Tiểu luận a research of factors which have significant influences on job satisfaction of officer a case study in ho chi minh city

UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY

A RESEARCH OF FACTORS
WHICH HAVE SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCES

ON JOB SATISFACTION OF OFFICER:
A CASE STUDY IN HO CHI MINH CITY
Subject: Organization Behavior
Lecturer: Nguyen Thanh Minh
Research group members:
1.

Hà Cẩm Tú

2.

Phan Trần Hoàng Thanh

Ho Chi Minh City, 5/2020

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ABSTRACT
Job satisfaction is one of the factors that could cause a high rate of turnover.
However, by proper policies that aim to increase the level of job satisfaction, businesses
can keep the “core” employees as well as increase employees’ work performance
which contributes to businesses' growth.
The main objective of the study is to find out which factors have significant
impacts on job satisfaction of officers in Ho Chi Minh City. After that, the final results
will be analyzed to determine the factors that play an important role in the level of job

satisfaction and come up with recommendations for businesses to increase the level of
job satisfaction which has a close relationship with employees’ work performance
and contribute to the growth of businesses.
The study is predominantly based on the results of the survey conducted in Ho
Chi Minh City with the objectives are officers with a total of 105 respondents. The
method used for conducting the research is a quantitative method that aims to determine
which factors would have the most influences on job satisfaction. Combining with
previous researches, the study group decided to choose 5 main factors to do the
research: Supervisor and Manager, Workplace condition, Relationship with co-workers,
Benefits and rewards, Training, and Development opportunities.

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List of tables
Table 1. Research structure
Table 2. Independent variables
Table 3. Demographic characteristics of employees
Table 4. Factor loadings of each measured item
Table 5. Cronbach’s alpha results
Table 6. Proposed hypothesis

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List of figures

Figure 1. Suggested research model
Figure 2. KMO and Bartlett’s Test results
Figure 3. Cumulative % results
Figure 4. EFA Rotated Component Matrix
Figure 5. Adjusted research model
Figure 6. Independent Samples T-Test
Figure 7. Descriptives of age groups
Figure 8. Test of Homogeneity of Variances (Age groups)
Figure 9. Descriptives of income level groups
Figure 10. Test of Homogeneity of Variances (Income level groups)
Figure 11. ANOVA for verifying difference of the income level groups
Figure 12. Descriptives of working experience years
Figure 13. Test of Homogeneity of Variances (Working experience years groups)
Figure 14. Descriptives of Job level groups
Figure 15. Test of Homogeneity of Variances (Job level groups)
Figure 16. ANOVA for verifying the difference of job satisfaction among Job level
groups

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................
List of tables .....................................................................................................................
List of figures ...................................................................................................................
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................

1.1Research Background..........................................................

1.2Research aim and objectives ...............................................

1.3Research method .................................................................

1.4Research’s contribution ......................................................

1.5Research structure ...............................................................
Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................

2.1Job satisfaction ....................................................................

2.2Dimension definition ...........................................................

2.2.1Supervisors/Managers .

2.2.2Workplace conditions ..

2.2.3Relationship with co-w

2.2.4Benefits and Rewards .

2.2.5Training and Developm
Chapter 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .............................................................

3.1Questionnaire design ..........................................................

3.1.1Suggested research mod

3.1.2Hypothesis ..................

3.1.3Variables ......................

3.2Sampling .............................................................................

3.3Quantitative method ...........................................................
3.4. Data analysis method .........................................................................................
Chapter 4 ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ....................................................................

4.1Descriptive Analysis ...........................................................

4.2Model Test ..........................................................................

4.2.1Factor loading .............
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4.2.2Cronbach's alpha .................................

4.2.3EFA .....................................................

4.2.4Regression ..........................................
4.3 Independent Samples T-Test: Gender factor ......................................................
4.4 ANOVA ..............................................................................................................

4.4.1Age ......................................................

4.4.2Income ................................................

4.4.3Working year experience ....................

4.4.4Job level ..............................................
5.1
5.2

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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research Background
Currently, office worker plays an essential role in the labor structure in Vietnam
and in Ho Chi Minh City in particular. The city's labor force has 4,598,135 people
(accounting for 52.09% of the total population); the number of employees working in
various types of enterprises is 3,317,058 people (HCMC Labor demand forecast center
and labor market information, 2018).
Job satisfaction is one of the topics of industrial/organizational psychology that
has been most researched. Many of them are targeted at improving the business world's
activity. Employees who are satisfied with their work will be more driven to perform
the requisite duties, will have fewer absences, will be more willing to support others
and will be more likely to participate in the overall project. (Judge, Heller, & Mount,
2002). Furthermore, a motivated workforce is a vital component of an organization's
ability to provide services efficiently and effectively
The research group wishes to find out the factors that play a critical role in
assessing job satisfaction of office workers in Ho Chi Minh City. Such results will

allow managers and supervisors to improve, in particular, to help workers increase
productivity and ultimately add long-term benefits to the organization
1.2 Research aim and objectives
1.2.1 General objectives
This research was aimed specifically at identifying important predictors of job
satisfaction among officers in Ho Chi Minh City. As job satisfaction is one of the key
factors that directly affect the turnover rate of employees and the longevity of
companies as well as growth, they must have an adequate strategy to retain their "core
workers," and address staff’s expectation could be one of the successful ways
1.2.2 Particular objective
In this study, the study group aims to find out the factors affect job satisfaction
of office staff through 3 following steps:
-

Determining factors which affect officers’ job satisfaction by conducting a
quantitative survey with a sample of 100 or upper
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-

Evaluate the survey’s results by using SPSS 20 and conclude which
factors would affect job satisfaction

-

Suggesting strategies for the operation, especially for managers and supervisors
to upscale job satisfaction, specifically, these strategies could result in long-term

profit for the business.

1.3 Research method
As the available time is limited, the research team came up with the decision to
conduct the result rely on the quantitative method. The proposed model was constructed
on the basis of the key factors examined, hypotheses were generated and then a
quantitative questionnaire was developed. To gain the needed information,
questionnaire was designed in two main part. Part I focused on respondents’
demographic information such as gender, occupation, unit of business, income, etc.
Part II was built to examine respondent‘s job satisfaction in term of supervisor and

Management, workplace condition, relationship with co-worker, Training and
development opportunities.
The results of the questionnaires demonstrated the effect’s level of each factor
on employee’s job satisfaction. Afterward, these results will help us to propose some

useful suggestions to help workers improve productivity and eventually give the
company long-term benefits
1.4 Research’s contribution
This study conclude with strategies of how enterprises in general and managers
in particular could increase employee’s productivity. The more the firm understand
their staff, the more long-term benefits could be achieved.
1.5 Research structure
The study involves 5 parts shown in the below table.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Table 1. Research structure

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Chapter 2

LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Job satisfaction
Studied by many disciplines such as psychology, sociology, economics and
management sciences, job satisfaction is regularly investigated subject in work and
organizational literature. It is partly due to the fact that many analysts agree that labor
market actions can be influenced by workplace satisfaction patterns and influence work
efficiency, work commitment, employee absenteeism, and staff turnover. (Panigrahi &
Joshi, 2016).
According to other researches, job satisfaction is the degree to which an
employee behaves against his or her work in a negative or positive way (Saif And
Saleh, 2013). It can be measured on the basis of an employee's understanding of the job
in terms of the salaries earned relating to job performance and work climate (Black and
Steers, 1994).
2.2 Dimension definition
2.2.1 Supervisors/Managers
For those who are working, the daily task doesn't always run smoothly, there
might be some challenges or difficulties and it's time their bosses or managers needed
the help. However, this help may be inadequate or slower than expected and may result
in poor quality of work or unfinished tasks and thus affect the business of the
organization. (Gaan, 2008)
Feedback collecting is one of the approaches used to enhance efficiency at work.
Supporting feedback can be a catalyst for workers to boost their job performance while
negative reviews can lead to frustration and high turnover.

2.2.2 Workplace conditions
A safety and secure working condition is not only required by law (Vietnamese
Labor law 2012) and organization (International Law Organization) but it might also be a
smart strategy for firms to upscale employee’s productivity. In a broad scale, such
safety working environment is not only benefit the company in term of productivity, it also
can reduce the overhead , environmental impact of business by reducing the costs

of waste management and raw material purchases, reducing harm to safety, increasing 9
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compliance with environmental protection legislation and enhancing the company's
reputation (Kjaerheim, 2005; El-Haggar, 2007)
2.2.3 Relationship with co-workers
Coworkers and supervisors are individuals who have a significant direct
influence on the work performance of employees. The nature of the relationships that
employees build with their colleagues and superiors may therefore have a significant
effect on the level of job satisfaction. (Charoensukmongkol et al., 2016). Additionally,
the belief of co-workers can make working atmosphere more comfortable and so that
employees’ productivity would increase.
2.2.4 Benefits and Rewards
Even though monthly salary is one of the ultimate measurement of job
happiness, rewarding workers means more than just receiving high salaries (Clark,
2015). Even if employee receive a good salary range, the ability to control working
environment, schedule, has a significantly impact on par with salary base as it give
worker a sense of accomplishment. (Shetrone, 2011)
2.2.5 Training and Development opportunities
Training is a process that could help employees to gain new knowledge about

their job and to be more professional. Training helps the employees to increase their
competency and work performance. Training impacts positively on employee’s
performance by generating benefits to both the employees and the organization they
work for through the development of skills, knowledge, abilities, competencies and
behavior. (AyodejiTemple, O. (2018).)
Career development is considered to be an important factor that affect job
satisfaction. It is a process with the aim to reach the higher level of work performance
by widening employees’ job requirement. Rivai (2004) claimed that career
development is a mechanism within an organization to increase individual ability to
achieve the expected career. An individual who are working for any other companies
does have ambition to have the opportunities to get higher position. However, this
opportunity does not always fairly give to everyone, this could be a reason lead to job
dissatisfaction.

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Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Questionnaire design
According to the objectives of the research, questionnaires were designed with
19 questions divided into 2 parts:
-

Demographics questions: This part includes 7 questions regarding to personal
information of employees: age, gender, education, income, job position and
work field.

-

Questions related to justification and satisfaction level of employees in 5 aspects:
Supervisor/ Manager, Workplace Conditions, Relationship with co-workers,
Benefits and rewards, Training and development opportunities.

3.1.1 Suggested research model
After reading previous research about job satisfaction, the research group
decided to choose 5 factors for the study about job satisfaction of officer in Ho Chi
Minh City. The following figure is the suggested model of 5 factors that could have
influences on job satisfaction.

Figure 1. Suggested research model
3.1.2 Hypothesis
Base on the quantitative results and previous study foundation, the following
hypotheses were stated. The research group came up with a new factor: “Training and

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Development opportunities” and “benefits and rewards” as the team figuring out that

previous studies did not mention about it.
H1. Supervisor/Manager has an impact on officer’s job satisfaction
There are previous research pointed out that low-level of trust on a supervisor is
equivalent to lower job satisfaction. In a survey of salespeople and their supervisor,
Rich (1997) concluded that trust in sales managers leveled up job satisfaction.

Similarly, a survey by Mulki, Jaramillo and Locander (2006) of 333 pharmaceutical
salespeople found that trust-in-supervisor was positively associated with overall work
satisfaction.
H2. Workplace conditions have a significant influence on officer’s job satisfaction
Current job security, as calculated by contract length, has a positive relationship
with job satisfaction, while those who feel underemployed, i.e. those who choose to
work more hours, have a lower job satisfaction index, Diriwaechter and Shvartsman
(2017).
H3. Relationship with co-workers has an important influence on officer’s job
satisfaction
When workers believe their colleagues provide adequate support, they continue
to achieve lower turnover intentions, Manning et al. (2005). In other words, when
employees experience warm feelings and cooperation among employees, lower
expectations for turnover grow as a result of these social perceptions in the workplace
(Manning et al., 2005).
H4. Benefits and rewards have an impact on officer’s job satisfaction
It cannot be denied that salary and rewards play an important role in the level of
job satisfaction and employees’ performance. The incentive both by cash or
recognition derived from good performance is still a factor that motivates employees to
boost their performance as well as productivity. It is expected that a successful pay
policy will lead to the sustainability of the workforce, the fulfillment of the vision and
mission and the achievement of the job goals (Umar, 2012).
H5. Training and Development opportunities have an influence on officer’s job
satisfaction
In addition to the elements mentioned above, the study group came up with the
idea that an employers who are provided with a full pack of training could have a

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higher level of job satisfaction. Since these individual fully comprehend the job
requirement. They'll have less difficulty getting into a new work environment.
Besides training, those who have multiple promotion and career growth
opportunities often offer greater satisfaction at work. As these individuals recognized
that they support the business, and they get the deserved recognition
3.1.3 Variables
Depend variable: job satisfaction was selected to become a dependent variable of the
research model and this is a quantitative variable.
Independent
administered questionnaire survey was designed.
Name of
variable
Support

Feedback

of agreement or disagreement with a series of
statements.
Feedback_1: “I receive regular and timely
feedback from my supervisor”
Feedback_2: “My supervisor uses positive
feedback with staff”
Feedback_3: “Feedback from the supervisor
helps to improve my work”
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Feedback_4: “Feedback from supervisor fulfill
my skills and knowledge”
Relationship
with
supervisor

Questions were measured on a 5-point Likert scale
ranging from 1(strongly disagree) to 5(strongly
agree), where respondents indicated their degree
of agreement or disagreement with a series of
statements.
Rela_1: “My supervisor/ manager demonstrate
respects for all employees”
Rela_2: “Communication between supervisor/
manager and employees is honest and open”
Rela_3: “My supervisor/ manager reward their
employees fairly”
Rela_4: “My supervisor/ manager treats all
employees fairly”
Rela_5: “I can fully trust my supervisor/ manager”

Table 2. Independent variables
The measurement method of the remaining variables is the same as these variables
above. More details about the questionnaires are attached in the appendix.
3.2 Sampling
Our analysis uses the Convenience sampling approach known as catch
sampling, accidental sampling or sampling of opportunities. Convenience sampling is a
form of non-probability sampling involving the sample being drawn from that close-tohand part of the population. The convenience sampling approach has the advantage of
saving both time and expense. Since time is limited, data was collect in only one week

with 105 respondents in total.
3.3 Quantitative method
Because “Job satisfaction” is not a new topic and the time for the research is

limited so the group decided to choose Quantitative method to conduct the survey. The
research aims to recognize and determine which factors would affect job satisfaction
with the designed population are officers in Ho Chi Minh City.

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3.4. Data analysis method
Quantitative research was conducted by SPSS 20.0 software. After the official
data collection finished, the data was analyzed by following steps: Step 1: Descriptive
statistics: describe the feature of samples
Step 2: Evaluate the validity and reliability of independent variables and eliminate
improper observed variables
Step 3: EFA and Linear Regression
Step 4: Independent Samples T-test
Step 5: One-way ANOVA

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Chapter 4

ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
4.1 Descriptive Analysis
About 74.3 percent of the respondent were in the age under 25, followed by 21.9
percent of respondent in the age from 25 to 30. There are 3.9 percent of people between
the age of 31 and 50. The participants are mainly office workers from different fields
and professions. Among the respondents, roughly 76 percent had an income of less than
VND 10 million, while only 17 percent had an income of more than VND 10 million
less than VND 20 million, about 7 percent had an income of more than VND 20
million.. There are 86 interviewees with less than 3 years of experience, account for
81.9 percent, followed by 16.2 percent with 4-6 years of experience.
The table below demonstrated the demographic profiles of respondents.
VARIABLES
1 Gender
Male
Female
2 Age
<25
25-30
31-40
>40
3 Income (VND)
<10 million
10-20 million
>20 million
4 Level of education
High school diploma
Bachelor degree
Master degree
Doctor degree
5 Years of working environment

1-3 years
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4-6 years
7-9 years
>10 years
6 Job level
Intern
First-line employee
First-line supervisor
Middle-level manager
Executive level manager
7 Business unit
Marketing/sale
Administration
Education
Finance/account
Engineer
Others
Table 3. Demographic characteristics of employees
4.2 Model Test
4.2.1 Factor loading
Factor loading of the observed variables is eligible when it is greater than 0.5
The results shown in the below table are variables that meet the condition mentioned
above.
Job satisfaction
Access to equipment necessary for performing your tasks

Satisfaction with the training opportunities in the Organization
Teamwork in the institution
Overall, I am satisfied with my job.
I- Supervisor and manager
I receive the right amount of support and guidance from my
direct supervisor
I always receive support from my supervisor whenever I need
My supervisor supports with enthusiastic and passionate
Support from the supervisor has helped me a lot at work
I receive regular and timely feedback from my supervisor
My supervisor uses positive feedback with staf
Feedback from the supervisor helps to improve my work
Feedback from supervisor fulfill my skills and knowledge
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II- Workplace conditions
*Safety/Security
The operation environment is secure and excellent
I feel totally secure in my current job
The office of work is secured
*Working hours
Working hours at my current company is satisfactory
Overtime is a frequent inform at my office
I feel burnout due to working hours in my current company
*Facilities
The available equipment work properly
The working area is comfortable

Amenities (closets, etc.) are clean
Technical/ IT equipment at my office is at a satisfactory level
My office provides all the facilities that need to perform my
duties
III- Relationship with co-workers
*With supervisors/ managers
My supervisor/ manager demonstrate respects for all employees
Communication between supervisor/ manager and employees is
honest and open
My supervisor/ manager reward their employees fairly
I can fully trust my supervisor/ manager
My supervisor/ manager treats all employees fairly
*With colleagues
Possibilities to receive assistance from co-workers when
necessary
The relationship among colleagues are positive, supportive and
understanding
Conflicts and argument among colleagues hardly occur in the
company
I can share things happen in my daily life with my colleagues
IV- Benefits and rewards
*Salary
My salary is fair and sufficient
I am satisfied with my current income
The policy regarding salary and allowance is clear
Salary and allowances are distributed fairly
My current salary is correlative with my ability and contribution
*Benefits and Rewards
I have been rewarded for my good performance
I have been recognized for my accomplishments

I satisfied with the current benefits: holidays, personal days,
vacation time, etc
V- Training and development opportunities
I am provided with all training necessary for me to perform my
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direct supervisor
Training programs provide me with a lot of work-relevant
knowledge
I am satisfied with my company training programs
My work performance increases after each training programs
Training helps to improve work efficiency
Training helps in the advancement of career
My opportunities for promotion are unlimited
My present job provides a good opportunity for promotion
Job promotion is based on job performance and achievement
The career advancement opportunities are fairly given to all
employees
I am satisfied with chances for promotion
Table 4. Factor loadings of each measured item
4.2.2 Cronbach's alpha
The Cronbach’s alpha is a measure of inner continuity, that is, how closely

connected a set of items as a group. This is used as a test of efficiency in size. Before
EFA, Cronbach's alpha was analyzed to avoid the less reliable factors that emerged in
the EFA phase.
The method of alpha analyzing Cronbach should be chosen because it meets

certain requirements. The alpha of Cronbach with more than 0.7 proves the scales are
accurate and unbiased (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994). Furthermore the alpha of
Cronbach also depends on the sample size. With a limited sample size, Cronbach's alpha
is probably not high due to a lack of data to identify the correlation among factors.
The results of Cronbach’s alpha are presented in the table below.

Job satisfaction
Access to equipment necessary for performing your
tasks
Satisfaction with the training opportunities in the
Organization
Teamwork in the institution
Overall, I am satisfied with my job.
I- Supervisor and Management:
I receive the right amount of support and guidance
from my direct supervisor
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I always receive support from my supervisor
whenever I need
My supervisor supports with enthusiastic and
passionate
Support from the supervisor has helped me a lot at
work
I receive regular and timely feedback from my
supervisor
My supervisor uses positive feedback with staf

Feedback from the supervisor helps to improve my
work
Feedback from supervisor fulfill my skills and
knowledge
II- Workplace conditions
*Safety/Security
The operation environment is secure and excellent
I feel totally secure in my current job
The office of work is secured
*Facilities
The available equipment work properly
The working area is comfortable
Amenities (closets, etc.) are clean
Technical/ IT equipment at my office is at a
satisfactory level
My office provides all the facilities that need to
perform my duties
III- Relationship with co-workers
*With supervisors/ managers
My supervisor/ manager demonstrate respects for all
employees
Communication between supervisor/ manager and
employees is honest and open
My supervisor/ manager reward their employees
fairly
I can fully trust my supervisor/ manager
My supervisor/ manager treats all employees fairly
IV- Benefits and rewards
*Salary
My salary is fair and sufficient

I am satisfied with my current income
The policy regarding salary and allowance is clear
Salary and allowances are distributed fairly
My current salary is correlative with my ability and
contribution

0.862

0.864

0.871

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*Benefits and Rewards
I have been rewarded for my good performance
I have been recognized for my accomplishments
I satisfied with the current benefits: holidays,
personal days, vacation time, etc
V- Training and development opportunities
I am provided with all training necessary for me to
perform my direct supervisor
Training programs provide me with a lot of workrelevant knowledge
I am satisfied with my company training programs
My work performance increases after each training
programs

Training helps to improve work efficiency
Training helps in the advancement of career
My present job provides a good opportunity for
promotion
Job promotion is based on job performance and
achievement
The career advancement opportunities are fairly
given to all employees
I am satisfied with chances for promotion
Table 5. Cronbach’s alpha results
4.2.3 EFA
In addition to Cronbach's Alpha, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is often
considered one of the most relevant methods of calculation when evaluating the
outcome.

Figure 2. KMO and Bartlett’s Test results

Figure 3. Cumulative % results
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Figure 4. EFA Rotated Component Matrix
Exploratory factor analysis must addressed the following criteria:
Factor loading > 0.5
0.5 =< KMO =< 1
Sig <0.05
Percentage of variance > 50%

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4.2.4 Regression
Study group used regression analysis, which is commonly used in theory testing
and validation, to evaluate the data after the correction and clearance. The table below
lists the results of our proposed model hypothesis testing process.
H

Path
Supervisor/Manager has an

Hypothesis 1 impact on officer’s job

Estimate

t-value

0.112

1.148

0.217

2.296

- 0.041- 0.437

Hypothesis 2

Results
Rejected
(Sig. = 0.254
> 0.05)

Supported

0.2222.352

0.147

1.507

Rejected
(Sig. = 0.135
> 0.05)

0.153

1.574

Rejected
(Sig. = 0.119
> 0.05)

0.616

7.935

Supported

Hypothesis 3

Hypothesis 4

Hypothesis 5
satisfaction
Adjust R square
Supervisor/ Manager: 0.003(0.3%)
Workplace conditions: 0.071(7.1%)
Relationship with co-workers: 0.012(1.2%)
Benefits and rewards: 0.014(1.4%)
Training and development: 0.373(37.3%)
Table 6. Proposed hypothesis

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