Factors Effecting Job Satisfaction and Employee Engagement

Abstract

     The main purpose of this study was to test the structural relationships of employee self-esteem, intrinsic motivation, workplace spirituality, and supervisor leadership having effects on employee job satisfaction and engagement. The sample consisted of 458 employees from 3 private communication and telecommunication enterprises in Thailand. Data were gathered by rating scale measures of the main constructs. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed path model of the hypothesized relationships. The results revealed that self-esteem, intrinsic motivation, workplace spirituality, and leadership had direct effects on job satisfaction. Leadership had the highest direct effect on job satisfaction; however, the highest total effect came from workplace spirituality due to its indirect effect passing through leadership. Intrinsic motivation, workplace spirituality, and job satisfaction had direct effects on engagement. Workplace spirituality also played a very important role having both the highest direct and total effects on engagement. Furthermore, workplace spirituality was the sole variable having a direct effect on leadership. Considering the causal variables of workplace spirituality, there were equal direct effects from self-esteem and intrinsic motivation. Self-esteem also had a direct effect on intrinsic motivation. The relationships in the model could account for 74 percent and 62 percent of the variances in job satisfaction and engagement, respectively.