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Title:
EMPLOYEE ATTITUDES AND JOB SATISFACTION
By:
LISE M.SAARI AND TIMOTHY A.JUDGE

INTRODUCTION
As for beginning, employee attitudes and job satisfaction can best define as the most focal
employee attitude is job satisfaction, this is based on the perspective of research . However,
Locke (1976), who defined job satisfaction as . . . a pleasurable or positive emotional state
resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences (p. 1304). According on this
definition , the importance of both affect, or feeling, and cognition, or thinking Conversely,
when we have feelings, we think about what we feel. Cognition and affect are thus
inextricably linked, in our psychology and even in our biology. Thus, when evaluating our
jobs, as when we assess most anything important to us, both thinking and feeling are
involved.

According to the Schermerhorn(1989), attitudes is a predisposition to respond in a
positive or negative way to someone or something in ones environment . Based on this
definition, Schermerhorn(1989) are conclude that attitudes are strongly influenced by values
and are acquired from the same sources as values such as friends, teachers, parents, role
models, and culture. Nevertheless, attitudes focus on specific people or objects,whereas
values have a more general focus are more stable than attitudes


SUMMARY OF ARTICLE

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SUMMARY AND SCOPE
This article explains about the attitudes of employee are affect from a satisfaction of their
job. Based on this article, the purpose are getting to provide greater understanding of the
research on employee attitudes and job satisfaction .In this article, are identified three major
gaps between HR practice and the scientific research in the area of employee attitudes in
general and the most focal employee attitude in particularjob satisfaction: (1) the causes of
employee attitudes, (2) the results of positive or negative job satisfaction, and (3) how to
measure and influence employee attitudes. resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job
experiences (p. 1304). Regarding on this definition , the importance of both affect, or
feeling, and cognition, or thinking.

ISSUES AND DISCUSSIONS
In this article, the author are identified the three issues/gap which are, the causes of
employee attitudes, the results of positive or negative job satisfaction, and how to measure
and influence employee attitudes.

Gap 1The Causes of Employee Attitudes
Based on this gap, there are three influence which are the dispositional influences, cultural
influences and work situation influences.

Dispositional Influence are influences of a persons disposition on job satisfaction.
According to the Staw & Ross, 1985, a persons job satisfaction scores have stability over
time, even when he or she changes jobs or companies. In a related study, childhood
temperament was found to be statistically related to adult job satisfaction up to 40 years later
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(Staw, Bell, & Clausen, 1986). Evidence even indicates that the job satisfaction of identical
twins reared apart is statistically similar (see Arvey, Bouchard, Segal, & Abraham, 1989).

Based on the research findings ,there is in fact a relationship between disposition or
personality and job satisfaction. The use of sound selection methods and a good match
between employees and jobs will ensure people are selected and placed into jobs most
appropriate for them, will help enhance job satisfaction even organizations cannot directly
impact employee personality

Cultural influences are one of the area which may affect employee attitudes. Its poses
new challenges especially for HR practitioners, however by research
(Erez,1994;House,1995;Triands, 1994) its may help them in order to better understanding and
as a guidance practice. Nevertheless, the most cited cross-cultural work on employee attitudes
are , Hofstede (1980, 1985). There are four cross-cultural dimensions on this ,which are
individualism-collectivism, uncertainty avoidance versus risk taking, power distance, or the
extent to which power is unequally distributed, masculinity/femininity, recently called
achievement orientation

Work situation influences are the important areas to influence job satisfaction ,(the work
itself - Intrinsic Job Characteristics ) is often overlooked by practitioners when addressing
job satisfaction. According on (Judge & Church, 2000; Jurgensen, 1978), when employees
are asked to evaluate different facets of their job such as supervision, pay, promotion
opportunities, coworkers , and so forth, the nature of the work itself generally emerges as the
most important job facet. However,

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Gap 2The results of positive or negative job satisfaction
On this gap, the author are more focusing on job satisfaction. There are three indicators on
job satisfaction which are highlighted by author. There are job satisfaction and job
performance, job satisfaction and life satisfaction, and finally the job satisfaction and
withdrawal behaviours

Firstly, job satisfaction and job performance. Employee job performance generally
affected by job satisfaction, this is being controversial history. According to the Hawthorne
studies,(1930s) researchers aware of the effects of employee attitudes on performance.
Shortly after the Hawthorne studies, researchers began taking a critical look at the notion that
a happy worker is a productive worker. Most of the earlier reviews of the literature
suggested a weak and somewhat inconsistent relationship
between job satisfaction and performance

For the next, job satisfaction and life satisfaction .There are three possible forms of the
relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction: spillover, where job experiences
spill over into nonwork life and vice versa; segmentation, where job and life experiences are
separated and have little to do with one another; and compensation, where an individual
seeks to compensate for a dissatisfying job by seeking fulfilment and happiness in his or her
nonwork life and vice versa. Based on this research, organizations only have so much control
over a persons job satisfaction, because for many people, their job satisfaction is a result, in
part, of spillover of their life satisfaction. However, continuing to take actions to address low
job satisfaction is not only important for organizational effectiveness, but by not doing so,
organizations can cause spillover of employees low job satisfaction into their life satisfaction
and well-being.
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Last but not least, job satisfaction and withdrawal behaviours. Based on this
explanation, employee are shown out/withdraw their behaviours regarding with their satisfied
on job. Generally, employee who are dissatisfied with their job are tend to quit or
absenteeism, rather than satisfied employee. This is are related with (Hackett & Guion, 1985;
Hulin, Roznowski,& Hachiya, 1985; Kohler & Mathieu, 1993).,which are Job satisfaction
shows correlations with turnover and absenteeism .In addition, lateness, unionization,
grievances, drug abuse, and decision to retire are withdrawal behaviours cause of job
dissatisfaction. According to the studies, job satisfaction better predicts behavioral groupings
than the individual behaviors ,when various withdrawal behaviours (such as turnover,
absenteeism, lateness, decision to retire, and others)are grouped together.

Gap 3 How to measure and influence employee attitudes.
This is the final, gap/issues that are pertaining on this article regarding on employee attitudes
and job satisfaction. As per earlier highlighted on the beginning , to measure and influence
employee attitude , the author are expressed on employee attitude surveys, analyzing and
interpreting survey result for action, and lastly expressed on survey feedback and action.

First for the third, employee attitude surveys.,which are discussed on employee attitude
measures used in research and facet versus global measures. According on this survey , there
are two major survey that are extensively validate employee attitude (JDI & MSQ) . The first
major are Job Descriptive Index (JDI; Smith, Kendall, & Hulin, 1969) . JDI assesses
satisfaction with five different job areas which arepay, promotion, coworkers, supervision,
and the work itself. As a simp lification, JDI is reliable and has an impressive array of
validation evidence.
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For the next major are Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ; Weiss, Dawis,
England, & Lofquist, 1967). The MSQ has the advantage of versatility which are long and
short forms .The long form which measure satisfaction with ability, utilization, achievement,
activity, advancement, authority, company policies and practices, compensation, co-workers,
creativity, independence, moral values, recognition, responsibility, security, social service,
social status, supervision-human relations, supervision-technical variety, and working
conditions (Fields, 2002, p.7). For a short version of the MSQ can be separated into two
subscales for intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction.

Below on this gap, analyzing and interpreting survey result for action. This part of
measure are important in order to analyze and directly to interpret the survey result, and to
taking the action from what have done to improve employee attitudes and job satisfaction.
According to this article, there are a four issues that highlighted which are the use of norms,
comparisons and numerical accuracy, global considerations, and lastly the linking
employee attitudes to business measures.

For the use of norms, the survey question can systematically varyand vary widelyno
matter what company they work for. Survey norms are descriptive statistics that are compiled
from data on the same survey questions from a number of companies and are obtained by
joining a consortium . In addition, comparability of the companies, company size, and
number of companies are important factors in the value of the norms. This is related to
(Morris & Lo Verde, 1993).



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Next issues are comparisons and numerical accuracy. This is most useful survey
analysis techniques which using norms to compare a companys survey results to other
companies. In addition , numerical accuracy and appropriate comparisons are important
when using survey data for performance targets and employment-related decisions.

Global considerations are one of the issues that need to be consider .In order for
improving employee attitudes, organization / company whos are operate more than one
country need to consider the global consideration.

Last but not least, linking employee attitudes to business measures. Linkage research
can be done in any organization where there is some way to group enough survey data and
then correlate it with financial and/or customer data for the same groups. This type of survey
measurement and analysis helps practitioners demonstrate the impact of employee attitudes
on the business, as well as identify key levers for action.

On the last part of the this gap (how to measure and influence employee attitudes) are
survey feedback and action. This part are most important in order for improving employee
attitudes and directly producing organizational change. This is based on employee attitudes
affect behaviour and , that employee attitudes are important levers of organizational
performance.





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How To Close the Gaps and Evaluate the Effectiveness of Practice
In this article, author are identified a few way/suggestion on how to close the gaps and
evaluate the effectiveness of practice. This is absolutely to applied among HR practitioner.

One of the best way to close the gap between research and practice is to be better
informed about the research. In order to ensure the successful, organizations need HR
practitioners who know how to develop effective and research-based employee attitude
measures, understand and derive valuable insights from the data, and use the results to
improve employee attitudes and job performance and help lead organizational change.

Another way/suggestion are need to measure, understand, and improve employee
attitudes is essential for organizations of today to improving knowledge of basic statistics.
Moreover, the most rigorous and defensible methods are to apply return on investment (ROI)
principles. These involve defining the objectives of a program such as assess employee
attitudes that predict organizational performance and improve employee attitudes and job
satisfaction, and then evaluating, through appropriate research designs and measurements,
whether these objectives were met.







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CONCLUSION

As a conclusion of this article, employee attitudes are generally affected by satisfaction on
employee jobs. Absolutely, there are causes that affected employee attitudes that need to be
identify by employer especially HR practitioners .This is one of the best way in order to
improve the efficiency and effectiveness among employee which are directly may affect the
attitudes of employee .
Nevertheless, the indicator of the measurable to getting to know either employee are
satisfied on their job or otherwise ,and the development of the influence employee attitude
must be conduct and lead. This is because , the lacking or weakness on job either from
employee or employer perception may be detected. As a result , the positive result will be
produced.
Finally, in this globalization era because of the rapid change of technology sometimes
employee satisfaction on their job are often ignored by employer especially HR practitioner.
Due to this vulnerability will cause dissatisfied among employees on their jobs. For this
solution, as already mentioned in the previous paragraph employer must ensure that
employee are always satisfied with what they are doing, its directly may lead the motivated
employee which may derived to being an excellent human capital(employee) that can give
good impact on organization.(Return on Investment).




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APPENDIX/REFERENCES :
1) HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, R.Wayne Mondy,2010, Pearson,
International Edition,11 Edition
2) ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Schermerhorn Hunt Osborn, 2008,John Wiley &
Sons,Inc,10/E
3) BUSINESS ESSENTIALS, Ronald J.Ebert,Ricky W.Griffin,2008,Pearson,Global
Edition, 8 Edition
4) FUNDAMENTAL OF MANAGEMENT,Stephen P.Robbins, David
A.Decenzo,2004,Pearson,4 Edition
5) TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT,Raymond A.Noe,Mc Graw Hill,2010,5 Edition