciprocate by working hard. In fact, employees are so strongly motivated that they sometimes describe the campus as a golden cage that they never want to leave.

If you are working hard to support a company that treats you so well, you know that your efforts are going to be richly rewarded, both in cash and in kind. Like the highly skilled hunter in a band, you do not have to worry that your superior talents are being exploited by slackers. In that sort of environment, it is the slackers who are going to feel bad, guilty and ashamed that they are not working as hard and not being as productive, as their colleagues.

SAS employees are very well paid, of course, but it is not their salary that makes them happy. They care about what they are doing. More importantly, they feel that their contributions are noticed and appreciated. That is a powerful motivator. It is the reason that your dog doesn't want to stop returning the ball you throw for him to catch.

1. Kaplan, D. A. (2010). SAS: A new no. 1 best employer. Accessed at http://www.cnn.com/ on 1/21 2010.

If you're in business, chances are you've got salespeople, whether they're on the phones or greeting people as they walk through your doors. But not all of your employees have the title "salesperson" do they? You might have an accounts payable employee, a person working in your tasting room at your winery or you might have someone who stocks shelves in your store. So how do you get those people "selling" for you?

They Need to Like Their Jobs

Even the most mundane jobs can be fun! It's time to inject some fun into the jobs of your employees. Why not try having contests around specific tasks your employees need to do. Then reward them in a fun way with a gift certificate or an award.

Recognizing a job well done might even be more important than cold hard cash. So make sure you do this in a public forum to ensure your entire company knows a great job done.

They Need to Like Your Company

One way to make employees proud of your company is to give them a reason to be. People like to work for award-winning companies, so why not display your Yelp sticker or any award you've received prominently in your workspace so that every time they pass by it's a reminder that they work for a successful business? Also include these awards all over your site and in your marketing materials.

Employees who are advocates for companies also know what's happening in the company so being very vocal, especially if you're doing well, could go a long way.

Employees also like companies that give back to their communities. I know that here at VerticalResponse, one of the things that employees are very proud of is that fact that we give our product away free to non-profits. I bet that each employee has had at least one conversation about us to someone they know in the non-profit world advocating our program.

You might even encourage your employees to get their friends to work at your company. If you've got top-notch employees, chances are they're hanging with other folks who would do as good of a job as they do. In my opinion if they get their friends to work for you, this is the utmost sign that they're advocating your business.

They Need to Like Your Customers

People want to work with customers they like. If your customers are saying nice things about you, why not let your employees know about it. Post your customer testimonials on your walls or your website, or email your staff when someone has something nice to say about your business on Twitter or Facebook.

At VerticalResponse we host special events and seminars for our customers. We try to get as many employees as we can talking to our customers to find out what really makes them tick. We learn things that customers like and don't like, which in the end helps us be a better company. Our employees often leave energized and wanting to do more for our amazing customers who took time out of their busy day to be with us.

If you've got employees who like what they do and who they do it for, chances are they're already your best salesperson. After all, it's what they spend most of their day doing!

Seems the mantra in many ways these days is “we’re all doing more with less”.  Do you deal with this challenge, too? Do you have folks who are just tired of doing the job of two to three people? Are you trying to motivate them to keep doing more, but frankly are running out of carrots to offer and don’t want to take ‘em out back and just beat them into submission?  You do know I was just kidding on that last one, but how DO you get employees to do more with less, or at least the same as they had before without more pay, without yelling or losing your mind or stressing out?

Here are 5 ways to get employees to do more with less:

Give employees a choice on what they learn how to do and who they learn it from. Set the expectation that they will have to learn one other job, but get to pick which one. The sense of control will help motivate those who need that.

Explain what you need and why and talk to employees like they are human. If your boss is breathing down your neck, tell them that, in a nice way, but then ASK them to help you and get more work done as a team, versus the “I am leader, hear me roar” approach of telling someone what to do.

If you have a team of Entertainer-type, fun loving individuals, who work harder when there is more fun and lively interaction, then consider what giving an award for the most overworked, the one who makes coffee the most, the one with the most paper cuts, or other such silliness. Motivate them in a way they appreciate.

In many organizations, giving a raise right now, is just not an option, but what about giving more authorization for more time off? Can you give someone Friday afternoon off if they’ve worked their hind end off all week? Perhaps and it sure might help to repeat that behavior next week if they get an occasional reward of downtime.

There is a great deal of pride that can be shown with six simple words said to your boss at the right time. “I am so proud of them.” One person on the team overhears you say that to your boss and it may well elevate their motivation to a whole new level for a week. If you’re proud of them, tell your boss and mean it!

Recently, a friend showed me the results of a survey of employees around the world. When it comes to what motivate staff to give their best at work, the following Top 10 motivating factors were identified:

It seems that, in Asia, not enough emphasis has been placed in these areas. Some of these factors are self-evident. However, some need elaboration to clarify what employees are really looking for and what business owners and managers can do to make these factors happen.

Recognition is not only to make employees feel good about their work and accomplishments. That is only a by-product. We recognize and praise because we want to reinforce a particular effort or result that helps the business. The more these specific behaviors are recognized, the more frequently an employee will repeat them.

This is the other side of the coin of why we discipline employees. It's because because we want to discourage specific behaviors that do not add value to the business.

In Asian cultures, many bosses and managers do not receive recognition or praise in their upbringing, and have perpetuated the myth that appreciation is not an important aspect of job. The typical view is that there's no need to recognize or praise employees for doing the job they're supposed to do well. That's what the paycheck is for! These bosses have had no positive role models in their work experience that reinforces appreciation, recognition or compliments for a job well done.

But in today's global marketplace, desire for such positive work experience is becoming more and more a reality.

People want to feel that they are part of something bigger than just their job. It is the difference in coming to work in order to receive a paycheck or coming to work in order to help the organization be successful. Believing in something larger than the job is a key ingredient for employee engagement.

Try to include employees in discussions or communications about these topics:

Being in the know in these areas not only helps employees feel informed; the information actually helps them to make the best possible decisions in their daily activities. Often, management would view an employee as making wrong decisions, when the truth is that the employee made the best possible decision based on the information he or she has.

This factor filters down through factors 4 to 10. For instance, an understanding attitude should be reflected in the way an employee receives correction and discipline (tactful discipline). The same can be said for displaying loyalty to your employees (loyalty from management). In addition, making work interesting and planning a career path for them would demonstrate that a manager or supervisor has taken into consideration an individual employee's strengths and talents prior to assigning the work (interesting work, career advancement opportunities, good working conditions).

The true opportunity for every manager or supervisor in this area is actually in everyday conversation and interaction. It is during these times that an employee determines if you truly care and understand. Are you courteous, respectful and enthusiastic enough?

The key lies in how available you are when your staff encounter problems - not just work-related. How you approach work-life balance would determine how understanding an attitude you have towards your emplyees.

As you can see, good wages isn't top but middle on the list. Money is typically not a motivator at all. It becomes a real motivator only if an employee is not making enough money to meet his or her basic needs. If this is the case, the employee will do what is necessary to survive.

Determine a compensation strategy for your organization before it becomes a survival need. Think and communicate in terms of total compensation. Include benefits, time off, bonuses, profit sharing and any other program you have in your organization that relates to compensation. Make certain your people know and understand every aspect of their compensation plan, not just what they take home at the end of the month.

Whenever possible, base compensation on performance, not seniority. Pay people what the position and their performance is worth. Don't wait until they have received a better offer before you are willing to do that. Give them the respect they deserve.

Ultimately, you should aim to provide more than just a paycheck to your employees. If all your business means is a source of a paycheck, any comparable paying job will suffice. Provide them with challenges, opportunities for development and advancement, recognition, prestige, and a place that they can feel proud to work at.

source: http://www.smbworldasia.com/en/content/top-10-factors-motivate-employees by victor Ng