Overall Job Satisfaction scale

Description

This measure, (Overall Job Satisfaction) developed by Brayfield and Rothe (1951), uses 18 items to describe overall job satisfaction. The items form a one-dimensional measure of overall job satisfaction. A six-item version has also been used to measure overall job satisfaction (Agho et al., 1993; Aryee, Fields, & Luk, 1999).

Reliability

Coefficient alpha values for the entire measure ranged from .88 to .91 (Moorman, 1991; Pillai, Schriesheim, & Williams, 1999; Shore, Newton & Thornton, 1990). Coefficient alpha values for the six-item version ranged from .83 to .90 (Agho et al., 1993; Agho et al., 1992; Aryee et al., 1999; Judge, Locke, Durham, & Kluger, 1998).

Validity

Overall job satisfaction correlated positively with a composite measure of job facets, autonomy, distributive justice, supervisory support, task significance, sensitivity to equity, employee perceptions of performance, and job involvement (Agho et al., 1993; Aryee et al., 1999; Judge et al., 1998; O’Neill & Mone, 1998). Overall job satisfaction correlated negatively with family-work conflict, work routinization, role ambiguity, and role conflict (Agho et al., 1993; Aryee et al., 1999). Brooke, Russell, and Price (1988) examined the measure using confirmatory factor analysis and found that this measure of job satisfaction was empirically distinct from measures of orga­nizational commitment and job involvement. In Judge et al. (1998), an employee’s significant other also reported about their perceptions of the employee’s job satisfaction. The correlation of self and significant other per­ceptions was .68.

Sources

Items

Original measure:

Responses are obtained using a 5-point Likert-type scale where 5 = strongly agree, 4 = agree, 3 = undecided, 2 = disagree, and 1 = strongly disagree.

1. My job is like a hobby to me
2. My job is usually interesting enough to keep me from getting bored
3. It seems that my friends are more interested in their jobs (R)
4. I consider my job rather unpleasant (R)
5. I enjoy my work more than my leisure time
6. I am often bored with my job (R) (Used in six-item version)
7. I feel fairly well satisfied with my present job (Used in six-item version)
8. Most of the time I have to force myself to go to work (R)
9. I am satisfied with my job for the time being (Used in six-item version)
10. I feel that my job is no more interesting than others I could get (R)
11. I definitely dislike my work (R)
12. I feel that I am happier in my work than most other people
13. Most days I am enthusiastic about my work (Used in six-item version)
14. Each day of work seems like it will never end (R)
15. I like my job better than the average worker does (Used in six-item version)
16. My job is pretty uninteresting (R)
17. I find real enjoyment in my work (Used in six-item version)
18. I am disappointed that I ever took this job (R)

Items denoted with (R) are reverse scored.

Six-item measure:

Responses are obtained using a 5-point Likert-type scale where 5 = strongly agree, 4 = agree, 3 = undecided, 2 = disagree, and I = strongly disagree.

Items:

1. I am often bored with my job (R)
2. I feel fairly well satisfied with my present job
3. I am satisfied with my job for the time being
4. Most days I am enthusiastic about my work
5. I like my job better than the average worker does
6. I find real enjoyment in my work Items denoted with (R) are reverse scored.