Have you come across people who work for an organisation for about 15 or 20 years and when you inquire why they haven’t thought of searching for greener pastures, their response is, they’re content with their job. Job satisfaction is defined as the level of contentment employees feel with their job. This could be that employees are offered with the right tools or material to execute their work, appreciated by their bosses, paid more money as they grow, among other benefits. Job satisfaction is different for diverse employees, although some employees may feel happy and satisfied about their companies, other employees in the same company having the same conditions may not feel happy or content about their jobs. According to Racken Kobusingye, a businesswoman, job satisfaction starts from the simplest of things, for example, when a manager offers employees time to focus on their hobbies, instead of piling them with loads of work. For her, when workers have time to breathe and rest enough, they develop more energy and love for their jobs, which may result in high productivity. She carries on that when employees spend five years at an organisation but don’t feel elevated to the next positions regardless of their endless efforts that show that they are ready for the next position, they will either remain at the job with low morale or quit the job in search of better opportunities. Kobusingye explains that in such scenarios, the company may lose competitive employees—she therefore urges employers and managers to provide learning opportunities through trainings to enable workers not only learn new skills, but also partake in different tasks in diverse departments. “Workers feel loved and cared for if given feedback, both constructive and positive, not to forget criticism as that allows them to know their mistakes and work on them, or know that they’re on the right track. “Employees who are not given feedback don’t know if they’re doing the right thing or even benefitting the company. There is growth and progress when employees receive such kind of feedback often because failure to receive it, may affect the company negatively as workers may just work as they please,” she states. According to Robbert Indoli, a marketing expert in Kimironko, employees’ contentment is instilled by a positive work environment, where employees are given time to rest, don’t work under excessive pressure and are not fatigued or burnout. He says that one of the reasons some firms keep losing great employees is because they’re so stressed that work becomes a punishment. He also stresses that when some workers bully their colleagues and no help is offered to make work a healthy and comfortable space, most employees lose a sense of happiness, and contentment about their jobs. “Workers would love their jobs if they’re given fair treatment regardless of their age, gender, and so forth. Employees don’t want to see that some of their colleagues are given special treatment by their bosses, all workers should experience the same level of well-being,” Indoli emphasises. He also points out that bosses who invest in job satisfaction, have employees who are eager to work, take risks for the betterment of the organisation, are involved in work activities, interact well with customers, and offer the best effort to their jobs. Indoli carries on that if you have job security, you’re likely to enjoy your job as you’re not worried that you will lose it in the next three or 10 months, and will have purpose and work towards long-term goals. He is of the view that communication is also key, when it comes to job or employee contentment—that is, employees feel trusted and appreciated if their bosses communicate effectively with them. According to him, employees who find it easy to communicate with their bosses about work or personal issues and complain were necessary, yet given a listening ear and solutions, end up loving and enjoying their jobs. In addition, he adds that some employees work even when they’re sick for fear of losing their jobs once they take sick-leave—such people don’t feel safe about their jobs.
