Supervisory Status and Job Satisfaction: A Global Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Although previous studies have indicated that supervisory status positively impacts job satisfaction, studies comparing supervisors with non-supervisors in different work contexts are limited. The current global comparative study examines the balance between work and home life, motivational rewards, and worker interactions to determine their impact on job satisfaction based on supervisory status. The study analyzes job satisfaction factors across 37 nations using International Social Survey Program data. The current research was based on a job satisfaction model based on evidence from theory and research. A range of descriptive analytics and regression analyses based on the model were conducted. Findings confirm a statistically significant difference in reported levels of job satisfaction for supervisors versus non-supervisors. Additionally, job autonomy, a job useful to society, and scheduling flexibility were not statistically significant for supervisors but non-supervisors. The overall model fit was slightly better for supervisors than non-supervisors. Given that supervisors have greater job satisfaction than non-supervisors, the former may overestimate job satisfaction among their workers. This could be an issue if supervisors assume that their employees are as satisfied as they are. Awareness of differences in job satisfaction based on supervisory status, then, is critical for help managers support their workers. In terms of the question of whether supervisors and non-supervisory differ in their satisfaction levels and the determinants of their satisfaction, this study supports that conclusion. This suggests that the benefits of taking on a supervisory role outweigh the additional demands. And while we did find variables that affect non-supervisors that don’t affect supervisors, most variables were important to both. This suggests that things that contribute to job satisfaction will impact employees regardless of whether they are in a supervisory position.