What a surprise, Malaysia even has the highest job satisfaction ratings according to the Qualtrics Asia Pacific Employee Pulse Study which studied over 5,000 fulltime employees from around the world. It focused mainly on factors driving employee attitudes, behaviours, and well-being. The survey found that 67% of Malaysians believed they were happy with their jobs, putting them ahead of countries like Singapore (64%) and Hong Kong (50%). It also found that most Malaysians don’t consider long working hours to be a reason to leave their current jobs. Nice, right? What really drives employees to clock in every. single. Day?
1. Engagement.
When you are engaged in your work, you are present, focused, and productive. How to be engaged in today’s world plus a newly coined word – millenial. One reason you may not be engaging in your work is because you may not feel you are utilizing your skills and abilities to your fullest potential. Undoubtedly, people are naturally more engaged in work that puts their talents to good use. Being aware of how your job is directly supporting a larger outcome could encourage you to stay engaged and remain motivated.
2. Respect, praise, and appreciation.
Regardless of the job, you want to feel respected in the workplace as well as appreciated for the work you do. Employees are more satisfied in their positions when they feel respected and are praised for a job well done, even if it’s a simple thank you from a company manager. Supervisors are often vocal when an employee makes a mistake or something is needed of them but making the same effort to congratulate or voice appreciation can have a positive influence on workers satisfaction.
3. Fair compensation.
The importance employees place on pay as a contributing factor to job satisfaction appears to be on the rise. Workers currently rank pay as the second most important factor compared to the fourth most important factor the year prior. In essence, employees want to be compensated for their worth and are likely to look for work elsewhere if they’re not. Who doesn’t.
4. Motivation.
Understanding your motivation behind the job you either already have or the job you want may help increase job satisfaction as well.
5. Life satisfaction.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, people who are unhappy in life are less likely to find satisfying work. It’s notable that individuals who are generally unhappy in life and seek satisfaction in their work likely will not find it. Perhaps nurturing yourself and enhancing your well-being will naturally lead you to satisfaction within a working environment.
Job satisfaction (or a lack thereof) influences not only employees but also the organizations they feel dissatisfied with. Dissatisfied workers experience lower productivity in the workplace, poorer performance, more job stress, and higher turnover rates. Moreover, low job satisfaction can result in low morale and low loyalty to the company itself.
