Job satisfaction reflects an employee's overall assessment of their job, particularly their emotions, behaviors, attitudes about their work experience. It is one of the most heavily researched topics in industrial–organizational psychology with several thousand published studies. Job satisfaction has theoretical and practical utility for the field of psychology and has been linked to important job outcomes including attitudinal variables, absenteeism, employee turnover, and job performance. However in the case of some attitude formation religion plays an important role in the field of job satisfaction.
Diverse dynamics have come up; being responsible for job satisfaction or dissatisfaction as there are different factors responsible for job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Accordingly present quest is also an endeavor to these factors! Job satisfaction can be influenced by a variety of factors, e.g. the quality of one's relationship with their supervisor, the quality of the physical environment in which they work, degree of fulfillment in their work, etc. Numerous research results show that there are many factors affecting the job satisfaction besides particular demographic traits e.g. age, education level, tenure, position, marital status, years in service, and hours worked per week of employees that significantly affect their job satisfaction. Nevertheless there is a vast sphere scientist and researchers never look into to putting pretty considerable light and it’s the life style and way of life of those people who mover in accordance with the teachings of religion, two biggest religions in the world are Christianity with direct connection of Judaism and Islam.
Let us analyze the case of former and latter one by one, first Christianity; if we study Bible Psalm 119:6 I’ll not be put to shame (in any situation) when I consider all Your commands, now those Christians, Jews and Dawood Scriptures’ adherents (Psalms) and Quran who are in Christianity, Judaism and Islam they are happy in their work; nonetheless in recent era the most researched, read and heavily focused book in the world is Quran which not only provides ways for job satisfaction rather provides ways for remedy to lead highest job satisfaction in addition to developing control over desires and setting work ethics. People who follow this book strictly; they are happy in their lives no matter what they have and what they achieve with regard to their work. Researches accomplished up till now reveal that the devotees of teachings of Quran are highly satisfied with their job for example one study (Yousef, 2001) examined the potential mediating role of the Islamic work ethic between locus of control (the extent to which individuals believe that they can control events that affect them), role conflict and role ambiguity. The study used a sample of 397 employees in a variety of manufacturing and service organizations in an Islamic country, the United Arab Emirates. The results of correlational analysis and regression models suggest that the Islamic work ethic is related to locus of control; it simply means having control over desires is a way to job satisfaction which is possible. In another study investigated the moderating impacts of the Islamic work ethic on the relationships between organizational commitment and job satisfaction. It used a sample of 425 Muslim employees in several organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The empirical results indicate that the Islamic work principle directly affects both organizational commitment and job satisfaction, and that it moderates the relationship between these two constructs.
However what is the principle to be happy with the work in Quran; let us analyze, according to Quran all people can be happy with what they have in their life subject to provided they would follow the principle as stated “And keep thy soul content with (the companionship of) those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face; and let not thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this Life; nor obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who follows his own desires, whose case has gone beyond all bounds.” (Kahf 18:28).
In fact the cause is, these people derive and direct their happiness in other sides and they work in accordance with certain principles, the expectations of these people from work are not too many and their focus to maintain the family as institution is very strong; perhaps this is another cause for them to be happy with their work that family as institution backs them up to be happy with their work and life.
Short is; out of major world religions; in the religion of Islam patience, locus of control, work ethic is a way to job satisfaction that is emphasized in Quran in practical sense and supposed to be followed by devotees.
Conclusion and Future Research
Job satisfaction fluctuates a lot in diverse cases researches show the direct proportion between the prestige of the job and job satisfaction. But, majority of the religious workers are satisfied in even the least prestigious jobs. They simply like what they do. Ethnic and religious orientation is associated to work attitudes, and job satisfaction in this regard has a strong link with it. In short work ethic is the main cause for the religious people to be happy with their work and life and this is best followed by the adherents of Quran in the religion of Islam however Christianity in connection to Judaism does provide but teachings are not followed at the required level.
Future research can be emphasized to investigate other links of job satisfaction or how successful ways or work ethic of religion can be generalized in present consumer and materialistic societies.
References
Abraham H. Maslow (1953), Motivation and Personality, New York, Harper & Brothers, 1954.
Berry, Lilly M. (1997), Psychology at Work, San Francisco: McGraw Hill Companies Inc.
Chapman (1994), Achieving job satisfaction by Kay, Kepler, Crisp publication, Inc.
Darwish A. Yousef, (2001) "Islamic work ethic – A moderator between organizational commitment and job satisfaction in a cross-cultural context", Personnel Review, Vol. 30 Iss: 2, pp.152 - 169
Darwish A. Yousef, (2000) "The Islamic work ethic as a mediator of the relationship between of control, role conflict and role ambiguity – A study in an Islamic country setting", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 15 Iss: 4, pp.283 - 298
Locke, E.A. (1976), The Nature and Causes of Job Satisfaction, In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Chicago: Rand-McNally.
