research about job satisfaction and work life balance

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Work-life balance, job satisfaction, and job performance of smes employees: the moderating role of family-supportive supervisor behaviors.

• 1 Department of Management, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia
• 2 BRAC Business School, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
• 3 Faculty of Economics and Management, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia

Even though studies on work-life balance and family-supportive supervisor behaviors are prevalent, there are few studies in the SME setting, and the implications are yet unexplained. Thus, the study examines the effect of work-life balance on the performance of employees in SMEs, along with the mediating role of job satisfaction and the moderating role of family-supportive supervisor behaviors. We have developed a conceptually mediated-moderated model for the nexus of work-life balance and job performance. We collected data from SMEs and employed SEM-PLS to test the research hypothesis and model. Empirical results demonstrate that work-life balance positively influences job satisfaction and performance. Our empirical findings also revealed that job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between work-life balance and job performance. We also found that when FSSB interacts with work-life balance and job satisfaction, it moderates the relationship between work-life balance and job performance and job satisfaction and job performance. Hence, our findings provide exciting and valuable insights for research and practice.

Introduction

The importance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the global and national economies is worth mentioning, considering their role in creating employment and contributing to GDP. According to a World Bank (2020) survey on SMEs, the sector accounts for 90% of businesses and 50% of jobs globally. According to the report, this sector contributes more than 40% of GDP and creates 70% employment in developing economies. The SME sector is rapidly expanding in Indonesia, and around 63 million SMEs operate ( Surya et al., 2021 ). Of those, 62 million are classified as medium-sized firms, and 0.75 million are classified as small businesses. SMEs are divided into four categories: household businesses with 1–5 workers; small and medium businesses with 6–19 workers; medium-sized companies with 20–29 workers; and large companies with more than 100 workers ( Badan Pusat Statistik, 2020 ). More importantly, the sector contributes 61.07% of the country’s total GDP and provides 97% of the entire employment ( ILO, 2019 ; Kementerian Koperasi dan UKM Republik Indonesia, 2019 ; Pramono et al., 2021 ).

Given the importance of SMEs in the economy, it is necessary to maintain and sustain the sector’s human resource performance. A strand of the literature highlighted that firm-specific factors and the environment impact employee performance. Another strand of the literature highlighted that the performance of an employee could be influenced by cognitive factors, such as individual quality ( Luthans et al., 2007 ), supervisor support, work-life balance ( Talukder et al., 2018 ), cognitive abilities, personality ( Kanfer and Kantrowitz, 2005 ), leadership, and family supportive supervisor behaviors ( Walumbwa et al., 2010 ; Wang et al., 2013 ; Kim et al., 2015 ). Although all these factors are important determinants, the current study argues that work-life balance and family supportive supervisor behavior are more important than employees’ involvement in every possible business activity of SMEs.

In the SME world, the working hours are different from those in larger firms. SMEs demand longer hours from employees. Therefore, it is difficult for employees to balance work and personal life. Some of the time, they also failed to maintain social and personal life due to high engagement and stress at work. The entanglements between work and family are a significant source of psychological discomfort for employees ( Cegarra-Leiva et al., 2012 ; Lamane-Harim et al., 2021 ). This could lead to job dissatisfaction and poor job performance. Hence, the employee turnover and the intention to quit. On the other hand, Haar et al. (2014) stated that WLB has a positive impact on one’s achievements, including performances. Similarly, increased job satisfaction impacts performance ( Luthans et al., 2007 ; Walumbwa et al., 2010 ). Positive job satisfaction will increase employee capacity, which, if appropriately managed, will have a good impact on the employee’s job performance ( Luthans et al., 2007 ).

However, in the competitive market, being a small team, the SMEs may not be able to afford to lose their skilled and knowledgeable employees as they are involved in product innovation and product sales. In order to facilitate work-life balance, SMEs indeed need to deploy the WLB’s supportive culture. Lamane-Harim et al. (2021) suggest that practices or the introduction of WLBSC could influence job satisfaction and organizational commitment. These factors ultimately determine employee performance in SMEs and their sustainability (e.g., Cuéllar-Molina et al., 2018 ). In the practices of WLBSC, family-supportive supervisor behaviors could play an important role, as family-supportive supervisor behaviors are expected to influence outcomes related to one’s performance ( Wang et al., 2013 ). In previous studies, supportive family supervisor behaviors were associated with job satisfaction and job performance ( Greenhaus et al., 2012 ; Wang et al., 2013 ; Heras et al., 2021 ). Past studies also suggest the mediating role of work-life balance supportive culture in SMEs. However, since the work-life balance supportive culture is a contextual factor and a new introduction into the working environment, it is expected to increase or decrease the extent of the relationship between work-life balance (WLB) and job satisfaction and the relationship between work-life balance (WLB) and job performance. It also raises the question of how moderation affects the existing relationship between work-life balance (WLB) and job satisfaction and the relationship between work-life balance (WLB) and job performance. However, past studies have not investigated the moderating role of family-supportive supervisor behaviors (e.g., Greenhaus et al., 2012 ; Wang et al., 2013 ; Heras et al., 2021 ; Lamane-Harim et al., 2021 ).

Past studies on work-life balance have primarily focused on large firms. Several other studies have recommended more studies of this topic in SMEs ( Lavoie, 2004 ; Cegarra-Leiva et al., 2012 ). Recently, Lamane-Harim et al. (2021) have researched work-life balance and WLBSC on Spanish SMEs. Furthermore, most research analyzing the relationships between WLBSC and employee outcome has been conducted in the United States. Moreover, national culture can also affect the intensity of the link between WLB practices and their effects on employee outcomes ( Spector et al., 2007 ; Poelmans et al., 2005 ; Cegarra-Leiva et al., 2012 ; Lucia-Casademunt et al., 2015 ; Ollier-Malaterre and Foucreault, 2017 ; Putnik et al., 2020 ; Kelley et al., 2021 ). Thus, the current study fills the research gap by examining the moderating role of family-supportive supervisor behaviors on the relationship between work-life balance (WLB) and job satisfaction and the relationship between work-life balance (WLB) and job performance. To fulfill these objectives, a review of the literature is carried out. The research hypotheses are developed, which are examined in an empirical study with a sample of employees of Indonesian SMEs in an industrial sector. The implications arising from the investigation are given in the final part. Henceforth, the current study will be beneficial to the SME sector in Indonesia alongside the literature.

Literature Review

Social exchange theory.

According to the Social Exchange Theory (SET) ( Blau, 1964 ), social exchange relationships rest on the norm of reciprocity ( Gouldner, 1960 ). The theory argues that when one party provides a benefit to another, the recipient tends to reciprocate the favor by offering benefits and favorable treatment to the first party ( Coyle-Shapiro and Shore, 2007 ). In an organizational behavior context, the social exchange theory is frequently used to explain the formation and maintenance of interpersonal relationships between employees and employers regarding reciprocation procedures ( Chen et al., 2005 ; Rawshdeh et al., 2019 ). The theory explains why employees choose to be less or more engaged in their jobs ( Lee and Veasna, 2013 ) and how the organizational support system influences subordinates’ creativity ( Amabile et al., 2004 ) and other positive behavior.

Past studies have argued that when management provides benefits to employees, employees tend to feel indebted to the organization and make more substantial efforts to ensure its well-being and achieve its goal ( Eisenberger et al., 2001 ; Vayre, 2019 ). Several studies found evidence in the work-life balance literature that when organizations or supervisors care about their employees’ personal and professional well-being, employees tend to reciprocate by helping them achieve their goals through improved performance ( Campo et al., 2021 ). Therefore, based on the social exchange theory, this study argues that when organizations take care of the balance between employees’ personal and professional lives, employees’ perceived positive feelings increase their job satisfaction, and they are more inclined to reciprocate the favor through high job performance ( Talukder et al., 2018 ). In such circumstances, the supervisor’s formal and informal support further increases employees’ perceived positive feelings toward the job and strengthens the relationship between work-life balance, job satisfaction, and job performance. We present a conceptual model in Figure 1 , which illustrates the expected causal relationship among study variables.

Figure 1. Conceptual research model.

Job Performance

Employee job performance refers to an employee’s expertise in carrying out their duties in a way that helps the organization achieve its goals ( Luthans et al., 2007 , 2008 ; Nohe et al., 2014 ; Moonsri, 2018 ). It is also defined as an individual’s productivity compared to their coworkers on a variety of job-related behaviors and results ( Babin and Boles, 1998 ; Aeknarajindawat and Jermsittiparsert, 2020 ). Performance is determined by the quality and quantity of work completed as part of an employee’s assigned responsibilities. Employee performance directly influences an organization’s financial and non-financial outcomes ( Anitha, 2014 ). Thus, organizations need high-performing employees to achieve their corporate goals, vision, and mission and gain a competitive advantage ( Thevanes and Mangaleswaran, 2018 ).

A business must have a persistent competitive advantage in the SME context with many competitors to compete with other companies in the same industry. While job stress has been shown to have a significant negative impact on employee performance, work overload, lack of work-life balance, management style, and job insecurity are some of the factors that contribute to increased job stress ( Naqvi et al., 2013 ). Since SMEs need employees to work longer hours, it is possible that SMEs’ employees lack a healthy balance between work and family life, thereby impacting their job performance. Organizations are increasingly focusing on implementing a variety of HR practices and strategies, including work-life balance, on increasing employee job performance, as work-life balance is seen as one of the most important factors influencing job performance ( Thevanes and Mangaleswaran, 2018 ). Previous research found ample evidence that work-life balance is essential to increasing employee job performance ( Preena, 2021 ). Therefore, the role of work-life in influencing SME employees’ job performance should be determined to ensure the industry’s survival.

Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance

Work-life balance refers to balancing one’s professional work, family responsibilities, and other personal activities ( Keelan, 2015 ; Kerdpitak and Jermsittiparsert, 2020 ). It refers to an employee’s sense of a balance between work and personal life ( Haar et al., 2014 ). It represents how people fulfill or should fulfill their business and personal obligations so that an overlapping situation is avoided ( Konrad and Mangel, 2000 ). The changing work patterns and the pressing demand for domestic chores have had an adverse impact on people’s work, social, and family lives ( Barling and Macewen, 1992 ). Therefore, researchers suggested that the human resource management of an organization should develop effective policies such as adequate mentoring, support, flexible working hours, reducing workload, and many others that can reduce employees’ work-life conflict ( Cegarra-Leiva et al., 2012 ) and positively influence their satisfaction ( Allen et al., 2020 ) and performance ( Hughes and Bozionelos, 2007 ).

Work-life balance is one of the most important issues that human resource management should address in organizations ( Abdirahman et al., 2020 ). Regardless of their size, organizations should ensure that employees have adequate time to fulfill their family and work commitments ( Abdirahman et al., 2020 ). A flexible working environment allows employees to balance personal and professional responsibilities ( Redmond et al., 2006 ). Organizations that ignore the issue of work-life balance suffer from reduced productivity and employee performance ( Naithani, 2010 ). Indeed, employees with a healthy work-life balance are generally grateful to their employers ( Roberts, 2008 ). As a result, they put forth their best effort for the company as a gesture of gratitude, resulting in improved job performance ( Ryan and Kossek, 2008 ). Thus, a high work-life balance employee could be highly productive and an excellent performer ( French et al., 2020 ). Thus, based on these discussions and research findings, we developed the following hypothesis:

Hypothesis 1: Work-life balance has a positive effect on job performance.

Previous researchers have argued that satisfaction and success in family life can lead to success and satisfaction at work Victoria et al. (2019) . Employees who are pleased with their personal and professional achievements are more likely to achieve the organizational goal ( Dousin et al., 2019 ). While the work-life conflict has been shown to have a negative impact on employee job performance and satisfaction ( Dousin et al., 2019 ), work-life balance has been found to improve employee satisfaction and job performance in various industries and countries ( Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017 ; Thevanes and Mangaleswaran, 2018 ; Victoria et al., 2019 ; Obrenovic et al., 2020 ; Rini et al., 2020 ; Preena, 2021 ). It is documented that medical doctors’ job satisfaction and performance are influenced by their perceptions of flexible working hours and supportive supervision ( Dousin et al., 2019 ). Besides, there is ample empirical evidence that job satisfaction can positively influence employee job performance ( Krishnan et al., 2018 ; Zhao et al., 2019 ; Abdirahman et al., 2020 ). Based on the above research findings, the following hypotheses have been developed:

Hypothesis 2: Work-life balance has a positive effect on job satisfaction.

Hypothesis 3: Job satisfaction has a positive influence on job performance

Job satisfaction refers to the positive attitude felt by an employee toward the company where they work ( Luthans et al., 2007 ; Tschopp et al., 2014 ). It combines cognitive and affective responses to the disparity between what an employee wants and what they get ( Cranny et al., 1992 ). Previous research has often linked a person’s job satisfaction with their behavior at work ( Crede et al., 2007 ). It is argued that employees would be more committed to their jobs if they found them satisfying and enjoyable ( Noah and Steve, 2012 ). Employee job satisfaction is influenced by an organization’s commitment to work-life balance, and satisfied employees are more likely to invest their time and effort in the development of the organization ( Dousin et al., 2019 ) in exchange for the support they received ( Krishnan et al., 2018 ; Abdirahman et al., 2020 ). Previous research found that employee work-life balance increases employee job performance by positively influencing psychological well-being ( Haider et al., 2017 ). Dousin et al. (2019) found that job satisfaction mediates the relationship between employee work-life balance and job performance in a medical context. Since work-life balance has been seen as an influencer of job satisfaction ( Victoria et al., 2019 ) and job satisfaction influences employee job performance ( Dormann and Zapf, 2001 ; Saari and Judge, 2004 ; Crede et al., 2007 ; Luthans et al., 2007 ; Tschopp et al., 2014 ; Krishnan et al., 2018 ; Zhao et al., 2019 ; Abdirahman et al., 2020 ). Thus, based on the above research findings, this study offers the following hypothesis:

H4: Job satisfaction significantly mediates the relationship between work-life balance and job performance.

Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviors

Hammer et al. (2009) define family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) as the emotional, instrumental, role-modeling, and creative work-family management supportive behaviors that the supervisors provide to ensure employee effectiveness and satisfaction on and off the job. It refers to an employee’s perception of their supervisor’s positive attitude toward them ( Clark et al., 2017 ). Supervisory support could be formal or informal ( Achour et al., 2020 ). It is critical in developing flexible work arrangements ( Suriana et al., 2021 ).

Supervisory supportive behavior is very important for ensuring work-life balance and achieving organizational goals. It has been shown to reduce work-family spillover ( García-Cabrera et al., 2018 ) by increasing employee job satisfaction autonomy and reducing work pressure ( Marescaux et al., 2020 ). The flexibility and independence generated by FSSB help to reduce work-family conflict ( Greenhaus et al., 2012 ) by increasing employees’ control over their work ( Marescaux et al., 2020 ) and allowing them to strike a balance between their work and family life ( Heras et al., 2021 ). Employees who believe their managers care about their personal and professional lives are more likely to improve their performance and meet supervisory objectives ( Rofcanin et al., 2018 ). In a university-based study, Achour et al. (2020) showed how supervisory support positively moderates the relationship between a female academic’s work-family demands and perceived well-being. Kim et al. (2017) show that supervisory support can strengthen the relationship between deep acting and job performance, exacerbating the negative relationship between surface acting and job performance. Therefore, this study argues that, in an organization, when work-life balance is valued, supervisory support might influence employees’ positive perception, and the effect of work-life balance strategies and job satisfaction on job performance will be greater.

Hypothesis 5: Family-supportive supervisor behaviors will strengthen the positive effect of work-life balance on job performance.

Hypothesis 6: Family-supportive supervisor behaviors will strengthen the positive effect of job satisfaction on job performance.

Methods and Results

The current study has adopted a quantitative approach to determine the causal relationship of a phenomenon or problem-solving understudy to see how far the influence of exogenous variables extends to endogenous variables. The current study has also developed and distributed structured questionnaires to around 600 employees who work in SMEs in Indonesia.

To obtain and collect data, the study employed a non-probability method, namely purposive sampling. Purposive sampling is limited to certain types of people who can provide the desired information, maybe because they are the only ones who have it, or perhaps they fit the criteria set by the researcher ( Sekaran and Bougie, 2017 ). The selected sample is employees who work in SMEs that already have an employee recruitment system, have supervisors, and are married. The sample size was taken as many as 400 samples with consideration of the adequacy of the sample statistically to get a power of 0.8 with an alpha of 0.05. The sample was repeated at least five times until 20 items were observed ( Hair et al., 2015 ). The demographic profile of the respondents is presented in Table 1 . The majority of the respondents were male (57%), aged 26–35 (50.5%), had one child (30%), were senior high school graduates (42.5%), and had 2 to 10 years of experience (43.2%). Furthermore, measurements and variables are presented in Table 2 . The construct measurement items are reflective in nature.

Table 1. Characteristics of respondents.

Table 2. Summary for convergent validity and internal consistency reliability.

Empirical Estimations and Results

We employ the Partial Least Square (PLS) method to test hypotheses, considering variables’ direct, indirect, and total effects. PLS was chosen because the method of solving structural equation modeling (SEM) with PLS, which in this case fits the research objectives, is more appropriate than other SEM techniques. PLS is an analytical method that is not based on many assumptions ( Hair et al., 2015 ). Finally, we employ PLS-SEM because of its applicability and effectiveness in both exploratory and confirmatory research and prediction ( Chin and Dibbern, 2010 ; Ringle et al., 2012 ). To cope with missing values, we consider the mean replacement strategy ( Wesarat et al., 2018 ). The parameters of the measurement and structural models are computed in accordance with the recommendations of Hair et al. (2014) . Hypothesis testing is done by looking at the p -value generated by the inner model. This test is carried out by operating bootstrapping on the SmartPLS 3.0 program to obtain the relationship between exogenous and endogenous variables.

Measurement Model Evaluation

The measurement model has been evaluated in this study based on internal consistency, construct validity, and instrument reliability. The composite reliability can be used to assess the reliability of a variable’s indicators. With its indicators, there is a latent loading factor value. The loading factor is the path coefficient that connects the latent variable to the indicator. If an indicator has a composite reliability value greater than 0.6, it can fulfill reliability requirements. Cronbach’s alpha needs to be taken into account in the reliability test using the composite reliability approach. If a value has a Cronbach’s alpha value better than 0.7, it is deemed to be consistent ( Hair et al., 2014 ). Convergent validity testing reveals the average variance extracted value (AVE), which should be greater than 0.6 Hair et al. (2014) . The discriminant validity test is carried out by examining the value of the cross-loading factor and the criterion of the heterotrait-monotrait correlation ratio (HTMT). The HTMT ratio should not exceed 0.85 ( Henseler et al., 2015 ). Finally, the multi-collinearity test focuses on determining if there is a relationship between exogenous variables. The tolerance and variance inflation factor (VIF) values are used to analyze the extent of collinearity. A VIF value of less than 10 indicates the presence of a collinearity-free indicator. Multi-collinearity is not an issue in our study as we used reflective measuring items.

The results of convergent validity and composite reliability are presented in Table 2 . We have observed that Cronbach’s alpha values for the construct lie between 0.820 and 0.907, which are above the cut-off value of 0.6, and all latent variables had Cronbach’s alpha values above 0.7. So, it can be concluded that the construct of our study has met the reliability criteria. Additionally, the indicator loadings range between 0.709 and 0.918, which has been presented in Figure 2 , suggesting good content validity. Furthermore, the AVE value of our study variable is more than 0.50, indicating that convergent validity has been established. Furthermore, the results of discriminant validity are presented in Table 3 . From the Fornell-Lacker Criterion in Panel A of Table 3 , we noted the square roots of the AVE values (bold) are higher than the latent construct correlation. We also found that the HTMT ratio in Panel B of Table 3 between variables was less than 0.85. Henceforth, the Fornell-Lacker Criterion and HTMT ratio indicates the discriminant validity of the construct. In panel C of Table 3 , the correlation between constructs is less than 0.90, showing no multicollinearity issue in the model ( Pallant, 2011 ; Hair et al., 2013 ).

Figure 2. Result of structural model.

Table 3. Discriminant validity and latent variable correlation.

Structural Model Evaluation

Once the measurement model had met all the thresholds, the next step was to test the structural model. The r-square (reliability indicator) for endogenous components can be used to evaluate the structural model. The goal of variance analysis (R2) is to identify how exogenous variables affect endogenous variables. Figure 2 shows that R 2 of 0.44 of job performance indicates that work-life balance, family-supportive supervisor behaviors, and job satisfaction explain 44 percent of the job performance variable, while the remaining 56 percent is explained by outside factors. Job satisfaction’s R 2 of 0.304 indicates that work-life balance, family-supportive supervisor behaviors, and job performance explain 30.4 percent of the job satisfaction variable. In contrast, the remaining 69.6 percent is explained by components other than those explored in this study. The R 2 of the endogenous variables job performance and job satisfaction in our study model is greater than 20%, indicating a good model ( Hair et al., 2014 ).

Hypothesis Testing

For Hypothesis testing, resampling with bootstrapping can be used to compute the statistical t value. This study considered 5,000 sub-sample for bootstrapping and a two-tail significance level with biased correction. The empirical results for hypothesis testing are presented in Figure 2 and Table 4 . Our hypotheses are supported by the empirical results at the significance level of 5%.

Table 4. Results for direct effects, mediating effect, and moderating effect.

Conclusion and Discussion

Theoretical implications.

Employees who have a poor work-life balance suffer from reduced productivity and low employee performance ( Naithani, 2010 ). In contrast, employees with a healthy work-life balance have improved job performance ( Roberts, 2008 ; Ryan and Kossek, 2008 ). In this regard, our findings demonstrate that the direct effect of work-life balance on job performance is significant with a coefficient of 0.152 (T-statistic of 3.007), suggesting a positive relationship between work-life balance and job performance. These empirical results also suggest that the employee’s job performance will also increase with a higher work-life balance. The respondents in the study also commented on their readiness to be flexible at work when needed, and they underlined that they are not ready to sacrifice their personal lives for work. Thus, the empirical findings lend strong support to our hypothesis H1. Our results are in line with the social exchange theory that a balanced proportion of time given by an employee to work-life and life-outside of work will make the employee more productive ( Brough et al., 2008 ; Roberts, 2008 ; Ryan and Kossek, 2008 ; Hofmann and Stokburger-Sauer, 2017 ). In support of the WLB and performance nexus, French et al. (2020) and Haar et al. (2014) stated that a high work-life balance also makes individuals yield to their higher job performance. Therefore, SMEs need to create a work-life balance supportive culture in the organization in order to bring out employees’ best performances, which could lead to better firm performance. The fact is that the entanglements between work and family are a significant source of psychological discomfort for employees ( Cegarra-Leiva et al., 2012 ), which causes poor performance. Additionally, Lamane-Harim et al. (2021) suggested that WLB could lead to better employee outcomes in Spanish SMEs. As a result, both employees and employers must work together to foster a work-life balance-supportive culture in the organization, which is especially difficult in the SME sector.

According to Victoria et al. (2019) , satisfied and prosperous family life could lead to success and satisfaction at work. Therefore, the importance of work-life in employee job satisfaction is indicated in the literature ( Dousin et al., 2019 ). Concerning that affirmation, this study’s evidence demonstrates that the effect of work-life balance on job satisfaction is significant with a coefficient of 0.187 (with a T-statistic value of 2.95), which is indicative of a positive relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction. This finding implies that with a higher work-life balance, the job satisfaction of employees will also increase. Henceforth, the current results are strongly supported by hypothesis H2. These findings are in line with Haar et al. (2014) ; Dousin et al. (2019) , and many others. Their studies also found that work-life balance has a positive effect on job satisfaction; namely, the higher the work-life balance, the higher the job satisfaction of employees. Flexible working hours, given autonomy, and company policies that support the creation of a balance between work and personal life will lead to higher job satisfaction ( French et al., 2020 ). Feeney and Stritch (2019) stated that family-friendly policies and a culture of family support are essential in generating a healthy work climate. Henceforth, job satisfaction will increase. Additionally, creating a family-supporting culture, flexible working hours, and autonomy could not be done in the SME industry as the working environment is different from that of large organizations. However, suppose SMEs take the initiative to create some sort of flexible working hours and give some autonomy depending on their position inside the company. In that case, the employees could be more satisfied, especially if the primary intention is to increase employee productivity and performance. In support of this statement, our findings have found a positive influence of job satisfaction on job performance.

Job satisfaction and job performance are widely studied relationships in HRM and organizational contexts. Most studies have discovered a positive relationship between job satisfaction and job performance ( Dormann and Zapf, 2001 ; Saari and Judge, 2004 ; Crede et al., 2007 ; Luthans et al., 2007 ; Tschopp et al., 2014 ; Krishnan et al., 2018 ; Jermsittiparsert et al., 2019 ; Zhao et al., 2019 ; Abdirahman et al., 2020 ). As expected, in the current context of the study, we also found that the effect of job satisfaction on job performance is significant, with a coefficient of 0.401 (with a T-statistic value of 7.761). Hence, the current empirical findings lend strong support to H3 that job satisfaction will increase job performance. Therefore, in line with the extant studies, we also argue that SMEs should attempt to keep employees satisfied with their jobs so they can generate their best performance. The organizational theory suggests that perceived job satisfaction makes employees more committed toward their jobs, hence better output. In the SME case, work–life balance and a supportive culture could play an important role in making employees more committed and satisfied, which will increase job performance. Our hypothesis rectifies this assertation that H3 work-life balance has positive effects on job satisfaction.

In their study, Haider et al. (2017) have discussed how work-life balance increases employee job performance via influencing psychological well-being. Job satisfaction is one of the main components of psychological well-being at the workplace. Therefore, on the mediating role of job satisfaction, our findings demonstrate that the relationship between work-life balance and job performance is mediated by job satisfaction (with a coefficient of 0.075 and a T-statistic value of 2.64). Since there is a direct relationship between work-life balance and job performance, it can be concluded that the mediation is a partial mediation rather than a full one. Thus, our hypothesis H4 is accepted. The current empirical findings also support the past empirical studies, as Dousin et al. (2019) found the mediation role of job satisfaction between employee work-life balance and job performance in a medical context. Hence, our findings imply that work-life balance improves job performance by increasing job satisfaction.

Family supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) in the organization are about work-family spillover ( García-Cabrera et al., 2018 ) by boosting employee job satisfaction autonomy and minimizing work pressure ( Marescaux et al., 2020 ). Hence, it has been able to increase job satisfaction and performance. In this regard, although we do not hypothesize the direct effect of family-supportive supervisor behaviors, our findings confirm that FSSB positively influences job satisfaction and performance. Therefore, the existence of FSSB is essential to improve employees’ job satisfaction and job performance. Hence, these findings agree with the past studies that present a positive influence of FSSB on job satisfaction and job performance ( Rofcanin et al., 2018 ; Talukder et al., 2018 ; Campo et al., 2021 ). Henceforth, these findings confirm the assertion of social exchange theory and organizational support theory that supervisors’ formal and informal support further increase employees’ attitude toward the job, which improves job satisfaction and job performance ( Talukder et al., 2018 ).

Furthermore, our empirical results indicate that the interaction between FSSB and work-life balance positively affects job performance (with a coefficient of 0.235 and a t-statistic of 5.04). These findings suggest that when FSSB interacts with work-life balance, it attenuates the link between work-life balance and job satisfaction and job performance. As a result, the current findings provide significant support for our hypothesis H5. Kim et al. (2017) discovered that supervisory support could increase the link between deep acting and work performance. On the other hand, Alias (2021) suggest that supervisory support cannot moderate the relationship between flexible work arrangements and employee performance. Our findings, however, offer evidence that contradicts the assertion of Alias (2021) , in which we demonstrated that there could be moderating effects on the relationship between work-life balance and job performance. Hence, our finding adds novel evidence in the area of work-life balance and job performance. Again, these findings reinforce the need for a work–life balance supportive culture in the organization, as it could facilitate supervisory actions to a certain degree in supporting employees’ family and personal life.

Based on hypothesis H5, we concurred on the moderating impact of FSSB on the link between job satisfaction and job performance. We evaluated the moderating influence of FSSB on this relationship. The current study’s empirical findings indicate that the interaction effects of FSSB and work satisfaction on job performance are relatively positive (with a coefficient of 0.206 and a t-statistic of 3.25). These findings suggest that when FSSB interacts with work-life balance and job satisfaction, it moderates the link between work-life balance and job satisfaction and job performance. Hence, the current empirical results verify our claim and offer substantial support for Hypothesis H6. The interaction effects are reasonably sensible in that when employees are satisfied and believe that they will receive the required support from their boss while coping with family or personal concerns. As a result, when the level of belief and job satisfaction rises, so does the level of job commitment and engagement, resulting in higher job performance. In this regard, the current study contributes to the body of evidence on the FSSB’s moderating effects on job satisfaction and performance.

Practical Implications

In support of the WLB-performance nexus, several studies have indicated that an excellent work balance also leads to more extraordinary job performance. Thus, SMEs must foster a work–life balance-friendly culture to bring out the best in their employees, which may contribute to improved business/firm performance. In reality, the entanglements between work and family are a major source of psychological distress for employees, resulting in poor performance. Henceforth, the implementation of various WLB practices is suggested for Indonesian SMEs, particularly those not required by regulation or legal minimum to fulfill the needs of all employees. Furthermore, we also recommend that firms should provide separate WLB practice alternatives for men and women because the impacts of WLB on job satisfaction are varied, as suggested by Lamane-Harim et al. (2021) . Furthermore, family-supportive supervisor behaviors are important for promoting employees’ performance. Therefore, firms and supervisors provide some support to employees to handle and overcome family-related issues. In this regard, our findings emphasized the need to establish a work–life balance supportive culture in the firm as it might assist supervisory activities in supporting workers’ family and personal life to a different extent. In addition, managers may gain useful knowledge to create efficient job systems to improve job performance in SMEs, taking into account the relevance of work-life balance, family supportive supervisor behaviors, and job satisfaction. Individuals in SMEs can increase job performance by balancing their work and personal life. The impact of SMEs on employee work-life balance and performance is a fascinating topic. As a result, work-life balance will have a bigger impact on the organization’s overall performance.

Limitation and Future Research

We propose that this research be expanded into a longitudinal study in the future, providing a greater grasp of the issue. However, the findings may not be generalizable, and the results must be interpreted in light of the evolving context and economic conditions in which the study was done. Additionally, future studies should look into religiosity as a moderator of the relationship between WLB and job satisfaction and performance. It’s important to think about becoming a moderator since employees who have a strong understanding of religion and put it into practice have a good sense of self-control. It could have a different effect when attempting to explain the link between work-life balance and job performance. Stress and anxiety are one of the most essential factors to consider when attempting to explain the link between WLB and job performance. Many employees may feel stressed and anxious about their professional and personal development while working in SMEs. As a result, as moderators in this association, it may be an important aspect to investigate in future research. Finally, future research should look at deviant behavior as a result of work-life balance and job satisfaction. Employees with a poor work-life balance and dissatisfaction are more likely to engage in deviant behavior.

Data Availability Statement

Data will be provided by the first author upon request.

Author Contributions

All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Abdirahman, H. I. H., Najeemdeen, I. S., Abidemi, B. T., and Ahmad, R. (2020). The relationship between job satisfaction, work-life balance and organizational commitment on employee performance. Adv. Business Res. Int. J. 4, 42–52. doi: 10.24191/abrij.v4i1.10081

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Achour, Y., Ouammi, A., Zejli, D., and Sayadi, S. (2020). Supervisory model predictive control for optimal operation of a greenhouse indoor environment coping with food-energy-water nexus. IEEE Access 8, 211562–211575. doi: 10.1109/access.2020.3037222

Aeknarajindawat, N., and Jermsittiparsert, K. (2020). Does organization justice influence the organization citizenship behavior, job satisfaction & organization outcomes? Syst. Rev. Pharm. 11, 489–496.

Google Scholar

Alias, E. S. B. (2021). Supervisor support as a moderator between flexible working arrangement and job performance–Malaysia evidence. Turk. J. Comput. Math. Educ. 12, 525–539.

Allen, T. D., French, K. A., Dumani, S., and Shockley, K. M. (2020). A cross-national meta-analytic examination of predictors and outcomes associated with work–family conflict. J. Appl. Psychol. 105, 539–576. doi: 10.1037/apl0000442

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Amabile, T. M., Schatzel, E. A., Moneta, G. B., and Kramer, S. J. (2004). Leader behaviors and the work environment for creativity: perceived leader support. Leadersh. Q. 15, 5–32. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2003.12.003

Anitha, J. (2014). Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance. Int. J. Product. Perform. Manag. 63, 308–323. doi: 10.1108/ijppm-01-2013-0008

Babin, B. J., and Boles, J. S. (1998). Employee behavior in a service environment: a model and test of potential differences between men and women. J. Market. 62, 77–91. doi: 10.2307/1252162

Badan Pusat Statistik (2020). Statistik Indonesia dalam Infografis 2020. Jakarta: Badan Pusat Statistik.

Barling, J., and Macewen, K. E. (1992). Linking work experiences to facets of marital functioning. J. Organ. Behav. 13, 573–583. doi: 10.1002/job.4030130604

Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and Power in Social Life. New York, NY: Wiley.

Bosch, M. J., Heras, M., Las, Russo, M., Rofcanin, Y., and Grau i Grau, M. (2018). How context matters: the relationship between family supportive supervisor behaviours and motivation to work moderated by gender inequality. J. Busi. Res. 82, 46–55. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.08.026

Brough, P., Holt, J., Bauld, R., Biggs, A., and Ryan, C. (2008). The ability of work-life balance policies to influence key social/organisational issues. Asia Pac. J. Hum. Resour. 46, 261–274. doi: 10.1177/1038411108095758.

Campo, A. M. D. V., Avolio, B., and Carlier, S. I. (2021). The relationship between telework, job performance, work–life balance and family supportive supervisor behaviours in the context of COVID-19. Glob. Bus. Rev. [Epub ahead of print].

Cegarra-Leiva, D., Sánchez-Vidal, M. E., and Cegarra-Navarro, J. G. (2012). Work life balance and the retention of managers in Spanish SMEs. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 23, 91–108. doi: 10.1080/09585192.2011.610955

Chen, Z. X., Aryee, S., and Lee, C. (2005). Test of a mediation model of perceived organizational support. J. Vocation. Behav. 66, 457–470. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2004.01.001

Chin, W. W., and Dibbern, J. (2010). “An introduction to a permutation based procedure for multi-group PLS analysis: results of tests of differences on simulated data and a cross cultural analysis of the sourcing of information system services between Germany and the USA,” in Handbook of Partial Least Squares , eds V. Esposito Vinzi, W. Chin, J. Henseler, and H. Wang (Berlin: Springer), 171–193. doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-32827-8_8

Clark, M. A., Rudolph, C. W., Zhdanova, L., Michel, J. S., and Baltes, B. B. (2017). Organizational support factors and work–family outcomes: exploring gender differences. J. Fam. Issues 38, 1520–1545. doi: 10.1177/0192513x15585809

Coyle-Shapiro, J. A., and Shore, L. M. (2007). The employee–organization relationship: where do we go from here? Hum. Resour. Manag. Rev. 17, 166–179. doi: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2007.03.008

Cranny, C. J., Smith, P. C., and Stone, E. (1992). Job satisfaction: how people feel about their jobs. Pers. Psychol. 46, 365–472.

Crede, M., Chernyshenko, O. S., Stark, S., Dalal, R. S., and Bashshur, M. (2007). Job satisfaction as mediator: an assessment of job satisfaction’s position within the nomological network. J. Occup. Organ. Psychol. 80, 515–538. doi: 10.1348/096317906x136180

Cuéllar-Molina, D., García-Cabrera, A. M., and Lucia-Casademunt, A. M. (2018). Is the institutional environment a challenge for the well-being of female managers in Europe? The mediating effect of work–life balance and role clarity practices in the workplace. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 15:1813. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15091813

Direnzo, M. S., Greenhaus, J. H., and Weer, C. H. (2015). Relationship between protean career orientation and work-life balance: a resource perspective. J. Organ. Behav. 36, 538–560. doi: 10.1002/job.1996

Dormann, C., and Zapf, D. (2001). Job satisfaction: a meta-analysis of stabilities. J. Organ. Behav. 22, 483–504. doi: 10.1002/job.98

Dousin, O., Collins, N., and Kaur Kler, B. (2019). Work-life balance, employee job performance and satisfaction among doctors and nurses in Malaysia. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Stud. 9, 306–319. doi: 10.5296/ijhrs.v9i4.15697

Eisenberger, R., Armeli, S., Rexwinkel, B., Lynch, P. D., and Rhoades, L. (2001). Reciprocation of perceived organizational support. J. Appl. Psychol. 86, 42–51. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.42

Feeney, M. K., and Stritch, J. M. (2019). Family-friendly policies, gender, and work–life balance in the public sector. Rev. Public Pers. Adm. 39, 422–448. doi: 10.1177/0734371X17733789

French, K. A., Allen, T. D., Miller, M. H., Kim, E. S., and Centeno, G. (2020). Faculty time allocation in relation to work-family balance, job satisfaction, commitment, and turnover intentions. J. Vocat. Behav. 120:103443. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103443

García-Cabrera, A. M., Lucia-Casademunt, A. M., Cuéllar-Molina, D., and Padilla-Angulo, L. (2018). Negative work-family/family-work spillover and well-being across Europe in the hospitality industry: the role of perceived supervisor support. Tour. Manag. Perspect. 26, 39–48. doi: 10.1016/j.tmp.2018.01.006

Gouldner, A. (1960). The norm of reciprocity, american sociological review. Am. Sociol. Rev. 25, 161–178. doi: 10.2307/2092623

Greenhaus, J. H., Ziegert, J. C., and Allen, T. D. (2012). When family-supportive supervision matters: relations between multiple sources of support and work-family balance. J. Vocat. Behav. 80, 266–275. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2011.10.008

Haar, J. M., Russo, M., Suñe, A., and Ollier-Malaterre, A. (2014). Outcomes of work-life balance on job satisfaction, life satisfaction and mental health: a study across seven cultures. J. Vocat. Behav. 85, 361–373. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2014.08.010

Haider, S., Jabeen, S., and Ahmad, J. (2017). Moderated mediation between work life balance and employee job performance: the role of psychological wellbeing and satisfaction with co-workers. Rev. Psicol. Trabajo Organ. 34, 1–24.

Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., and Sarstedt, M. (2013). Partial least squares structural equation modeling: rigorous applications, better results and higher acceptance. Long Range Plan. 46, 1–12. doi: 10.1016/j.lrp.2013.01.001

Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., and Kuppelwieser, V. G. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): an emerging tool in business research. Eur. Bus. Rev. 26, 106–121. doi: 10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128

Hair, J., Wolfinbarger, M., Money, A. H., Samouel, P., and Page, M. J. (2015). Essentials of Business Research Methods. Abingdon: Routledge.

Hammer, L. B., Kossek, E. E., Yragui, N. L., Bodner, T. E., and Hanson, G. C. (2009). Development and validation of a multidimensional measure of family supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB). J. Manag. 35, 837–856. doi: 10.1177/0149206308328510

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., and Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. J. Acad. Mark. Sci. 43, 115–135. doi: 10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8

Heras, M. L., Rofcanin, Y., Escribano, P. I., Kim, S., and Mayer, M. C. J. (2021). Family-supportive organisational culture, work–family balance satisfaction and government effectiveness: evidence from four countries. Hum. Resour. Manag. J. 31, 454–475. doi: 10.1111/1748-8583.12317

Hofmann, V., and Stokburger-Sauer, N. E. (2017). The impact of emotional labor on employees’ work-life balance perception and commitment: a study in the hospitality industry. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 65, 47–58. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.06.003

Hughes, J., and Bozionelos, N. (2007). Work-life balance as source of job dissatisfaction and withdrawal attitudes: an exploratory study on the views of male workers. Pers. Rev. 36, 145–154. doi: 10.1108/00483480710716768

ILO (2019). Financing Small Businesses in Indonesia: Challenges and Opportunities/International Labour Office. Jakarta: ILO.

Jermsittiparsert, K., Suan, C., and Kaliappen, N. (2019). The mediating role of organizational commitment and the moderating role of perceived organizational support in the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance of educationists in public sector institutes of Thailand. Int. J. Innov. Creat. Change 6, 150–171.

Kanfer, R., and Kantrowitz, T. M. (2005). “Ability and non-ability predictors of job performance,” in Psychological Management of Individual Performance , ed. S. Sonnentag (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd), 27–50. doi: 10.1002/0470013419.ch2

Keelan, R. (2015). A M ā ori perspective on well-being. He Kupu 4:15.

Kelley, H. H., LeBaron-Black, A., Hill, E. J., and Meter, D. (2021). Perceived family and partner support and the work-family interface: a meta-analytic review. Rev. Psicol. Trabajo Organ. 37, 143–155. doi: 10.5093/jwop2021a15

Kementerian Koperasi dan UKM Republik Indonesia (2019). Laporan Kinerja Kementerian Koperasi dan UKM Tahun 2019. Jakarta: Kementerian Koperasi dan UKM Republik Indonesia.

Kerdpitak, C., and Jermsittiparsert, K. (2020). The effects of workplace stress, work-life balance on turnover intention: an empirical evidence from pharmaceutical industry in Thailand. Syst. Rev. Pharm. 11, 586–594.

Kim, H. J., Hur, W. M., Moon, T. W., and Jun, J. K. (2017). Is all support equal? The moderating effects of supervisor, coworker, and organizational support on the link between emotional labor and job performance. BRQ Bus. Res. Q. 20, 124–136. doi: 10.1016/j.brq.2016.11.002

Kim, T. Y., Liu, Z., and Diefendorff, J. M. (2015). Leader-member exchange and job performance: the effects of taking charge and organizational tenure. J. Organ. Behav. 36, 216–231. doi: 10.1002/job.1971

Konrad, A. M., and Mangel, R. (2000). The impact of work-life programs on firm productivity. Strateg. Manag. J. 21, 1225–1237. doi: 10.1002/1097-0266(200012)21:12<1225::aid-smj135>3.0.co;2-3

Krishnan, R., Loon, K. W., and Tan, N. Z. (2018). The effects of job satisfaction and work-life balance on employee task performance. Int. J. Acad. Res. Bus. Soc. Sci. 8, 652–662. doi: 10.1186/s12913-016-1423-5

Lamane-Harim, J., Cegarra-Leiva, D., and Sánchez-Vidal, M. E. (2021). Work–life balance supportive culture: a way to retain employees in Spanish SMEs. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. [Epub ahead of print].

Lavoie, A. (2004). Work-life balance and SMEs: avoiding the “One-Size-Fits-All” trap. CFIB Res. 1–13.

Lee, L. Y., and Veasna, S. (2013). The effects of social exchange perspective on employee creativity: a multilevel investigation. Psychol. Res. 3:660.

Lucia-Casademunt, A. M., García-Cabrera, A. M., and Cuéllar-Molina, D. G. (2015). National culture, work-life balance and employee well-being in European tourism firms?: the moderating effect of uncertainty avoidance values. Tour. Manage. Stud. 11, 62–69.

Luthans, F., Avolio, B. J., Avey, J. B., and Norman, S. M. (2007). Positive psychological capital: measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction. Pers. Psychol. 60, 541–572. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00083.x

Luthans, F., Norman, S. M., Avolio, B. J., and Avey, J. B. (2008). The mediating role of psychological capital in the supportive organizational climate—employee performance relationship. J. Organ. Behav. 29, 219–238.

Marescaux, E., Rofcanin, Y., Las Heras, M., Ilies, R., and Bosch, M. J. (2020). When employees and supervisors (do not) see eye to eye on family supportive supervisor behaviours: the role of segmentation desire and work-family culture. J. Vocat. Behav. 121:103471. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103471

Mendis, M. D. V. S., and Weerakkody, W. A. S. (2017). The impact of work life balance on employee performance with reference to telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka: a mediation model. Kelaniya J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 12, 72–100. doi: 10.4038/kjhrm.v12i1.42

Moonsri, K. (2018). The influence of job satisfaction affecting organizational commitment of the small and medium business employee. Asian Administr. Manag. Rev. 1, 138–146. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.689511

Naithani, D. (2010). Overview of work-life balance discourse and its relevance in current economic scenario. Asian Soc. Sci. 6, 148–155.

Naqvi, S. M. H., Khan, M. A., Kant, A. Q., and Khan, S. N. (2013). Job stress and employees’ productivity: case of Azad Kashmir public health sector. Interdiscip. J. Contemp. Res. Bus. 5, 525–542.

Noah, Y., and Steve, M. (2012). Work environment and job attitude among employees in a Nigerian work organization. J. Sustain. Soc. 1, 36–43.

Nohe, C., Michel, A., and Sonntag, K. (2014). Family-work conflict and job performance: a diary study of boundary conditions and mechanisms. J. Organ. Behav. 35, 339–357. doi: 10.1002/job.1878

Obrenovic, B., Jianguo, D., Khudaykulov, A., and Khan, M. A. S. (2020). Work-family conflict impact on psychological safety and psychological well-being: a job performance model. Front. Psychol. 11:475. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00475

Ollier-Malaterre, A., and Foucreault, A. (2017). Cross-national work-life research: cultural and structural impacts for individuals and organizations. J. Manage. 43, 111–136. doi: 10.1177/0149206316655873

Pallant, J. (2011). SPSS Survival Manual: A Step by Step guide To Data Analysis Using SPSS. Journal of Advanced Nursing , 4 Edn, Vol. 3rd. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Poelmans, S., O’Driscoll, M., and Beham, B. (2005). “An overview of international research on the work-family interface,” in Work and Family: An International Research Perspective , ed. S. A. Y. Poelmans (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers), 3–46. doi: 10.4324/9781410612601

Pramono, R., Sondakh, L. W., Bernarto, I., Juliana, J., and Purwanto, A. (2021). Determinants of the small and medium enterprises progress: a case study of SME entrepreneurs in Manado, Indonesia. J. Asian Finance Econ. Bus. 8, 881–889.

Preena, R. (2021). Impact of work-life balance on employee performance: an empirical study on a shipping company in Sri Lanka. Int. J. Glob. Bus. Manag. Res. 10, 48–73.

Putnik, K., Houkes, I., Jansen, N., Nijhuis, F., and Kant, I. (2020). Work-home interface in a cross-cultural context: a framework for future research and practice. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manage. 31, 1645–1662. doi: 10.1080/09585192.2017.1423096

Rawshdeh, Z. A., Makhbul, Z. K. M., Shah, N. U., and Susanto, P. (2019). Impact of perceived socially responsible-HRM practices on employee deviance behavior. Int. J. Bus. Manag. Sci. 9, 447–466.

Redmond, J., Valiulis, M., and Drew, E. (2006). Literature Review of Issues Related to Work-Life Balance, Workplace Culture and Maternity/Childcare Issues. Dublin: Crisis Pregnancy Agency.

Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., and Straub, D. W. (2012). Editor’s comments: A critical look at the use of PLS-SEM in “MIS Quarterly”. J. Educ. Bus. 36, iii–xiv. doi: 10.2307/41410402

Rini, R., Yustina, A. I., and Santosa, S. (2020). How work family conflict, work-life balance, and job performance connect: evidence from auditors in public accounting firms. J. ASET 12, 144–154.

Roberts, E. (2008). Time and work-life balance: the roles of “temporal customization” and “life temporality.”. Gend. Work Organ. 15, 430–453. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0432.2008.00412.x

Rofcanin, Y., de Jong, J. P., Las Heras, M., and Kim, S. (2018). The moderating role of prosocial motivation on the association between family-supportive supervisor behaviours and employee outcomes. J. Vocat. Behav. 107, 153–167. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2018.04.001

Ryan, A. M., and Kossek, E. E. (2008). Work-life policy implementation: breaking down or creating barriers to inclusiveness? Hum. Resour. Manag. 47, 295–310. doi: 10.1002/hrm.20213

Saari, L. M., and Judge, T. A. (2004). Employee attitudes and job satisfaction. Hum. Resour. Manag. 43, 395–407. doi: 10.1002/hrm.20032

Sekaran, U., and Bougie, R. (2017). Metode Penelitian Bisnis, Edisi 6 Buku 2. Jakarta: Salemba Empat.

Spector, P. E., Allen, T. D., Poelmans, S. A. Y., Lapierre, L. M., Cooper, C. L., Michael, O., et al. (2007). Cross-national differences in relationships of work demands, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions with work-family conflict. Pers. Psychol. 60, 805–835. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00092.x

Suriana, E., Razak, A. Z. A. A., Hudin, N. S., and Sharif, S. (2021). Supervisor Support as a moderator between flexible working arrangement and job performance- Malaysia evidence. Turk. J. Comput. Math. Educ. 12, 525–539.

Surya, B., Menne, F., Sabhan, H., Suriani, S., Abubakar, H., and Idris, M. (2021). Economic growth, increasing productivity of SMEs, and open innovation. J. Open Innov. Technol. Mark. Complex. 7:20. doi: 10.3390/joitmc7010020

Talukder, A. K. M., Vickers, M., and Khan, A. (2018). Supervisor support and work-life balance: impacts on job performance in the Australian financial sector. Personnel Rev. 47, 727–744. doi: 10.1108/pr-12-2016-0314

Thevanes, N., and Mangaleswaran, T. (2018). Relationship between work-life balance and job performance of employees. IOSR J. Bus. Manag. 20, 11–16.

Tschopp, C., Grote, G., and Gerber, M. (2014). How career orientation shapes the job satisfaction-turnover intention link. J. Organ. Behav. 35, 151–171. doi: 10.1002/job.1857

Vayre, É (2019). Impacts of telework on the worker and his professional, family and social spheres. Le Travail Humain 82, 1–39.

Victoria, A. O., Olive, E. U., Babatunde, A. H., and Nanle, M. (2019). Work-life balance and employee performance: a study of selected peposit money banks in Lagos State, Nigeria. J. Soc. Sci. Res. 5, 1787–1795. doi: 10.32861/jssr.512.1787.1795

Walumbwa, F. O., Peterson, S. J., Avolio, B. J., and Hartnell, C. A. (2010). An investigation of the relationships among leader and follower psychological capital, service climate, and job performance. Pers. Psychol. 63, 937–963. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2010.01193.x

Wang, P., Walumbwa, F. O., Wang, H., and Aryee, S. (2013). Unraveling the relationship between family-supportive supervisor and employee performance. Group Organ. Manag. 38, 258–287. doi: 10.1177/1059601112472726

Wesarat, P. O., Majid, A. H., Shari, M. Y., Khaidir, A., and Susanto, P. (2018). Mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between work-life balance and job performance among academics: data screening. Int. J. Eng. Technol. 7, 214–216.

World Bank (2020). Small and Medium Enterprises Finance. Available online at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/smefinance (accessed January 10, 2022).

Zhao, K., Zhang, M., Kraimer, M. L., and Yang, B. (2019). Source attribution matters: mediation and moderation effects in the relationship between work-to-family conflict and job satisfaction. J. Organ. Behav. 40, 492–505. doi: 10.1002/job.2345

Keywords : work-life balance, job satisfaction, job performance, family-supportive supervisor behaviors, Indonesia

Citation: Susanto P, Hoque ME, Jannat T, Emely B, Zona MA and Islam MA (2022) Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance of SMEs Employees: The Moderating Role of Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors. Front. Psychol. 13:906876. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.906876

Received: 29 March 2022; Accepted: 27 April 2022; Published: 21 June 2022.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2022 Susanto, Hoque, Jannat, Emely, Zona and Islam. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Mohammad Enamul Hoque, [email protected]

† These authors have contributed equally to this work and share first authorship

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

To read this content please select one of the options below:

Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, the relationship between work–life balance and job satisfaction: moderating role of training and development and work environment.

Journal of Advances in Management Research

ISSN : 0972-7981

Article publication date: 14 September 2021

Issue publication date: 1 April 2022

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between work–life balance (WLB) and job stress, job commitment and job satisfaction. Further, the role of work environment and training and development as moderators in the relationship between WLB and its consequences is investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a structured survey instrument, this paper gathered data from 331 respondents working in a transportation company in southern part of India. After checking the psychometric properties of the structured survey instrument, the authors analyzed data using hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling.

The hierarchical regression results indicated that WLB is (1) negatively related to job stress, (2) positively related to job satisfaction and (3) positively related to job commitment. The results also indicated that (1) job stress is negatively related to job satisfaction, and (2) job commitment is positively related to job satisfaction. The results also support that work environment is a moderator in the relationship between (1) WLB and job stress, and (2) WLB and job satisfaction. Results also documented that training and development is a moderator in the relationship between (1) job stress and job satisfaction, and (2) job commitment and job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

Since the present research is based on self-report measures, the limitations of common method bias and social desirability are inherent. However, the authors have taken sufficient care to minimize these limitations. The research has implications for managers in work organizations.

Practical implications

This study contributes to both literature on human resource management and practicing managers. The study suggests that employers need to be aware of the importance of WLB and invest moneys into training and development programs. Results also suggest maintaining congenial work environment to help employees maintain balance between work and life.

Social implications

The study is expected to contribute to the welfare of the society in terms of identifying the consequences of WLB.

Originality/value

This study provides new insights about the consequences of WLB through moderating role of training and development and work environment. To the authors’ knowledge, this is a conceptual model developed and tested and first of its kind in India.

• Work–life balance
• Job satisfaction
• Job commitment
• Training and development
• Work environment

Acknowledgements

The authors want to thank the editor Editor-in-Chief Professor Surendra S. Yadav, Executive Editor Professor Ravi Shankar, Associate Editor Professor Shveta Singh, and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions that improved the quality of the manuscript.

Aruldoss, A. , Berube Kowalski, K. , Travis, M.L. and Parayitam, S. (2022), "The relationship between work–life balance and job satisfaction: moderating role of training and development and work environment", Journal of Advances in Management Research , Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 240-271. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-01-2021-0002

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles

All feedback is valuable.

Please share your general feedback

Report an issue or find answers to frequently asked questions

Contact Customer Support

Work–Life Balance: Definitions, Causes, and Consequences

• Reference work entry
• First Online: 17 September 2022
• Cite this reference work entry

• Paula Brough 4 ,
• Carolyn Timms 5 ,
• Xi Wen Chan 6 ,
• Amy Hawkes 7 &
• Laura Rasmussen 7  

Part of the book series: Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences ((HDBSOHS))

6420 Accesses

34 Citations

1 Altmetric

This chapter reviews the multiple definitions of work–life balance, including definitions focused on the equity of time spent in the work and non-work domains, satisfaction with performance/time spent in each domain, and the salience of each role for an individual. There is a general consensus that a preferred definition should focus on work– life rather than work- family , in order to include non-family responsibilities and demands, such as study or travel commitments. The chapter also discusses the common antecedents and consequences of work–life balance arising from both work and non-work domains. These include work demands and resources, family demands and resources, and personality antecedents including evidence associating psychological capital constructs with work–life balance. Finally, this chapter considers the future directions for work–life balance research, focusing on technological advancements (e.g., Fitbits) and individual levels of mindfulness and resilience. The chapter concludes by noting the increasing evidence linking employee appointments and retention with an organization’s positive work–life balance culture.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save.

• Get 10 units per month
• Download Article/Chapter or eBook
• 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
• Cancel anytime
• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Durable hardcover edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Work-Life Balance: an Integrative Review

Work-life balance: a quality-of-life model.

Allen T (2013) The work-family interface: a synthesis of research from industrial and organizational psychology. In: Weiner I (ed) Handbook of psychology, vol 12, 2nd edn. Wiley, Hoboken, pp 698–718

Google Scholar  

Allen TD, Kiburz KM (2012) Trait mindfulness and work–family balance among working parents: The mediating effects of vitality and sleep quality. J Vocat Behav 80(2):372–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.09.002

Article   Google Scholar  

Aryee S, Srinivas ES, Tan HH (2005) Rhythms of life: antecedents and outcomes of work–family balance in employed parents. J Appl Psychol 90(1):132–146

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2019) Australia’s welfare 2019 in brief. Retrieved from Canberra: https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/795385cc-6493-45c9-b341-7ddf6006d518/aihw-aus-227.pdf.aspx?inline=true

Barley SR, Meyerson DE, Grodal S (2011) E-mail as a source and symbol of stress. Organ Sci 22(4):887–906. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1100.0573

Binnewies C, Sonnentag S, Mojza EJ (2010) Recovery during the weekend and fluctuations in weekly job performance: a four-week longitudinal study examining intra-individual relationships. J Occup Organ Psychol 83:419–441

Brough P, Biggs A (2015) Job demands x job control interaction effects: do occupation-specific job demands increase their occurrence? Stress Health 31(2):138–149. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2537

Brough P, O’Driscoll M (2005) Work-family conflict and stress. In: Antoniou A, Cooper C (eds) Research companion to organizational Health Psychology. Edward Elgar Publisher, Cheltenham, pp 346–365

Brough P, O’Driscoll M (2010) Organisational interventions for balancing work and home demands: an overview. Work & Stress 24:280–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2010.506808

Brough P, O’Driscoll M, Kalliath T (2005) The ability of ‘family friendly’ organisational resources to predict work-family conflict and job and family satisfaction. Stress Health 21:223–234. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1059

Brough P, O’Driscoll MP, Kalliath TJ (2007) Work-family conflict and facilitation: achieving work-family balance. In: Glendon AI, Thompson BM, Myors B (ed) Advances in organisational psychology. Australian Academic Press, Brisbane. 73–92

Brough P, O’Driscoll MP, Biggs A (2009) Parental leave and work-family balance among employed parents following childbirth: an exploratory investigation in Australia and New Zealand. Kotuitui: N Z J Soc Sci Online 4:71–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/1177083X.2009.9522445

Brough P, Hassan Z, O’Driscoll MP (2014a) Work life enrichment. In: Dollard M, Shimazu A, Bin Nordin R, Brough P, Tuckey M (eds) Psychosocial factors at work in the Asia Pacific. Springer, London, pp 323–336

Brough P, Timms C, O’Driscoll MP, Kalliath T, Siu OL, Sit C, Lo D (2014b) Work–life balance: a longitudinal evaluation of a new measure across Australia and New Zealand workers. Int J Hum Resour Manag 25(19):2724–2744

Brown KW, Ryan RM (2003) The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological Well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol 84(4):822–848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822

Carlson DS, Kacmar K, Williams L (2000) Construction and initial validation of a multidimensional measure of work/family conflict. J Vocat Behav 56(2):249–276

Carlson DS, Kacmar KM, Wayne JH, Grzywacz JG (2006) Measuring the positive side of the work-family interface: development and validation of a work-family enrichment scale. J Vocat Behav 68(1):131–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.02.002

Carney T, Stanford J (2018) The dimensions of insecure work: a Factbook. Retrieved from Canberra: https://www.tai.org.au/sites/default/files/Insecure_Work_Factbook.pdf

Casper WJ, Vasziri H, Wayne J, DeHauw S, Greenhaus J (2018) The jingle-jangle of work-nonwork balance: a comprehensive and meta-analytic review of its meaning and measurement. J Appl Psychol 103(2):182–214

Chan XW, Kalliath T, Brough P, Siu OL, O’Driscoll MP, Timms C (2016) Work–family enrichment and satisfaction: the mediating role of self-efficacy and work–life balance. Int J Hum Resour Manag 27(15):1755–1776

Chan XW, Kalliath T, Brough P, O’Driscoll M, Siu OL, Timms C (2017) Self-efficacy and work engagement: test of a chain model. Int J Manpow 38(6):819–834

Danziger A, Waters Booth S (2008) Lower-wage workers and flexible work arrangements. Retrieved from Washington D.C. https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=legal

Day A, Scott N, Kelloway KE (2010) Information and communication technology: Implications for job stress and employee well-being. In: New developments in theoretical and conceptual approaches to job stress . Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp 317–350

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Duxbury L, Higgins C (2001) Work–life balance in the new millennium: Where are we? Where do we need to go? CPRN, Ottawa

Eby LT, Allen TD, Conley KM, Williamson RL, Henderson TG, Mancini VS (2017) Mindfulness-based training interventions for employees: a qualitative review of the literature. Hum Res Manage Rev. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.03.004

Ferguson M, Carlson D, Zivnuska S, Whitten D (2012) Support at work and home: the path to satisfaction through balance. J Vocat Behav 80(2):299–307

Franklin N (writer). (2010) The rise and fall of the 8 hour day: part one. In Raynor M (producer), Hindsight. Australian Broadcasting commission, Melbourne

Fritz C, Sonnentag S, Spector PE, McInroe JA (2010) The weekend matters: relationships between stress recovery and affective experiences. J Organ Behav 31(8):1137–1162. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.672

Gini A (1998) Work, identity and self: how we are formed by the work we do. J Bus Ethics 17(7):707–714

Goode WJ (1960) A theory of role strain. Am Psychol Rev 25:483–496

Green P, Skinner D (2005) Does time management training work? An evaluation. Int J Train Dev 9(2):124–139

Greenhaus JH, Allen TD (2011) Work–family balance: a review and extension of the literature. In: Handbook of occupational Health Psychology, 2nd edn. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, pp 165–183

Greenhaus JH, Collins KM, Shaw JD (2003) The relation between work–family balance and quality of life. J Vocat Behav 63(3):510–531

Greenhaus JH, Ziegert JC, Allen TD (2012) When family-supportive supervision matters: relations between multiple sources of support and work–family balance. J Vocat Behav 80(2):266–275

Grzywacz JG, Carlson DS (2007) Conceptualizing work—family balance: Implications for practice and research. Adv Dev Hum Res 9(4):455–471

Haar JM, Sune A, Russo M, Ollier-Malaterre A (2018) A cross-national study on the antecedents of work–life balance from the fit and balance perspective. Social Indicators Research .:Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-1875-6

Halbesleben JR, Neveu JP, Paustian-Underdahl SC, Westman M (2014) Getting to the “COR” understanding the role of resources in conservation of resources theory. J Manag 40(5):1334–1364

Halpern DF, Murphy SE (2005) From work–family balance to work–family interaction: changing the metaphor. Erlbaum Publishers, Mahwah

Hill EJ, Hawkins AJ, Ferris M, Weitzman M (2001) Finding an extra day a week: the positive influence of perceived job flexibility on work and family life balance. Fam Relat 50(1):49–58

Hobfoll SE (1988) The ecology of stress. Hemisphere, New York

Kalliath T, Brough P (2008a) Work–life balance: a review of the meaning of the balance construct. J Manag Organ 14(3):323–327

Kalliath T, Brough P (2008b) Achieving work-life balance. J Manage Org 14(3):224–226

Kanter RM (1977) Work and family in the United States: a critical review and agenda for research and policy. Russell Sage Foundation, New York

Keeney J, Boyd E, Sinha R, Westring A, Ryan A (2013) From “work-family” to “work-life”: broadening our conceptualization and measurement. J Vocat Behav 82(3):221–237

Kim HK (2014) Work–life balance and employees’ performance: the mediating role of affective commitment. Glob Bus Manag Res 6(1):37–51

Kirchmeyer C (2000) Work–life initiatives: greed or benevolence regarding workers’ time? In: Cooper CL, Rousseau DM (eds) Trends in organizational behavior: time in organizational behavior, vol 7. Wiley, Chichester, pp 79–94

Kossek EE, Lautsch BA (2012) Work–family boundary management styles in organizations: a cross-level model. Organ Psychol Rev 2(2):152–171

Lappegard T, Goldscheider F, Bernhardt E (2017) Introduction to the special collection on finding work-life balance: history, determinants, and consequences of new breadwinning models of the industrialized world. Demogr Res 37(26):853–865

LePine JA, Podsakoff NP, LePine MA (2005) A meta-analytic test of the challenge stressor–hindrance stressor framework: an explanation for inconsistent relationships among stressors and performance. Acad Manag J 48(5):764–775

Lupton D (2018) Digital health. Routledge, London

Marks SR (1977) Multiple roles and role strain: some notes on human energy, time and commitment. Am Sociol Rev 42:921–936

Marks SR, MacDermid SM (1996) Multiple roles and the self: a theory of role balance. J Marriage Fam 58:417–432. https://doi.org/10.2307/353506

Matthews RA, Barnes-Farrell JL, Bulger CA (2010) Advancing measurement of work–family boundary characteristics. J Vocat Behav 77(3):447–460

May DR, Gilson RL, Harter LM (2004) The psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability and the engagement of the human spirit at work. J Occup Organ Psychol 77:11–37

Michel A, Bosch C, Rexroth M (2014) Mindfulness as a cognitive–emotional segmentation strategy: an intervention promoting work–life balance. J Occup Organ Psychol 87(4):733–754

Milkie MA, Kendig SM, Nomaguchi KM, Denny KE (2010) Time with children, children’s Well-being, and work–family balance among employed parents. J Marriage Fam 72(5):1329–1343

Montez J, Sabbath E, Glymour M, Berkman L (2014) Trends in work-family context among U.S. women by education level, 1976–2011. Popul Res Policy Rev 33:629–648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-013-9315-4

Neal MB, Hammer LB (2017) Working couples caring for children and aging parents: effects on work and Well-being. Psychology Press, New York

Book   Google Scholar  

O’Driscoll M, Brough P, Kalliath T (2004) Work-family conflict, psychological Well-being, satisfaction and social support: a longitudinal study in New Zealand. Equal Oppor Int 23:36–56. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610150410787846

O’Driscoll M, Brough P, Kalliath T (2006) Work-family conflict and facilitation. In: Jones F, Burke RJ, Westman M (eds) Work-life balance: A psychological perspective . Psychology Press, Hove, pp 117–142

O’Driscoll M, Brough P, Timms C, Sawang S (2010) Engagement with information and communication technology and psychological well-being. In: Perrewé PL, Ganster DC (eds) New developments in theoretical and conceptual approaches to job stress , vol 8. Emerald, Bingley, pp 269–316

Russo M, Shteigman A, Carmeli A (2016) Workplace and family support and work–life balance: implications for individual psychological availability and energy at work. J Posit Psychol 11(2):173–188

Sieber SD (1974) Toward a theory of role accumulation. Am Sociol Rev 39(4):567–578

Siu OL (2013) Psychological capital, work Well-being, and work–life balance among Chinese employees. J Pers Psychol 12(4):170–181

Sonnentag S (2003) Recovery, work engagement, and proactive behavior: a new look at the interface between nonwork and work. J Appl Psychol 88(3):518

Sonnentag S, Unger D, Rothe E (2016) Recovery and the work–family interface. In: Allen TD, Eby LT (eds) The Oxford handbook of work and family, vol 95. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199337538.013.37

Spector PE, Allen TD, Poelmans S, Lapierre LM, Cooper CL, O’Driscoll M, Sanchez JI, Abarca N, Alexandrova M, Beham B, Brough P, Ferreiro P, Fraile G, Lu C-Q, Lu L, Moreno-Velazques I, Pagon M, Pitariu H, Salamtov V, Shima S, Simoni AS, Siu OL, Widerszal-Bazyl M (2007) Cross-national differences in relationships of work demands, job satisfaction and turnover intentions with work-family conflict. Pers Psychol 60:805–835. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00092.x

Stack R, Meredith A (2018) The impact of financial hardship on single parents: an exploration of the journey from social distress to seeking help. J Fam Econ Iss 39:233–242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-017-9551-6

Stock RM, Bauer EM, Bieling GI (2014) How do top executives handle their work and family life? A taxonomy of top executives’ work–family balance. Int J Hum Resour Manag 25(13):1815–1840

Syrek CJ, Apostel E, Antoni CH (2013) Stress in highly demanding IT jobs: transformational leadership moderates the impact of time pressure on exhaustion and work–life balance. J Occup Health Psychol 18(3):252–261

Timms C, Brough P, Siu OL, O’Driscoll M, Kalliath T (2015a) Cross-cultural impact of work–life balance on health and work outcomes. In: Lu L, Cooper CL (eds) Handbook of research on work–life balance in Asia. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, pp 295–314

Timms C, Brough P, O'Driscoll M, Kalliath T, Siu O, Sit C, Lo D (2015b) Flexible work arrangements, work engagement, turnover intentions and psychological health. Asia Pac J Hum Resour 53(1):83–103

Valcour M (2007) Work-based resources as moderators of the relationship between work hours and satisfaction with work–family balance. J Appl Psychol 92:1512–1523. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.6.1512

Voydanoff P (2002) Linkages between the work-family interface and work, family, and individual outcomes: an integrative model. J Fam Issues 23(1):138–164

Walker E, Wang C, Redmond J (2008) Women and work-life balance: is home-based business ownership the solution? Equal Oppor Int 27(3):258–275

Wayne JH, Musisca N, Fleeson W (2004) Considering the role of personality in the work-family experience: relationships of the big five to work-family conflict and facilitation. J Vocat Behav 64:108–130

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Mount Gravatt, QLD, Australia

Paula Brough

James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

Carolyn Timms

RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Xi Wen Chan

Griffith University, Mount Gravatt, QLD, Australia

Amy Hawkes & Laura Rasmussen

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paula Brough .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Stress Research Institute, University of Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden

Töres Theorell

Section Editor information

Institute of Medical Sociology, Centre of Health and Society (CHS), University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

Morten Wahrendorf

Fielding School of Public Health, School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Cite this entry.

Brough, P., Timms, C., Chan, X.W., Hawkes, A., Rasmussen, L. (2020). Work–Life Balance: Definitions, Causes, and Consequences. In: Theorell, T. (eds) Handbook of Socioeconomic Determinants of Occupational Health. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31438-5_20

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31438-5_20

Published : 17 September 2022

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-030-31437-8

Online ISBN : 978-3-030-31438-5

eBook Packages : Behavioral Science and Psychology Reference Module Humanities and Social Sciences Reference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Share this entry

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

• DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3660250
• Corpus ID: 225588926

Job Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance: Differences between Homework and Work at the Workplace of the Company

• L. Bellmann , O. Hübler
• Published in Social Science Research… 29 July 2020

Figures and Tables from this paper

22 Citations

Investigating the impact of remote working on employee productivity and work-life balance: a study on the business consultancy industry in dubai, uae, can acceptance promote life satisfaction during a work from home regime the mediating role of work-life balance and job stress, the impacts of remote work on employee well-being and gender equality, remote working and work effectiveness: a leader perspective, unraveling the puzzle of turnover intention: exploring the impact of home-work interface and working conditions on affective commitment and job satisfaction, remote working – a boon or bane with regards to employee’s performance and job satisfaction, factors affecting remote workers’ job satisfaction in utah: an exploratory study, family relationships under work from home: exploring the role of adaptive processes, work from home & productivity: evidence from personnel & analytics data on it professionals, self-control and performance while working from home, 41 references, does telework stress employees out a study on working at home and subjective well-being for wage/salary workers, work’s intrusion in home affairs : evidence on work–family conflict from a german nationwide panel, telecommuting's differential impact on work-family conflict: is there no place like home, the impact of flexible working arrangements on work–life conflict and work pressure in ireland, when two worlds collude: working from home and family functioning, reproduction of 'does working from home work evidence from a chinese experiment *', homeworking and work-life balance: does it add to quality of life, university of birmingham employee satisfaction and use of flexible working arrangements, telework, the timing of work, and instantaneous well-being: evidence from time use data, good to be home time‐use and satisfaction levels among home‐based teleworkers, related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

Job Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance: Differences between Homework and Work at the Workplace of the Company

IZA Discussion Paper No. 13504

35 Pages Posted: 29 Jul 2020 Last revised: 19 May 2022

Lutz Bellmann

Institute for Employment Research (IAB); Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Olaf Hübler

University of Hannover; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Working remotely can complement and sometimes completely substitute conventional work at the workplace of the company. Until the COVID-19 crisis the share of remote workers was relatively low and empirical investigations show inconsistent results. The recent work has highlighted a dramatic shift toward working from home The objective of this contribution is to empirically analyze the relationship between working remotely and job satisfaction on the one hand, as well as between working remotely and work-life balance on the other hand, based on three waves of the German Linked Personnel Panel.Our control variables are personality traits, skills, employment and job characteristics. We present average effects and demonstrate under which conditions remote work is advantageous for employees. Work-life imbalance may be induced by job-related causes. A private life can reduce work-life balance under specific conditions, namely, if remote work takes place outside of contracted working hours and during the first phase of remote work. On average, remote work has no significant impact on work-life balance, which is conditioned by private interests.However, the termination of remote work causes a clear imbalance. In contrast, the introduction of remote work increases job satisfaction, although only temporarily. When we compare employees working from home with those who want to work at home, we find that the former are happier. If we consider remote workers only, our results reveal that job satisfaction is higher, and work-life balance is not worse under a strict contractual agreement than under a nonbinding commitment.

Keywords: work-life balance, telecommuting, remote work, effects on employees, job satisfaction, COVID-19

JEL Classification: J22, J29, M54, M55

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Lutz Bellmann (Contact Author)

Institute for employment research (iab) ( email ).

Regensburger Str. 104 Nuremberg, 90478 Germany +49 911 179 3046 (Phone) +49 911 179 3297 (Fax)

Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

P.O. Box 7240 Bonn, D-53072 Germany

University of Hannover ( email )

Institute of Quantitative Economic Research D-30167 Hannover Germany +49 511 762 4794 (Phone) +49 511 762 3923 (Fax)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on ssrn, paper statistics, related ejournals, iza institute of labor economics discussion paper series.

Subscribe to this free journal for more curated articles on this topic

Organizations & Markets: Motivation & Incentives eJournal

Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic

Labor: Human Capital eJournal

Labor: personnel economics ejournal, decision-making & management science ejournal, industrial & organizational psychology ejournal.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

• Publications
• IZA Discussion Papers
• Job Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance: Differences between Homework and Work at...

IZA DP No. 13504: Job Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance: Differences between Homework and Work at the Workplace of the Company

published in: International Journal of Manpower, 2021, 42 (3), 424-441

Working remotely can complement and sometimes completely substitute conventional work at the workplace of the company. Until the COVID-19 crisis the share of remote workers was relatively low and empirical investigations show inconsistent results. The recent work has highlighted a dramatic shift toward working from home The objective of this contribution is to empirically analyze the relationship between working remotely and job satisfaction on the one hand, as well as between working remotely and work-life balance on the other hand, based on three waves of the German Linked Personnel Panel. Our control variables are personality traits, skills, employment and job characteristics. We present average effects and demonstrate under which conditions remote work is advantageous for employees. Work-life imbalance may be induced by job-related causes. A private life can reduce work-life balance under specific conditions, namely, if remote work takes place outside of contracted working hours and during the first phase of remote work. On average, remote work has no significant impact on work-life balance, which is conditioned by private interests. However, the termination of remote work causes a clear imbalance. In contrast, the introduction of remote work increases job satisfaction, although only temporarily. When we compare employees working from home with those who want to work at home, we find that the former are happier. If we consider remote workers only, our results reveal that job satisfaction is higher, and work-life balance is not worse under a strict contractual agreement than under a nonbinding commitment.

• work-life balance
• telecommuting
• remote work
• effects on employees
• job satisfaction

Cookie settings

These necessary cookies are required to activate the core functionality of the website. An opt-out from these technologies is not available.

In order to further improve our offer and our website, we collect anonymous data for statistics and analyses. With the help of these cookies we can, for example, determine the number of visitors and the effect of certain pages on our website and optimize our content.

• Open access
• Published: 17 August 2024

Social marketing and happiness in employment. Evidences from Glassdoor

• Araceli Galiano-Coronil 1 ,
• Sofía Blanco-Moreno 2 &
• Luis Bayardo Tobar-Pesantez 3  

BMC Psychology volume  12 , Article number:  444 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

227 Accesses

Metrics details

With the increasing role of the Internet and social media, there are more significant opportunities for employees to express their opinions about the companies they work for more directly. A recognized job review website is Glassdoor.com, which collects employees’ opinions anonymously and the scores they give to companies. This descriptive study analyzes the assessment that employees give to companies by studying the advantages in their comments from the perspective of Happiness Management and Social Marketing. In this sense, this research aims to analyze how the main benefits offered by companies, are linked to the happiness of employees and to the actions of social marketing that companies develop affect the general satisfaction of employees.

This study has used in the worker comments, text mining, and inferential analysis techniques. The sample was divided into two blocks, with comments that refer to issues about social marketing and happiness. In each one, an inferential analysis was carried out using the Student’s T-test. This analysis allowed us to identify, in each sample of comments, in which advantages the differences in the mean ratings were significant depending on whether they were mentioned.

The main results indicate that social marketing and happiness are linked to the advantages employees comment on in reviews on Glassdoor. Significant differences exist in the average ratings of certain advantages depending on whether they are mentioned or not in the comments. Likewise, the differentiation between comments on social marketing and happiness offers scientific evidence of the most valued advantages in each cluster. Specifically, the advantages grouped into the following dimensions are working conditions, company image, and social relations.

This research contributes to happiness management theories by empirically demonstrating how positive work environments enhance productivity, loyalty, and creativity. These insights show how leadership quality, work-life balance, and recognition contribute to workplace happiness, enhancing productivity, loyalty, and creativity. Such feedback aids job seekers in making informed decisions, helps companies improve practices and attract talent, and provides researchers with valuable data on employment trends and corporate culture’s effect on employee well-being.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

In the evolving landscape of Industry 5.0, where human-centric technology and automation converge, workplace dynamics are undergoing a significant transformation. This era not only emphasizes the integration of advanced technologies into the fabric of daily work but also places a renewed focus on the human elements of creativity, ethics, and happiness. As we navigate through this new industrial revolution, understanding the factors that contribute to employee happiness and job satisfaction becomes paramount [ 1 ].

The concept of the happiness economy, rooted in the belief that employee well-being directly contributes to organizational success, is gaining traction among scholars and practitioners alike [ 2 ]. Research has consistently shown that happy employees exhibit higher levels of productivity, creativity, and loyalty, which are critical drivers of innovation and competitive advantage in today’s fast-paced business environment [ 2 , 3 ]. In the context of Industry 5.0, where the boundaries between technology and human capabilities are increasingly blurred, fostering an environment that prioritizes employee happiness is not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity.

Online platforms like Glassdoor offer a wealth of data on employee experiences and perceptions, providing insights into the factors that influence job satisfaction and happiness [ 4 ]. These platforms, characterized by their user-generated content, offer a candid look at the internal workings of organizations, as seen through the eyes of current and former employees [ 5 ]. Analyzing reviews on Glassdoor can reveal patterns and trends related to job satisfaction, employee engagement, and the effectiveness of management practices [ 6 ]. Furthermore, such analysis can help identify the job benefits most valued by employees, offering a roadmap for organizations looking to enhance their value proposition to attract and retain top talent. The relationship between job benefits and employee happiness is a critical area of inquiry in the happiness economy [ 7 ]. Benefits such as flexible working arrangements, health and wellness programs, and opportunities for professional development have been linked to higher levels of job satisfaction and overall well-being [ 5 ]. In Industry 5.0, where the nature of work is continually evolving, the ability to offer innovative and meaningful benefits is increasingly important [ 8 ]. Organizations that successfully align their benefits packages with the values and needs of their workforce can create a more engaged, motivated, and happy employee base, driving innovation and success in the process [ 9 ].

This paper will delve into the methodologies for analyzing employee reviews on the Glassdoor platform, discussing the challenges and opportunities associated with mining this rich source of qualitative data [ 10 ]. It will also examine the role of advanced analytics in extracting actionable insights from employee feedback, a capability that is particularly relevant in the data-driven environment of Industry 5.0 [ 11 ]. By leveraging these technologies, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of employee sentiment, identify areas for improvement, and tailor their strategies to enhance job satisfaction and happiness. Moreover, the paper will explore the implications of job benefits on employee happiness within the context of Industry 5.0 given that some companies say they care about the well-being and “happiness” of their employees, but there is not enough scientific support [ 12 ]. It will argue that in an era characterized by rapid technological advancement and changing work paradigms, traditional benefits packages may no longer suffice. Instead, organizations must think creatively and holistically about how to support their employees’ well-being, considering factors such as work-life balance, mental health, and lifelong learning opportunities [ 13 ].

As we move further into the era of Industry 5.0, the link between innovation and the happiness economy becomes increasingly evident [ 14 ]. By analyzing employee reviews on platforms like Glassdoor, organizations can gain valuable insights into the factors that contribute to job satisfaction and happiness [ 15 ]. Furthermore, by understanding and addressing the evolving needs of their workforce, companies can leverage job benefits as a powerful tool for fostering a happy, productive, and innovative workplace [ 16 ]. This paper aims to contribute to the growing body of literature on the happiness economy in Industry 5.0, offering a comprehensive analysis of the role of employee feedback and job benefits in shaping the future of work. As indicated, analyzing happiness and job satisfaction through employee reviews on online platforms like Glassdoor is crucial for several reasons, impacting both the workforce and the organizations they belong to [ 17 ]. This analysis, encompassing job benefits and their relationship with job happiness and social marketing, offers a multifaceted understanding of the current work environment and employee well-being.

In the context of Industry 5.0, the significance of social marketing in enhancing employee happiness cannot be overstated. Social marketing, with its core in influencing behaviors for social good, extends into the workplace by shaping positive organizational cultures and promoting well-being. It plays a pivotal role in communicating the organization’s values and commitment to employee happiness, which is crucial in attracting and retaining top talent in a competitive landscape. Effective social marketing strategies not only spotlight the organization’s dedication to its employees’ well-being but also foster a sense of belonging and community among workers. By actively engaging in social marketing, companies can elevate their employer brand, making them more appealing to prospective and current employees. This approach aligns with the principles of the happiness economy, where the well-being of employees is seen as integral to organizational success. Through social marketing, organizations can effectively showcase their innovative benefits, work-life balance initiatives, and commitment to creating a supportive and happy workplace, thereby enhancing job satisfaction and overall organizational performance.

Intrapreneurship is essential for fostering innovation and enhancing employee satisfaction. Galván-Vela et al. [ 18 ] highlight how intrapreneurial activities contribute to a positive work culture and job satisfaction. Encouraging intrapreneurship boosts morale, creativity, and overall workplace happiness.

Given the importance of managing happiness in the work environment and its social, economic and political implications, this research aims to analyze how the main benefits offered by companies, are linked to the happiness of employees, and to the actions of social marketing that companies develop affects the general satisfaction of employees. Likewise, given that the benefits offered differ between the different sectors of the companies since there are sectors in which teleworking cannot be established, for example, the differences produced between the sectors are delved into. For all these reasons, given that there are studies that analyze the benefits offered by companies to their employees, through comment platforms such as Glassdoor, but none from the perspective provided by the results of the semantic network analysis, this research has been developed. This descriptive study analyzes the assessment that employees give to companies by studying the advantages in their comments from the perspective of Happiness Management and Social Marketing. To do this, first of all, the groups of advantages have been identified whose presence in the comments makes a difference in the average ratings compared to their absence. Secondly, the analysis of the groups of advantages detected was carried out in-depth to verify which advantages, more specifically, contribute to the formation of clusters that generate certain patterns of communication and behavior.

This article is structured as follows. In the first section, a theoretical framework is proposed that explains the importance of the benefits offered by companies in the satisfaction and happiness of employees. In the second section, we describe our sample and methods. The third section is devoted to the presentation of the results and the fourth section discusses the results and their implications for theory and research. We then conclude by presenting the study’s main limitations, along with future research directions.

Theoretical background

Understanding employee perspectives and the link with happiness management.

To maintain organizational effectiveness and achieve high performance, companies need to develop and maintain happy environments [ 19 ]. Analyzing employee perspectives is crucial for enhancing work happiness in companies, not only because employee behaviors in the workplace affect organizations and customers, but also employees’ perceptions of the workplace, such as their job satisfaction reflected in online reviews from other employees [ 20 ]. Knowing these employee perspectives provides direct insights into the workforce’s needs and expectations. Employees are the backbone of any organization, and understanding their viewpoints helps in creating a work environment that caters to their well-being and job satisfaction. This understanding is key to fostering a positive and productive workplace [ 21 ]. Employee feedback highlights areas for improvement too. Whether it’s about work conditions, management styles, or company policies, employee perspectives can pinpoint specific issues that might be hindering job satisfaction [ 22 ]. Addressing these issues not only improves the work environment but also demonstrates that the company values its employees’ opinions, thereby boosting morale and loyalty [ 23 ].

Analyzing employee perspectives aids in tailoring benefits and incentives. Different employees might value different aspects of their jobs, such as flexible working hours, professional development opportunities, or wellness programs [ 5 ]. Understanding these preferences allows companies to offer more meaningful and effective benefits, directly contributing to increased job happiness. And also, it promotes a culture of openness and trust. When employees feel heard and see their feedback leading to positive changes, it builds trust in the organization. This trust is fundamental for a harmonious work environment where employees feel valued and happy [ 24 ]. For all of this, analyzing employee perspectives is a vital step towards creating a more fulfilling, productive, and happy workplace. Analyzing these perspectives indicated by employees also allows us to better understand what makes employees happy, something that is essential for improving a company’s recruitment strategy [ 25 ].

The role of cultural factors in shaping employee happiness cannot be overlooked. Sanagustín-Fons et al. [ 26 ] explored the interplay between happiness and cultural tourism, emphasizing the perspective of civil participation. Their findings indicate that cultural engagement and community involvement are significant predictors of happiness. This underscores the importance of fostering a workplace environment that values cultural participation and community-oriented activities, which can enhance employees’ overall well-being and job satisfaction.

It enables the creation of a compelling employer value proposition. When a company knows what drives employee satisfaction, it can highlight these aspects in its recruitment messaging, attracting candidates who are more likely to be fulfilled and engaged in their roles [ 27 ]. Furthermore, aligning recruitment strategies with factors that contribute to employee happiness can significantly enhance the quality of hires. Candidates are increasingly looking for workplaces that prioritize not just financial compensation but also aspects like work-life balance, career development opportunities, and positive company culture [ 28 ]. By showcasing a commitment to these values, companies can attract talent that resonates with their organizational ethos. Moreover, understanding employee happiness helps in reducing turnover [ 29 ]. When new hires find that their expectations, shaped by the recruitment process, match their actual job experience, they are more likely to stay with the company. This alignment reduces the costs and disruptions associated with high staff turnover.

A recruitment strategy informed by employee happiness insights reflects a company’s commitment to its workforce’s well-being. This not only enhances the company’s reputation in the job market but also fosters a positive internal culture, making it an employer of choice for top talent. In essence, knowing what makes employees happy is a strategic tool for attracting and retaining the right people, crucial for the long-term success of any organization [ 30 ]. Several studies highlight the importance of analyzing online employee reviews for insights into employee satisfaction, organizational perception, and the predictive value of such reviews on firm performance. On the one hand, some authors investigated the informational value of online employee reviews and their predictive ability on firm financial performance [ 31 ]. The study found that employee online reviews have informational value and can predict firm performance, indicating that integrating structured and unstructured data can enhance decision support systems. They suggest further exploration into how different sectors utilize employee feedback for strategic advantages. Similarly, Symitsi et al. [ 31 ] explored the value of online employee reviews from various perspectives, including their impact on firm performance. They confirmed the significant predictive value of employee reviews on firm performance, advocating for the integration of big data in managerial decisions. And they point towards leveraging big data for competitive advantage and enhancing firm strategies. On the other hand, Sekar et al. [ 32 ] investigated the impact of employees’ perceptions of their organization on overall satisfaction using online reviews. They found that positive sentiments in reviews significantly affect overall employee satisfaction, with skill development being a strong predictor of satisfaction. Besides, Koncar & Helic [ 33 ] explored and predicted employee satisfaction using a novel dataset of two million online employer reviews, and they identified the number of benefits received and employment status as the most predictive factors for employee satisfaction, with less emphasis on employee position, suggesting employers use these insights to correct biases in assessing their reviews and improve satisfaction. A similar analysis was carried out by Querbach et al. [ 5 ], but focusing on aspects of social well-being.

Job benefits and happiness management through glassdoor

There is a direct correlation between job benefits and employee happiness [ 34 ]. Benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and flexible working hours are often cited in reviews as key factors in job satisfaction [ 35 ]. While salary is important, reviews often highlight the value of non-monetary benefits [ 36 ]. For instance, work-life balance, professional development opportunities, and positive work culture are frequently mentioned concerning job satisfaction [ 37 ].

Analyzing platforms like Glassdoor to understand the job benefits that contribute to employee happiness is crucial. These platforms offer unfiltered, real-world insights from a diverse range of employees. Unlike controlled surveys or internal feedback mechanisms, Glassdoor reviews often provide candid opinions about what benefits truly impact employee satisfaction. This raw feedback is invaluable for understanding the actual effectiveness of various benefits [ 30 ]. By examining these platforms, companies can identify trends and patterns in employee preferences. For instance, while traditional benefits like health insurance and retirement plans are consistently valued, there may be a growing appreciation for flexible working arrangements, mental health support, or professional development opportunities [ 28 ]. Understanding these evolving preferences helps companies stay ahead in offering competitive and relevant benefits. Analyzing employee feedback on platforms like Glassdoor assists in tailoring benefits packages to meet the specific needs of the workforce. This customization is key to enhancing job satisfaction and overall happiness [ 28 ]. When employees see that their employer is responsive to their needs and values their well-being, it fosters a positive work environment and strengthens employee loyalty. This analysis can also serve as a benchmarking tool. Companies can compare their benefits with competitors and industry standards, ensuring they remain attractive to both current and prospective employees [ 24 ]. So, analyzing Glassdoor reviews provides critical insights into the benefits that genuinely contribute to employee happiness, enabling companies to make informed, impactful decisions in their benefits offerings.

Glassdoor provides a deep knowledge about job benefits. Investigating which benefits make employees happier is also important because happy employees are more productive. When employees receive benefits that genuinely meet their needs and preferences, such as flexible working hours, comprehensive health insurance, or opportunities for professional growth, their job satisfaction increases [ 38 ]. This satisfaction translates into higher engagement and motivation at work. Happy employees are more likely to be committed, creative, and proactive, contributing positively to their tasks and the overall success of the organization. Therefore, identifying and providing the right benefits is not just about employee well-being; it’s a strategic approach to enhancing workplace productivity and organizational performance. Several studies highlight the importance of analyzing online employee reviews to understand the relationship between job benefits, employee satisfaction, and corporate performance. Coaley [ 39 ] explored employee reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed for four Las Vegas hotel/casino corporations to understand the employer-brand benefits. It was identified three main employer-brand benefits from the reviews: functional, economic, and psychological, each appearing as both positive and negative attributes of employment, and it was suggested further research into how these employer-brand benefits impact recruitment and retention strategies. In Brazil, da Silveira [ 40 ] investigated the effect of employee satisfaction on corporate performance using online reviews, and found a positive association between overall employee satisfaction and firm performance, especially in dimensions related to culture and career opportunities, while compensation and benefits were less connected. Finally, Zia & Sheikh [ 41 ] studied the impact of job satisfaction on employee performance, particularly in the context of Pakistan. They found significant determinants of employee performance related to financial and non-financial rewards and suggested a deeper investigation into the specific aspects of job satisfaction that most strongly influence performance across different industries.

Social marketing social and laboral happiness

Social marketing is a marketing discipline that, since it emerged at the end of the 1960s, has been configured as an ideal tool to promote behavioral change in a target audience to improve individual well-being and that of citizens [ 42 ]. The approach used by social marketing to carry out a behavioral change focuses on discovering the barriers and motivations of the target audience and designing a plan for this purpose using the 4Ps of the marketing mix [ 43 , 44 ]. Edgar, Boyd, and Palame [ 45 ] have suggested that social marketing has more potential to stimulate sustainable behavioral change in target populations than other educational interventions. It is essential in the workplace since he is a happy worker, demonstrated by his behavior by performing better and executing his tasks with greater satisfaction [ 46 ]. Likewise, workers present characteristics such as being tolerant and generous and having better problem-solving abilities. In addition, work happiness can also modify the environment of employees to achieve coexistence in a space with a good work environment, encourage collaborative participation and adaptability, and promote creativity and innovation [ 47 ].

In the effectiveness of social marketing in the workplace, it must be considered that individual behaviors are integrated into an ecological system in the sense that people carry out their behaviors within a historical, social, cultural, physical, and environmental environment. The behavioral ecological approach derives from the principles of environmental systems, in which everything is seen as interrelated within a complex system. It means that behaviors depend on the interaction between actors, their influences, interactions and reactions, and the co-creation of results [ 48 ]. Correct communication between these actors is vital in this context since one of the workplace’s main barriers to achieving this goal is cognitive or the need for information. Fishbein’s expectancy-value model [ 49 ] suggests a theoretical approach to rational decision-making. This approach is used when the decision has significant implications and, therefore, much cognitive effort is invested in making this decision. In the workplace, job evaluation is based on its conditions, for example, salary level, job interest, ability to combine work and family obligations, and belief in professional success.

The relevance of social responsibility in sustainable organizations is increasingly evident. Hernández García de Velazco et al. [ 50 ] analyzed the social responsibility of sustainable university organizations, highlighting the impact of endogenous capacities on organizational effectiveness. Their study demonstrates that socially responsible practices are integral to creating a supportive and happy work environment. By embedding social responsibility into their core values, organizations can enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty, which are critical for long-term success.

In this sense, the social marketing approach becomes critical because it involves analyzing the barriers and motivations to achieve a particular behavior, such as a positive and happy attitude towards work. Furthermore, attitudes, relationships, feelings of belonging, interpersonal skills, participatory decision-making, and effective communication play a crucial role in the performance and effectiveness of an organization [ 51 ]. Resources that allow optimizing the previous factors lead to positive attitudes, which result in pro-social behaviors [ 52 ].

Finally, it is important to also mention that companies can generate a better image of themselves through social marketing campaigns [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. For example, employee reviews show positive environments and high job satisfaction [ 56 ], thanks to working conditions [ 57 , 58 ]. In fact, company image is also linked to reputation and culture [ 59 , 60 , 61 ].

Methodology

With the increasing role of the Internet and social media, there are more significant opportunities for employees to express their opinions about the companies they work for more directly. It can even be stated that social networks have weakened companies’ control over their information environment [ 62 ]. In this environment, Glassdoor is configured as an ideal platform to study employee opinions, as it allows employees to anonymously review the companies they currently work for or have once worked for and rate their overall satisfaction with these companies from one (low) to five (high) stars. The design of this website reduces bias in its ratings, and its design features support the quality of its ratings [ 63 ]. Focusing on Glassdoor, this study analyzes the benefits most valued by workers and delves deeper into the context.

This research uses a descriptive methodology that combines content analysis, inferential analysis, and text mining. Text mining on Glassdoor comments is an area of ​​growing interest that focuses on discovering patterns and insights in unstructured data [ 64 , 65 ]. However, the effectiveness of different text mining tools in this context has not yet been explored in depth [ 66 ]. One potential improvement area is using more complex representations of text content, such as conceptual graphs, to improve the discovery of meaningful patterns, such as that proposed with semantic network analysis [ 67 ]. Most studies have been based on primary data collected through the survey. However, research indicates that the external validity of survey-based studies is compromised due to sampling bias [ 68 ]. In this sense, employee-generated content on platforms like Glassdoor can be a valuable source of information, as it provides unsupervised information, which is impossible in a questionnaire-based survey method.

Various studies have applied statistical inference with the T-student distribution in data mining, most focusing on clustering, classification, and association models, demonstrating its value. In addition, its application in large samples is also valid due to the Central Limit Theorem, which states that the distribution of sample means will have an approximately normal distribution, regardless of the population from which the samples are drawn. This theorem allows using the student t-test in large samples since it ensures that the distribution of the sample means will be expected, even if the original data are not [ 69 ].

Content analysis is widely used for marketing and communication due to its effectiveness and big-volume data accommodation. As a unit of analysis, we have considered the reviews from the employees in Glassdoor, and the variables for codifying have been mentioned in the previous paragraph [ 70 ]. The sample was divided into two blocks, one with comments that refer to issues about social marketing and another with comments that prioritize aspects related to happiness. In each of these samples, an inferential analysis was carried out using the Student’s T test, making the comparison level of means more feasible. This analysis allowed us to identify, in each sample of comments, in which advantages the differences in the mean ratings were significant depending on whether they were mentioned. This analysis was also carried out by sector. Once these advantages were detected, we proceeded to delve deeper into the content using text mining. Text mining allows for extracting the relevant information necessary for the study, summarizing, and discovering trends and patterns in textual data. A semantic network analysis, derived from text mining, was used to quantitatively explore the correlation between the keywords obtained [ 71 ] and thus obtain a more detailed analysis of the context in which the most valued advantages appear, both in the comments of workers who give importance to social marketing activities, as well as those who prioritize issues related to happiness.

Variables identification

After reviewing the literature, the aspects most commented on and valued by employees in terms of benefits have been detected. Although non-financial characteristics explain job satisfaction better than monetary rewards among European Union employees, there are various classifications of benefits [ 72 ]. On the one hand, Querbach et al. [ 5 ] categorized the job benefits enhancing the three main dimensions of well-being, based on the previous work of Grant et al. [ 73 ]:

Physical: on-site cafeteria, food allowance (free company-provided meals), pension scheme, healthcare, company doctor, and parking. They categorized it as job benefits of care.

Psychological/status: flexible working hours, coaching, home office, vehicle allowance, and company phone. They categorized it as job benefits of status.

Social well-being: on-site daycare facility/reimbursed daycare, handicapped accessibility, employee events, stock or equity options, and employee discount. They categorized it as job benefits of life quality.

However, this classification ignores aspects valued by other authors, which have been shown to affect happiness management. For example, this classification is omitting aspects such as the importance of salary, social status, contribution to the community, interest, success or support that Friedmann [ 74 ] has valued. Omodan et al. [ 75 ] analyzed aspects such as attitudes in the work environment, relationships, feelings of belonging, interpersonal skills, participatory decision making and effective communication. Coaley [ 39 ] identified three main employer-brand benefits from online reviews: functional, economic, and psychological. Finally, the classification of Querbach et al. [ 5 ] does not consider aspects such as career or job promotion, community membership, job opportunities, co-workers, the nature of the work, or relationships with supervisors, as Salas-Vallina & Alegre [ 76 ] did. In addition, these authors also provided a list of adjectives for happiness at work, such as bursting, excited, accomplished, time flies, inspiring, happy, proud, challenging, concentrated/immersed, hooked/involved, persistent/constant.

For all this, for this research, an adaptation of the benefits proposed by these five authors has been carried out, which have finally been grouped into seven dimensions of variables: Facilities, Labor conditions, Relationships, Company, Benefits, Social Marketing and Happiness Management.

Sample and data collection

Glassdoor ( https://www.glassdoor.com/ ) is a website that offers an inside look at jobs and companies through user-generated content. It provides a platform for current and former employees to anonymously submit reviews about their workplaces, including insights into company culture, salaries, benefits, and management practices. Additionally, Glassdoor offers information on job openings, interview questions, and company ratings. This transparency aims to help job seekers make informed decisions about their career paths and for employers to understand how they can improve their workplace environment. Glassdoor has become a valuable resource for both job seekers and companies in the job market ecosystem [ 77 ].

For this research, 138,764 reviews have been downloaded, from 136 companies, between the years 2021 and 2023. The sample was selected based on several criteria to ensure a robust and representative dataset. Only companies with more than 10,000 employees were included. This criterion was set to ensure that the reviews represented experiences from large and potentially more structured organizations. Companies from various sectors such as construction, consulting and advisory, consumption, financial sector, industry, computing, advertising and public relations, healthcare, telecommunications, transportation and tourism were selected. This diversity aims to capture a wide range of employee experiences across different industries.

The data were downloaded with the web scraping technique, through the Octoparse version 8 software. This tool allows the downloading of large amounts of data in a structured way, which facilitates its cleaning and analysis by directly obtaining the data ordered by rows (each anonymous review) and columns (characteristics of each review, such as rating, advantages, disadvantages, etc.).

Before this grouping, a classification of each review was carried out based on these previously mentioned variables. For classification, a dictionary of words that have been searched within each review has been prepared.

As it was mentioned, the sample was divided into two blocks, one with reviews that refer to issues about social marketing and another with reviews that prioritize aspects related to happiness. After this classification, the sample was reduced to 1,877 social marketing reviews and 2,163 happiness reviews.

Network semantic analysis

Dividing conversational texts into groups based on word associations and visualizing them in network form has become a significant achievement in text mining research [ 78 ]. The Gephi tool has been used to visualize clustering in complex texts. Gephi is a platform Sebastien Heynmann, and Mathieu Jacomy developed for the interactive visualization and exploration of all types of networks, complex systems, and dynamic and hierarchical graphs. Its functionalities include importing, exporting, manipulating, analyzing, filtering, representing, detecting communities, and exporting large graphs and networks [ 79 , 80 ]. The following functionalities have been selected to display the network: Results of the analysis of comments linked to social marketing.

The Fruchterman Reingold distribution algorithm, which offers more robust visual and analytical capabilities for clustering [ 81 ], has been considered. The words have been structured into communities following the Louvain method developed by Blondel et al. [ 82 ]. This community detection method seeks to optimize modularity, a number between − 0.5 and 1 that compares the density of edges inside and outside a community—in theory, optimizing this value iteration by iteration results in the best possible grouping of the nodes of a network. However, going through all possible iterations from nodes to groups is impractical; therefore, different heuristics are used. In the Louvain Method of community detection, small communities are first found by optimizing modularity locally for all nodes. Each small community is associated with a node, which repeats until convergence. In this sense, connections are generated through co-currency; if two words appear in the same publication simultaneously, they are considered semantically related, and the connection that gives rise to the network is produced. Finally, the nodes associated with each word have been differentiated with different colors, using the GePhi option to show the communities on radial axes (Radial Axis Layout), aligning the words of each community to facilitate their understanding.

Finally, the PageRank of each word has been calculated [ 83 ], which identifies the relative importance of the word within the network. Unlike simply counting the number of words to which it is related, this measure also gives importance to a word or node as a weighted average of the importance of other words or nodes that connect with it [ 84 ]. The size of each node (words that have an ordinary meaning and are represented as a circle in the network) is proportional to its PageRank value, with the value of the largest node being the one with the largest.

Results and discussion

Results of the analysis of comments about social marketing.

Below are the results corresponding to the quantitative analysis through which we aim to know if there are differences in the averages of employee ratings depending on whether or not they mention certain advantages in their social marketing comments.

Table  1 shows the average ratings that employees give to companies depending on whether or not they mention in their comments the advantages related to the following dimensions (grouped advantages): social relations, working conditions, company image, benefits, facilities, and happiness. It is observed that when mentioning the advantages, the average score is higher, with the difference being more pronounced in the variables social relations (mean = 4.06), happiness (mean = 4.29), and company image (4.23). Another result worth highlighting is that the difference in the average evaluation of the benefits (depending on whether they are mentioned) is significant at a 90% confidence level. However, in this case, if it is not mentioned, the average rating is slightly higher than the average rating if it appears in the comments.

Once the dimensions most valued by employees had been verified, another T-Student test was carried out to verify which of the specific advantages are the ones that give rise to a more significant difference in the average rating depending on whether it is mentioned. or not in the comment. In this way, it can be seen in Table  2 that the following advantages with the most striking differences in evaluations are companion and company culture, in which there are significant differences depending on whether or not these advantages are mentioned in the comments.

Finally, it has been verified whether there are significant differences in the average ratings that employees give by sector depending on whether they mention the advantages previously indicated in Table  3 in their comments. The results (Table  3 ) show that the differences observed in pairs (mention the advantage or not mentioning it) have been significant, according to the T-Student contrast at 95% confidence, in the following cases: Working conditions in the transportation sector, social relations in companies in the IT sector, and company image in the construction, consulting, and IT sectors. In the tourism sector, the difference in the average evaluations of benefits is significant at 90%.

Next, the semantic network generated from the comments on social marketing is presented (Fig.  1 ). Those that mention advantages related to working conditions, company image, and social relations have been considered because the differences between the average evaluations depending on whether or not the advantage is mentioned are significant.

The semantic network of social marketing comments on advantages related to working conditions, corporate image, and social relations

Figure  1 shows the network generated from co-occurrences of words that appear in the same comment, made up of 1,300 nodes and 9,374 edges. In the framework, subgroups or communities are observed in networks established from the most frequent relationships between pairs of words. The nodes represent the words; the connections reflect whether they appear in the same comment. Depending on the modularity, each community is represented by a different color provided by the tool and represents a certain percentage of the network. The most representative communities and the terms that stand out the most are the following:

Community 1, in purple, represents 51.85% of the network. The terms social, business, and environment stand out in this community. The term social usually refers to activities of social responsibility and social action, including words such as society or community, as shown in this comment: “The culture you experience in Arup is truly aligned to the ethics and behavior lived by most leaders and employees. Diverse project opportunities that generate benefit to the community and broader society.” (Arup , January 2022) . Although the terms society or community indeed appear a considerable number on the Internet (58), they do not usually appear with other words recurrently in the comments.

Community 2, represented in green, represents 29.15% of the network. It includes work-related words like life, freedom, balance, and time. An example of this type of comment is one from Arup: “Good social events/perks and work-life balance. Friendly company culture.” ( Arup , July 2022 ).

The third most representative community is the blue one, which represents 17% of the semantic network. In this group, words appear referring to issues such as health insurance or pension funds, as shown in this comment from Starbucks:

“Good benefits like health insurance, free tuition for an online university, the partner fund, and a long list of lots of other benefits. Free coffee, drinks, food and discounts at any Starbucks location were amazing, I never had to worry about where to get my next meal. Tips were good sometimes.” ( Starbucks , October 2022 ).

Results corresponding to comments related to Happiness Management

Table  4 represents how users link happiness with the dimensions of facilities, labor conditions, relationships, company, benefits and social marketing. That is, when users show characteristics related to happiness in their review, and at the same time they are mentioning some of these dimensions, the average rating of the review varies. To check whether the rating differences observed in the dimensions were statistically significant, a contrast of means for independent samples (t-student) was carried out.

It is observed that when dimensions such as facilities, relationships, company or benefits are mentioned, significantly different average ratings are produced, with the greatest differences occurring in the dimensions facilities (going from 4.15 to 3.71 on average), benefits (it went from 4.16 to 3.95 on average) and company (it went from 4.11 to 4.31 on average).

Once we have found which dimensions are affected by happiness, we proceed to develop another contrast of means for independent samples that allows us to verify which variables or advantages of each dimension are those that give rise to the greatest differences in the evaluations or ratings. employee means. These differences are shown in Table  5 .

It is observed that the greatest differences occur when characteristics of the coffee cantine are mentioned (it goes from 4.15 to 3.62), the job nature (it goes from 4.13 to 4.65), the employee’s discounts (from 4.15 to 3.75) and food (from 4.15 to 3.80).

Table  6 represents how users from different sectors link happiness with the dimensions of facilities, labor conditions, relationships, company, benefits and social marketing. That is when users are showing characteristics related to happiness in their review, and at the same time they are mentioning some of these dimensions, the average rating of the review varies, and if this happens in each of the sectors. To check whether the rating differences observed in the dimensions were statistically significant, a contrast of means for independent samples (t-student) was carried out.

It is observed that when dimensions such as labor conditions, relationships, company or social marketing are mentioned, significantly different average ratings are obtained in some sectors.

Regarding labor conditions, different average ratings occur both in the consulting sector (it goes from 4.05 to 4.1) and in the transportation sector (it goes from 4.05 to 4.44), that is, while in transportation, when users mention aspects linked to labor conditions, this is reflected in an increase in their rating, in the consulting sector the opposite effect occurs, this aspect causes their rating to decrease.

In the computing sector, different average ratings also occur when attributes linked to relationships are mentioned (it goes from 4.26 to 4.47), therefore relationships are important in this sector. Furthermore, in the tourism sector, different average ratings are obtained when aspects of relationships are mentioned (it goes from 3.99 to 3.67), therefore relationships are less important in this sector. Finally, in the healthcare sector there are also significant differences (it goes from 4.14 to 3.86), therefore relationships are less important in this sector too.

Regarding the attributes linked to the company (such as its culture, mission, values, etc.), different average ratings are produced both in construction (it goes from 4.14 to 4.58) and in tourism (it goes from 3.93 to 3.50), that is, while in construction it implies a positive impact, increasing the rating, in tourism the opposite effect occurs, obtaining a lower rating. Finally, regarding social marketing attributes, different average ratings occur in the finance sector (it goes from 4.12 to 4.00), that is, it is not a valued aspect in this sector.

Regarding the analysis of the network that represents the reviews that show happiness management in their comments, Fig.  2 shows the network generated from co-occurrences of words that appear in the same comment, formed by 906 nodes and 9,032 edges.

Semantic network of comments about happiness

The most representative communities and the terms that stand out the most are the following:

Community 1, in purple, represents 47.35% of the network, that is, the words most connected to each other belong to this group. In this community the terms work, company, challenge, career and flexible stand out. The term challenge is mentioned by employees to express that companies give them opportunities to challenge their careers, through a challenging atmosphere. When the career is mentioned, it is in the context of career growth, advancement and progression. The term company is linked to both commitment and colleagues and collaboration. Finally, flexibility refers to a flexible environment that allows flexible work. An example of a review within this community is the following: “They train you constantly. If you are proactive, they give you room to grow and take on challenges. The teams are very collaborative. Good benefits.” ( Accenture , August 2023 ).

Community 2, in green, represents 16.56% of the network. In this community, the terms comprehensive, collaboration, development, professional and colleague stand out. Employees mention the term comprehensive to express that companies facilitate comprehensive benefits. On the other hand, when collaboration is mentioned, it is in the context of a collaborative environment, with challenging projects and collaborative colleagues. The term development is linked to professional development. An example of a review within this community is the following: “Microsoft fosters a culture of innovation, offering numerous opportunities for career growth and skill development. The work environment encourages collaboration, and the company’s global impact is truly inspiring. The comprehensive benefits package and flexible work hours are definite advantages.” ( Microsoft , November , 2023 ).

Community 3, in blue, represents 16.34% of the network. In this community, the terms culture, commitment, strong, time and teamwork stand out. The term culture is mentioned by employees to express that cultures related to challenge, competitiveness and collaboration are promoted in their companies. On the other hand, when commitment is mentioned, it is in the context of benefits, coffee and beverages. Another term that stands out is time, linked to free time and flexible time. Finally, teamwork is linked to strong work groups, which allow career development. An example of a review within this community is the following: “Great company culture, constant challenges, great teamwork, personal and professional growth, diversity and inclusion, balance between work and personal life.” ( HP Inc. , July 2021 ).

Community 4, in grey, represents 16.23% of the network. In this community, the terms environment, employee and growth stand out. Employees mention the term growth to express growth opportunities. This term is also linked to employees since it identifies employees’ desire for employee growth, and with the term environment, since environments that encourage growth are rewarded. An example of a review within this community is the following: “The company inspires me with opportunity, growth, challenge and learning.” ( Amazon , November , 2021 ).

Regarding the term work, it is the most mentioned in all the comments on this network about happiness. The most frequently mentioned terms are related to words such as culture, environment, challenge, growth career, flexibility, development, salary, leadership or reward (Table  7 ). Therefore, when employees show happiness with their jobs, they mention these terms.

Conclusions

This work reveals the relevance of employee opinions in the evaluations they give to companies from the perspective of Happiness Management and Social Marketing. Additionally, this research explores whether Glassdoor’s ranking of the best companies to work for provides meaningful information about which benefits employees value most. In this way, it would be possible to identify companies with the potential for superior performance in the future. For this, two types of analysis have been carried out, one quantitative and the other qualitative. The results of the quantitative analysis and those of the qualitative analysis have been differentiated into two blocks: the first corresponds to the comments referring to social marketing, and the second to those linked to happiness management. This distinction has been made because social marketing and happiness management are becoming increasingly important in the private sector. In this sense, it has been proven that when companies carry out social marketing campaigns, an improvement in their image is generated [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. The company’s image is one of the critical factors in the results of the quantitative analysis in the first block since the mean differences in employee ratings are statistically significant depending on whether or not it is mentioned in the comments. Concerning the company’s image, issues related to reputation and culture are the most relevant. Canning et al. [ 59 ] also highlight employees’ importance to culture (also on the Glassdoor platform) in their research. These results are crucial as cultural norms are linked to greater employee trust and commitment [ 56 ].

Furthermore, reputation is another factor linked to the company’s image, which corresponds to other studies such as that of Shirin & Kleyn [ 61 ], who affirm that the company’s reputation positively influences its commitment. Working conditions and social relations have also been the advantages most valued by employees, along with the company’s corporate image, both in the social marketing and happiness comment blocks. However, in the block of social marketing comments, there are significant differences regarding specific advantages over social relationships, such as events and camaraderie. Camaraderie is revealed as a fundamental factor in employee comments on Glassdoor and in other studies such as that of Moro, Ramos, and Rita [ 56 ], whose results highlight that a positive attitude of co-workers contributes to a positive environment and improves job satisfaction.

In the transition to Industry 5.0, organizations increasingly recognize the critical role of employee happiness in driving innovation and competitive advantage. The literature review highlights the convergence of human-centered technology and automation, emphasizing not only the integration of advanced technologies but also the importance of fostering an environment conducive to creativity, ethics, and happiness [ 1 ]. This shift toward happiness economics suggests that employee well-being is directly related to organizational success, as happy employees tend to exhibit higher levels of productivity, creativity, and loyalty [ 2 , 3 ].

The integration of Industry 5.0 human-centric technology into the workplace underlines a fundamental shift towards prioritizing employee happiness, as highlighted by Ravina-Ripoll et al. [ 9 ]. This transformation is not only technological but fundamentally human, where the happiness economy emerges as a cornerstone for organizational success [ 2 , 3 ]. Quantitative analysis, particularly student t-tests, offers empirical validation of this relationship, highlighting how specific job benefits significantly influence employee happiness. This analysis echoes the findings of Lyubomirsky et al. [ 7 ], emphasizing the tangible impact of flexible work arrangements and health programs on employee satisfaction.

Analysis of employee reviews on the Glassdoor platform has provided valuable insights into the factors that influence job satisfaction and happiness. Glassdoor offers a candid look at organizational practices and their impact on the workforce, revealing a strong correlation between workplace benefits and employee happiness [ 5 , 7 ]. Benefits such as flexible work arrangements, health and wellbeing programs and career development opportunities are increasingly valued in the changing Industry 5.0 workplace landscape, underscoring the need for organizations to align their benefits packages with the values and needs of their employees.

The relationship between social marketing and happiness management is critical in brand management, allowing brands to reflect and absorb societal culture [ 85 ]. In the business environment, a successful social marketing program must consider establishing explicit behavior change objectives, using the most appropriate communication channels, focusing on solid research on the target audience, paying attention to monitoring channels and evaluation, and developing a relational approach when addressing complex issues [ 86 ]. A model that addresses how to carry out effective social marketing management is the application of Rothschild’s MOA framework (Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability) [ 87 ]. In this sense, Binney, Hall, and Shaw [ 88 ] demonstrated an association between behavioral change and the constructs above. Going one step further, and due to the complexity of the behavior, Parkinson et al. [ 89 ] proposed adding one more construct to the MOA model, the nature of the behavior, which refers to the fact that the complexity of behavior is determined mainly by its inherent characteristics, and the levels of motivation, opportunity, and ability of the person, all of which will probably change over time. An adequate combination of Happiness management and social marketing can be addressed using the models and concepts mentioned above to improve social well-being.

The results of the qualitative analysis, through the semantic network, have allowed us to delve deeper into the context in which the comments appear, both in the social marketing and happiness blocks. Before continuing, it is necessary to highlight that semantic networks have been developed with the three most significant advantages according to the quantitative analysis: working conditions, social relations, and company image. In this sense, it stands out that in the largest community detected in the network of social marketing comments, mentions of valuable actions for society predominate, accentuating the importance of social marketing. This is also evident in other studies on employee comments on Glassdoor, such as that of LaVan, Zilic & Basappa [ 57 ], which measure the relevance of green jobs in companies. Another interesting result has been finding positive comments about the balance between work and family life. This fundamental aspect is also reflected in the research results by Hope et al. [ 58 ]. Regarding working conditions, it is worth highlighting the preponderance of aspects related to health insurance and pension funds; however, the differences in the average ratings have been insignificant in the previous T-Student analysis.

Qualitative analysis through semantic networks deepens the nuanced understanding of happiness within the workforce, revealing the complex interplay between job benefits and employee perceptions in different communities. Qualitative analysis conducted through semantic networks on comments extracted from Glassdoor offers a unique perspective on the complex fabric of employee happiness and satisfaction. This approach allows for a nuanced understanding of how various factors interact in the work environment, revealing the multifaceted nature of employee happiness beyond what quantitative measures can capture.

This approach, which explores the semantic relationships between key terms in employee reviews, reveals the subjective dimensions of happiness and satisfaction. It reveals how employees value not only tangible benefits but also the broader cultural and relational aspects of their workplace, aligning with the perspectives of Querbach et al. [ 5 ] on the importance of a supportive work environment.

The first community strongly emphasizes the importance of work-life balance and flexibility, reflecting a growing trend in employee expectations. The prominence of terms related to “life,” “freedom,” “balance,” and “time” indicates a significant valuation of policies that enable employees to harmonize their professional and personal lives. This finding aligns with research suggesting that today’s workforce appreciates and expects flexible work arrangements [ 5 ].

Another community focuses on health insurance and pension funds, highlighting the critical role of health and financial security in employee satisfaction. The debate around these benefits suggests that, despite the changing nature of work, traditional benefits remain critical to ensuring a sense of security and well-being among employees. Qualitative insights highlight the significant emphasis employees place on health insurance and pension funds, indicating the importance of health and financial security in fostering workplace satisfaction. This aligns with the findings of Luo et al. [ 13 ], who highlight the value that employees place on comprehensive health benefits, linking them to greater job satisfaction and general well-being. The emphasis on health and well-being benefits in employee comments reflects broader trends in the literature, suggesting that such benefits are crucial to ensuring a sense of security and well-being among employees. Additionally, qualitative analysis supports the idea that, despite the changing nature of work, traditional benefits, such as health insurance, remain critical to improving employee satisfaction [ 13 ].

Another community focuses on professional growth, challenges and professional development opportunities. The frequent mention of “challenge”, “growth”, “career” and “professional development” underlines the importance that employees place on being provided avenues to advance and develop within their roles. These findings align with the work of Sekar et al. [ 30 ], who found that positive sentiments in online reviews significantly affect overall employee satisfaction, with skill development being a strong predictor of satisfaction. The emphasis on career challenges and growth opportunities reflects a critical aspect of employee engagement and satisfaction, suggesting that the workforce highly values career development opportunities. This is further corroborated by the analysis presented in their paper, which highlights the importance of providing employees with pathways to advance and develop in their roles, thereby improving job satisfaction and promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement [ 32 ].

The latter community reveals a deep commitment to the company’s culture, values and collaborative environment. Terms like “culture,” “engagement,” “teamwork,” and “collaboration” suggest that employees highly value a positive, inclusive, and supportive work culture. This is consistent with literature indicating that organizational culture significantly impacts job satisfaction and employee retention [ 2 , 3 ].

Theoretical and managerial implications

Theoretical implications.

The analysis of worker opinions on Glassdoor offers rich theoretical implications for academic literature, particularly in the realms of happiness management, the happiness economy in Industry 5.0, and social marketing. These implications extend across various disciplines, providing a nuanced understanding of employee satisfaction and its broader impacts on organizational success and societal well-being. These platforms, by providing unfiltered insights into employee experiences, satisfaction, and well-being, serve as a valuable resource for understanding the dynamics of workplace happiness and its broader economic and social implications.

In the context of happiness management, employee Glassdoor reviews can significantly contribute to the development of theories related to job satisfaction and employee well-being. Reviews often highlight factors that contribute to or detract from workplace happiness, such as leadership quality, work-life balance, and recognition [ 90 ]. By analyzing these inputs, researchers can refine models of happiness management, emphasizing the importance of psychological well-being in the workplace [ 91 ]. This analysis can lead to a better understanding of how positive work environments foster not only higher productivity but also greater employee loyalty and creativity [ 92 ]. For instance, studies have shown that job satisfaction is linked to reduced employee turnover and increased productivity [ 93 ]. By analyzing employee reviews, researchers can identify specific aspects of work-life that impact happiness, such as leadership quality, work-life balance, recognition, and career development opportunities. This analysis can enrich the theoretical frameworks of happiness management by providing empirical evidence of how these factors are perceived by employees across different industries and organizational contexts.

Employee reviews on Glassdoor also have implications for social marketing, particularly in how organizations communicate their values and culture to attract talent and engage with broader societal issues. Reviews act as a form of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) that can influence employer branding and corporate reputation, thus, positive employee feedback can be a powerful tool for attracting talent, building brand loyalty, and enhancing corporate reputation. Conversely, negative reviews can highlight areas where organizations need to improve their social responsibility efforts, such as promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, or implementing environmentally sustainable practices. Analyzing these reviews allows for a deeper understanding of the social constructs that drive job choice and employee engagement, offering insights into how companies can leverage social marketing strategies to promote a positive work environment and corporate social responsibility. This analysis can inform theories on how effective social marketing can enhance employee satisfaction and happiness, thereby contributing to a positive organizational image and attracting socially conscious consumers and employees. This feedback loop between employee satisfaction and corporate social marketing strategies underscores the importance of internal stakeholders in shaping a company’s external image. It also provides a basis for developing theories on the role of employee happiness in the broader context of corporate social responsibility and ethical business practices [ 94 ].

Furthermore, this research is aligned with different studies and allows the existing gap to be reduced in three ways. First, this research addresses the need to explore the value of online employee reviews from various perspectives, leveraging big data to gain a competitive advantage and improve companies’ strategies [ 31 ]. Secondly, it deepens the study of the benefits that companies offer their employees, not only in one sector but in a wide range of industries [ 39 ]. Thirdly, an analysis differentiated by sectors and dimensions of benefits has been carried out, covering a research need that several authors called for [ 13 , 41 ].

Managerial implications

Analyzing the opinions left by workers on Glassdoor is important for several compelling reasons, impacting both organizations and the broader job market. This platform offers a treasure trove of candid feedback from current and former employees about their work experiences, company culture, management practices, and job satisfaction. This feedback is invaluable for multiple stakeholders, including job seekers, company management, and researchers.

For job seekers, these reviews provide insights into the company’s working conditions, growth opportunities, and the overall satisfaction levels of its employees [ 8 ]. This information helps them make informed decisions about whether a company aligns with their career goals and personal values [ 13 ]. It essentially allows them to look beyond the glossy exterior presented by corporate marketing and get a glimpse of the real working environment. Social marketing is presented as a powerful tool to promote behavioral changes aimed at improving individual well-being and that of the community in general. The application of social marketing in the workplace is essential, especially when it comes to promoting a culture that values happiness, collaborative participation, adaptability and innovation [ 42 , 45 ]. The results of this research highlight how social marketing strategies, by addressing barriers and leveraging motivations, can lead to sustainable behavioral changes, including improving employee satisfaction and creating a positive work environment.

From a company’s perspective, employee reviews on Glassdoor can serve as a powerful tool for self-assessment and improvement. By analyzing these reviews, companies can identify areas of strength and areas needing improvement [ 11 ]. This could range from enhancing communication and leadership practices to revising compensation and benefits packages [ 15 ]. Addressing these issues not only helps in attracting top talent but also in retaining current employees by showing that the company values their feedback and is committed to creating a positive work environment. Analysis of employee reviews on Glassdoor reveals that happiness management and social marketing are intrinsically linked to the perception of an organization’s culture and values. Positive feedback about the work environment, culture and benefits contributes significantly to a company’s image, attracting and retaining talent. Employee ratings, and the benefits they mention in their reviews, are the result of effective social marketing, which not only improves job satisfaction but also promotes a sense of belonging and community among employees, which are key drivers of happiness. in the workplace. Additionally, this research explores how social marketing can amplify the visibility of an organization’s commitment to innovative benefits, work-life balance, and a supportive work atmosphere. By effectively communicating these values, organizations can reinforce their reputation as reputable employers among workers, thereby attracting candidates who share similar values and are more likely to experience satisfaction and happiness at work.

Moreover, for researchers and analysts, these reviews offer a rich dataset for studying employment trends, job satisfaction determinants, and the impact of corporate culture on employee well-being [ 7 ]. They can use this data to identify patterns and correlations that can inform broader discussions on work-life balance, employee engagement, and organizational effectiveness [ 5 ]. To maximize the impact on employee happiness and organizational performance, companies must strategically integrate happiness management initiatives with social marketing strategies. This involves not only providing meaningful benefits and fostering a positive work culture but also effectively communicating these efforts both internally and externally. By doing so, organizations can create a feedback loop in which increased employee happiness generates positive reviews and testimonials, further improving the company’s image through social marketing.

This research contributes to happiness management theories by empirically demonstrating how positive job environments enhance productivity, loyalty, and creativity. These insights show how leadership quality, work-life balance, and recognition contribute to workplace happiness, enhancing productivity, loyalty, and creativity. Such feedback aids job seekers in making informed decisions, helps companies improve practices and attract talent, and provides researchers with valuable data on employment trends and corporate culture’s effect on employee well-being.

By analyzing employee reviews on Glassdoor, organizations can gain valuable insights into the factors that contribute to job satisfaction and happiness. Furthermore, understanding and addressing the evolving needs of their workforce allows companies to leverage job benefits as a powerful tool for fostering a happy, productive, and innovative workplace.

Despite the wealth of information available, there remains a paucity of empirical studies that fully leverage this real-time data. This study addresses this gap by utilizing Glassdoor reviews to explore employee satisfaction, demonstrating the value of these digital platforms in capturing the fluid and evolving nature of workplace happiness.

Furthermore, for job seekers, these reviews provide insights into companies’ working conditions, growth opportunities, and overall satisfaction levels. From a company’s perspective, employee reviews on Glassdoor can serve as a powerful tool for self-assessment and improvement. For researchers and analysts, these reviews offer a rich dataset for studying employment trends, job satisfaction determinants, and the impact of corporate culture on employee well-being.

These practical implications underscore the importance of leveraging the feedback employees share on Glassdoor to inform both happiness management and social marketing strategies. By understanding and addressing the needs and preferences of their workforce, organizations can improve job satisfaction, employee well-being, and ultimately, organizational performance. This holistic approach aligns with the broader goals of Industry 5.0, which emphasize the value of integrating human-centered practices with technological advances to foster a sustainable, innovative and happy workplace.

Limitations and future research lines

Using user opinions on Glassdoor to analyze happiness management has limitations. Firstly, the self-selection bias means the reviews may not represent the entire workforce, as typically those with extreme opinions are more inclined to post, which is why this research has only analyzed the benefits highlighted by employees, and not the disadvantages. Glassdoor also allows knowing these negative reviews, so a future line of research would be to focus on the negative aspects that workers highlight.

Secondly, anonymity can lead to exaggerated positive or negative feedback, impacting the reliability of the data. However, this research has initially downloaded 138,765 employee reviews, which makes it possible to reduce this possible bias.

Additionally, the lack of demographic and job-specific information limits the ability to contextualize responses or identify trends across different employee groups. Glassdoor allows knowing the country, city and job position of each person who publishes a review, so a future line of research should replicate this analysis taking into account the geographical diversity and the types of benefits that are applied in each country [ 38 ].

The self-selection bias inherent in Glassdoor reviews means that the data may disproportionately represent employees with extreme positive or negative experiences. To mitigate this, we included a large sample size of 138,764 reviews, which helps to balance out individual biases. Additionally, the anonymity of the reviews can lead to exaggerated feedback, both positive and negative. By focusing on consistent keywords and patterns across many reviews, we aimed to derive more reliable insights.

Another limitation is the lack of demographic data, such as age, gender, and job position, which restricts our ability to analyze trends across different employee groups. While we ensured diversity by including companies from various sectors, future research could benefit from incorporating demographic information to provide more nuanced insights. Lastly, reviews reflect perceptions at a specific point in time and may not capture ongoing changes within organizations or industry trends. Collecting reviews over a three-year span (2021–2023) helped to mitigate this by capturing more stable trends and reducing the impact of short-term fluctuations.

Finally, these reviews reflect individual perceptions at a point in time and may not accurately capture ongoing changes within the organization or industry trends. Glassdoor also allows knowing the date on which the review is published, so future research could analyze the evolution of the benefits offered by companies over time, or for example the differences before, during and after COVID-19.

Concerning the concept of the happiness economy within Industry 5.0, Glassdoor employee reviews can shed light on how the adoption of Industry 5.0 technologies—such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and the Internet of Things—affects employee happiness and job satisfaction. For example, research could explore how automation and digitalization impact workers’ sense of job security, skill development opportunities, and work satisfaction. The feedback from employees can provide insights into the balance between technological efficiency and human well-being, contributing to the development of a happiness economy that values both productivity and employee satisfaction. This aligns with the broader goals of Industry 5.0, which focus on creating a sustainable and human-centric industry [ 95 ].

Analyzing Glassdoor worker opinions extends across disciplines, offering a holistic view of the interconnectedness of employee happiness, organizational success, and social well-being. These reviews provide empirical data that can enrich theories in happiness management by detailing the specific workplace factors that contribute to or detract from employee well-being. In the context of Industry 5.0, they offer insights into the human side of technological advancement, highlighting the importance of designing technologies and work processes that enhance, rather than undermine, human happiness. For social marketing, these reviews underscore the role of authentic employee voices in shaping organizational brands and driving social change.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Ravina-Ripoll R, Galván-Vela E, Popescu CRG, Ahumada-Tello E. Guest editorial: exploring happiness in the workplace as an essential theme for developing managers post-pandemic. J Manag Dev. 2023;42(6):421–4.

Article   Google Scholar  

Fisher CD. Happiness at work. Int J Manag Rev. 2010;12(4):384–412.

Kahneman D, Deaton A. High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010;107(38):16489–93.

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Dube S, Zhu C. The disciplinary effect of social media: evidence from firms’ responses to Glassdoor reviews. J Acc Res. 2021;59(5):1783–825.

Querbach S, Waldkirch M, Kammerlander N. Benefitting from benefits—A comparison of employee satisfaction in family and non-family firms. J Fam Bus Strateg. 2022;13(2):100351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2020.100351 .

Höllig CE. Online employer reviews as a data source: a systematic literature review. Proc Annu Hawaii Int Conf Syst Sci. 2021;4341–50.

Lyubomirsky S, King L, Diener E. The benefits of frequent positive affect: does happiness lead to success? Psychol Bull. 2005;131(6):803–55.

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Can’t get no satisfaction: exploring job (dis)satisfaction in Silicon Valley through Glassdoor reviews. Hum Resour Manag Int Dig. 2022;30(1):8–12. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-07-2021-0160 .

Ravina-Ripoll R, Balderas-Cejudo A, Núñez-Barriopedro E, Galván-Vela E. Are chefs happiness providers? Exploring the impact of organisational support, intrapreneurship and interactional justice from the perspective of happiness management. Int J Gastron Food Sci. 2023;34.

Jung Y, Suh Y. Mining the voice of employees: A text mining approach to identifying and analyzing job satisfaction factors from online employee reviews. Decis Support Syst. 2019;123:113074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2019.113074 .

Lee J, Kang J. A study on job satisfaction factors in retention and turnover groups using dominance analysis and LDA topic modeling with employee reviews on Glassdoor.com. In: ICIS 2017: Transforming Society with Digital Innovation. 2018. pp. 0–11.

Loury LD. NORC at the University of Chicago. J Labor Econ. 2012;13(2):289–308.

Luo N, Zhou Y, Shon JJ. Employee satisfaction and corporate performance: Mining employee reviews on glassdoor.com. 2016 Int Conf Inf Syst ICIS. 2016. 2016;(2015):1–16.

Ravina-Ripoll R, Romero-Rodríguez LM, Ahumada-Tello E. Guest editorial: happiness management: key factors for sustainability and organizational communication in the age of industry 4.0. Corp Gov. 2022;22(3):449–57.

Stamolampros P, Korfiatis N, Chalvatzis K, Buhalis D. Job satisfaction and employee turnover determinants in high contact services: Insights from Employees’Online reviews. Tour Manag. 2019;75:130–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.04.030 .

Ruiz-Rodríguez R, Ortiz-de-Urbina-Criado M, Ravina-Ripoll R. Neuroleadership: a new way for happiness management. Humanit Soc Sci Commun. 2023;10(1):1–14.

Huang K, Li M, Markov S. What do employees know? Evidence from a social media platform. Account Rev. 2020;95(2):199–226. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-52519 .

Galván-Vela E, Arango Herrera E, Sorzano Rodríguez DM, Ravina-Ripoll R. State-of-the-art analysis of intrapreneurship: A review of the theoretical construct and its bibliometrics. J Risk Fin Manag. 2021;14(4):148. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm14040148 .

Bastos W, Barsade SG. A new look at employee happiness: How employees’ perceptions of a job as offering experiences versus objects to customers influence job-related happiness. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process. 2020;161:176–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.06.003 .

Wang D, Ma E, Kim YS, Liu A, Berbekova A. From good soldiers to happy employees: Exploring the emotional and well-being outcomes of organizational citizenship behavior. J Hosp Tour Manag. 2021;49:570–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.11.005 .

Xia H, Muskat B, Vu HQ, Law R, Li G. Leveraging employee online reviews for improving hotel competitiveness in the great resignation. Int J Hosp Manag. 2023;113:103529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103529 .

Farhadi R, Nanda V. What do employees know? Quality perception and ‘over-satisfaction’ in firms going public. J Corp Financ. 2021;66:101779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101779 .

Goyal R, Sharma H. Does well-being mediate between mindfulness and knowledge workers’ work engagement relationship? J Knowl Econ. 2023;(0123456789). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-023-01313-w .

Kim J (Simon), Ra K, editors. Employee satisfaction and asymmetric cost behavior: Evidence from Glassdoor. Econ Lett. 2022;219:110829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2022.110829 .

Schneider B. People management in work organizations: Fifty years of learnings. Organ Dyn. 2021;50(4):100789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2020.100789 .

Sanagustín-Fons MV, Tobar-Pesántez LB, Ravina-Ripoll R. Happiness and cultural tourism: The perspective of civil participation. Sustainability. 2020;12(8):3465. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083465 .

Cycyota CS, Ferrante CJ, Schroeder JM. Corporate social responsibility and employee volunteerism: What do the best companies do? Bus Horiz. 2016;59(3):321–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2016.01.004 .

Kirilenko A, Stepchenkova S, Gromoll R, Jo Y. Comprehensive examination of online reviews divergence over time and platform types. Int J Hosp Manag. 2024;117:103647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103647 .

Lee Y, Kim KH. De-motivating employees’ negative communication behaviors on anonymous social media: The role of public relations. Public Relat Rev. 2020;46(4):101955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101955 .

Feng S. Job satisfaction, management sentiment, and financial performance: Text analysis with job reviews from indeed.com. Int J Inf Manag Data Insights. 2023;3(1):100155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2023.100155 .

Symitsi E, Stamolampros P, Daskalakis G, Korfiatis N. The informational value of employee online reviews. Eur J Oper Res. 2021;288(2):605–19.

Sekar S, Edakkat Subhakaran S, Chattopadhyay D. Unlocking the voice of employee perspectives: exploring the relevance of online platform reviews on organizational perceptions. Manag Decis. 2023;61(11):3408–29. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-11-2022-1509 .

Koncar P, Helic D et al. Employee satisfaction in online reviews. In: Aref S, Bontcheva K, Braghieri M, Dignum F, Giannotti F, Grisolia F, editors. International Conference on Social Informatics. Springer; 2020. pp. 152–167. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60975-7_12 .

Hunt TL, West CP, Leighton JA, Mueller PS. Is it time to intentionally improve the satisfaction of health care employees? Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes. 2023;7(2):140–2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2023.02.003 .

Dabirian A, Kietzmann J, Diba H. A great place to work!? Understanding crowdsourced employer branding. Bus Horiz. 2017;60(2):197–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2016.11.005 .

Acosta-González HN, Marcenaro-Gutiérrez OD. Bad jobs versus good bobs: does it matter for life and job satisfaction? J Knowl Econ. 2023;(0123456789). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-023-01128-9 .

Li J. The effect of employee satisfaction on effective corporate tax planning: Evidence from Glassdoor. Adv Account. 2022;57:100597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adiac.2022.100597 .

Mashiah I. Come and join us: How tech brands use source, message, and target audience strategies to attract employees. J High Technol Manag Res. 2021;32(2):100418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hitech.2021.100418 .

Coaley PC. Online employer reviews: A glimpse into the employer-brand benefits of working in the Las Vegas hotel/casino industry. J Hum Resour Hosp Tour. 2021;20(3):417–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332845.2021.1923927 .

da Silveira ADM. The employee is always right: employee satisfaction and corporate performance in Brazil. Rev Adm Contemp. 2019;23(6):739–64.

Zia MA, Sheikh H. Effects of fob satisfaction on employee’s performance. Organ Behav. 2018;118:50899–908.

Google Scholar  

Kotler P, Lee NR. Social Marketing: influencing behaviors for good. Los Angeles: SAGE; 2008.

Andreasen A. Social Marketing: Its Definition and Domain. J. Public Policy Mark.1994; 13(1): 108–114. https://doi.org/10.1177/074391569401300109 .

Leal A. El marketing social en España: Situación actual y estrategias para su desarrollo. Int. Rev. Public Nonprofit Market. 2004. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02896616 .

EdgarT, Boyd SD, Palame MJ. Sustainability for behaviour change in the fight against antibiotic resistance: a social marketing framework. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2009; 63, (2):230–237. https://doi.org/10.17163/ret.n14.2017.06 .

Bastos W, Barsade SG. A new look at employee happiness: How employees’ perceptions of a job as offering experiences versus objects to customers influence job-related happiness. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.06.003 .

Ravina-Ripoll R, Villena-Manzanares F, Gutiérrez-Montoya GA. Una aproximación teórica para mejorar Los resultados de innovación en las empresas desde la perspectiva del happiness management. Retos. 2017;7(14):113–29.

Brennan L, Previte J, Fry ML. Social marketing’s consumer myopia: applying a behavioral ecological model to address wicked problems. J Soc Mark.2016; https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-12-2015-0079 .

Fishbein M. A behavior theory approach to the relations between beliefs about an object and the attitude toward the object. M. Fishbein editor. Readings in attitude theory and measurement. New York: Wiley; 1967.

Hernández García de Velazco JJ, Ravina Ripoll R, Chumaceiro Hernandez AC. Relevance and social responsibility of sustainable university organizations: analysis from the perspective of endogenous capacities. J Entrep. Sustain Issu. 2020;7(4):2967–77. https://doi.org/10.9770/jesi.2020.7.4(26 ).

Omodan BI, Tsotetsi CT, Dube B. Analysis of human relations theory of management: A quest to reenact people’s management towards peace in university system. J Hum Resour Manag Res. 2020. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v18i0.1184 .

Bakker AB, Demerouti E. The Job Demands-Resources model: state of the art. J Manag Psychol. 2007;22(3):309–28. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115 .

Cueva Estrada JM, Sumba Nacipucha NA, Delgado Figueroa SP. Marketing social y su incidencia en el comportamiento del consumidor. Rev Venez Gerenc. 2021;26(95):852–67. https://produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/rvg/article/view/36306 .

Elías-Zambrano R, Jiménez-Marín G, Galiano-Coronil A. Estrategias de Marketing Social y Comunicación de la Slow Fashion como Herramienta de Happiness Management. Anduli. 2023. https://doi.org/10.12795/anduli.2023.i23.06 .

Verbytska A, Lysenko I, Babachenko L, Kraskivska N. Inclusive social marketing: Representation and diversity in brand campaigns. Mark Brand Res. 2023;10:45–58. https://doi.org/10.32038/mbr.2023.10.01.04 .

Moro S, Ramos RF, Rita P. What drives job satisfaction in IT companies? Int J Product Perform Manag. 2020;70(2):391–407. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm-03-2019-0124 .

LaVan H, Zilic I, Basappa S. Attitudes of employees in green companies regarding CSR communication. Int J Manpow. 2022;43(6):1301–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijm-11-2020-0542 .

Hope O-K, Li C, Lin A-P, Rabier M. Happy analysts. Account Organ Soc. 2021;90(101199):101199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aos.2020.101199 .

Canning EA, Murphy MC, Emerson KTU, Chatman JA, Dweck CS, Kray LJ. Cultures of genius at work: Organizational mindsets predict cultural norms, trust, and commitment. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2020;46(4):626–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219872473 .

Hartnell CA, Ou AY, Kinicki A. Organizational culture and organizational effectiveness: a meta-analytic investigation of the competing values framework’s theoretical suppositions. J Appl Psychol. 2011;96:677–94.

Shirin A, Kleyn N. An evaluation of the effects of corporate reputation on employee engagement: The case of a major bank in South Africa. Int Stud Manag Organ [Internet]. 2017;47(3):276–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/00208825.2017.1318023 .

Miller G, Skinner D. The Evolving Disclosure Landscape: how changes in Tech-nology, the media, and Capital markets are affecting Disclosure. J Acc Res. 2015;53:221–39.

Landers R, Brusso R, Auer E. Crowdsourcing job satisfaction data: examining the construct validity of Glassdoor.com ratings. Pers Assess Decis [Internet]. 2019. https://doi.org/10.25035/pad.2019.03.006 .

Chinazzo G. Investigating the indoor environmental quality of different workplaces through web-scraping and text-mining of Glassdoor reviews. Build Res Inf. 2021;49(6):695–713. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2021.1908879 .

Chittiprolu V, Singh S, Bellamkonda RS, Vanka S. A text mining analysis of online reviews of Indian hotel employees. Anatolia. 2021;32(2):232–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1856157 .

Escobar Terán HE, Alcivar M, Puris A. Aplicaciones de minerí­a de datos en marketing. Rev Publicando. 2016;3(8):503–12. https://revistapublicando.org/revista/index.php/crv/article/view/169 .

Majumder J, Khanra S. An overview of semantic networks and its components. IJERT. 2015. https://www.ijert.org/an-overview-of-semantic-networks-and-its-components .

Fowler FJ Jr. (2013). Survey Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications; 2013.

Allende-Alonso S, Bouza-Herrera CN, Rizvi SEH, Sautto-Vallejo JM. (2019). Big data and the central limit theorem: A statistical legend. Inve Oper, 2019;40(1), 112–123.

Krippendorff K. Reliability in content analysis. Some common misconceptions and recommendations. Hum Commun Res. 2004. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2004.tb00738.x .

Shenhao A, Ronghuan Y. A review of complex network theory [J]. Comput Syst Appl. 2020. https://doi.org/10.15888/j.cnki.csa.007617 .

Viñas-Bardolet C, Torrent-Sellens J, Guillen-Royo M. Knowledge workers and job satisfaction: evidence from Europe. J Knowl Econ. 2020;11(1):256–80.

Grant AM, Christianson MK, Price RH. Happiness, health, or relationships? Managerial practices and employee well-being tradeoffs. Acad Manag Perspect. 2007;21(3):51–63. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2007.26421238 .

Friedmann E. Increasing women’s participation in the STEM industry: a first step for developing a social marketing strategy. J Soc Mark. 2018;8(4):442–60.

Omodan BI, Tsotetsi CT, Dube B. Analysis of human relations theory of management: a quest to re-enact people’s management towards peace in university system. SA J Hum Resour Manag. 2020;18:1–10.

Salas-Vallina A, Alegre J. Happiness at work: developing a shorter measure. J Manag Organ. 2021;27(3):460–80.

Filbeck G, Zhao X, Warnaka M. Glassdoor’s best places to work internationally: Are they best for shareholders? Int J Finance Econ. 2022;27(4):4350–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.2375 .

Zheng Y, Cheng X, Huang R, Man Y. A comparative study on text clustering methods. Advanced Data Mining and Applications. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 2006. pp. 644–51.

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Bastian M, Heymann S, Jacomy M, Gephi. An open source software for exploring and manipulating networks. Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media. 2009. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v3i1.13937 .

Lim YS. Semantic web and contextual information: Semantic network analysis of online journalistic texts. In: Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 2010. pp. 52–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16581-8_6 .

Gajdoš P, Ježowicz T, Uher V, Dohnálek P. A parallel Fruchterman–Reingold algorithm optimized for fast visualization of large graphs and swarms of data. Swarm Evol Comput. 2016;26:56–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.swevo.2015.07.006 .

Blondel VD, Guillaume J-L, Lambiotte R, Lefebvre E. Fast unfolding of communities in large networks. J Stat Mech. 2008;2008(10):P10008. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-5468/2008/10/p10008 .

Brin S, Page L. The anatomy of a large-scale hypertextual Web search engine. Comput Netw ISDN Syst. 1998;30(1–7):107–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0169-7552(98)00110-x .

Fontana FA, Pigazzini I, Raibulet C, Basciano S, Roveda R. PageRank and criticality of architectural smells. In: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Software Architecture - Volume 2. New York, NY, USA: ACM; 2019.

Jiménez-Marín G, Zambrano RE, Galiano-Coronil A, Tobar-Pesántez L. Brand management from social marketing and happiness management binomial of in the age of industry 4.0. JLERI. 2021;24(3):1–10.

Akbar MB, Garnelo-Gomez I, Ndupu L, Barnes E, Foster C. An analysis of social marketing practice: Factors associated with success. Health Mark Q. 2022;39(4):356–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/07359683.2021.1997525 .

Rothschild ML. Carrots, sticks, and promises: A conceptual framework for the management of public health and social issue behaviors. J Mark. 1999;63(4):24–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299906300404 .

Binney W, Hall J, Shaw M. A further development in social marketing: Application of the MOA framework and behavioral implications. Mark Theory. 2003;3(3):387–403. https://doi.org/10.1177/147059310333001 .

Parkinson J, Schuster L, Russell-Bennett R. Insights into the complexity of behaviours: the MOAB framework. J Soc Mark. 2016;6(4):412–27. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-10-2015-0071 .

Salas-Vallina A, Alegre J, Fernández Guerrero R. Happiness at work in knowledge-intensive contexts: Opening the research agenda. Eur Res Manag Bus Econ. 2018;24(3):149–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2018.05.003 .

Al-shami SA, Al mamun A, Rashid N, Cheong CB. Happiness at workplace on innovative work behaviour and organisation citizenship behaviour through moderating effect of innovative behaviour. Heliyon. 2023;9(5):e15614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15614 .

Su L, Swanson SR. Perceived corporate social responsibility’s impact on the well-being and supportive green behaviors of hotel employees: The mediating role of the employee-corporate relationship. Tour Manag. 2019;72:437–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.01.009 .

Harter JK, Schmidt FL, Hayes TL. Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta-analysis. J Appl Psychol. 2022;87(2):268–279. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.2.268 .

Porter ME, Kramer MR. Strategy and society: the link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harv Bus Rev. 2006;84(12):78–92.

PubMed   Google Scholar  

Maddikunta PKR, Pham QV, Deepa BP, Dev N, Gadekallu K et al. TR,. Industry 5.0: A survey on enabling technologies and potential applications. J Ind Inf Integr. 2022;26:100257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jii.2021.100257 .

Download references

Acknowledgements

Not applicable.

There is no funding for this research.

Funding for open access publishing: Universidad de Cádiz/CBUA

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

University of Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

Araceli Galiano-Coronil

University of León, León, Spain

Sofía Blanco-Moreno

Politécnica Salesiana University, Cuenca, Ecuador

Luis Bayardo Tobar-Pesantez

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

The paper was initially conceptualized by all authors A.G-C-; S.B-M. and L.T-P. The initial manuscript draft (Introduction, literature review, methodology, results, conclusions and discussion, limitations and future lines research) was written by all authors (A.G-C-; S.B-M. and L.T-P.)

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Araceli Galiano-Coronil .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate, consent for publication.

Written consent has been provided by all individuals who are quoted in this article.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Galiano-Coronil, A., Blanco-Moreno, S. & Tobar-Pesantez, L.B. Social marketing and happiness in employment. Evidences from Glassdoor. BMC Psychol 12 , 444 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01882-8

Download citation

Received : 23 May 2024

Accepted : 01 July 2024

Published : 17 August 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01882-8

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Social marketing
• Happiness management
• Laboral satisfaction
• Text mining

BMC Psychology

ISSN: 2050-7283

• General enquiries: [email protected]

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings
• My Bibliography
• Collections
• Citation manager

Save citation to file

Email citation, add to collections.

• Create a new collection
• Add to an existing collection

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search, create a file for external citation management software, your rss feed.

• Search in PubMed
• Search in NLM Catalog
• Add to Search

Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance of SMEs Employees: The Moderating Role of Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors

Affiliations.

• 1 Department of Management, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia.
• 2 BRAC Business School, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• 3 Faculty of Economics and Management, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia.
• PMID: 35800926
• PMCID: PMC9253617
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.906876

Even though studies on work-life balance and family-supportive supervisor behaviors are prevalent, there are few studies in the SME setting, and the implications are yet unexplained. Thus, the study examines the effect of work-life balance on the performance of employees in SMEs, along with the mediating role of job satisfaction and the moderating role of family-supportive supervisor behaviors. We have developed a conceptually mediated-moderated model for the nexus of work-life balance and job performance. We collected data from SMEs and employed SEM-PLS to test the research hypothesis and model. Empirical results demonstrate that work-life balance positively influences job satisfaction and performance. Our empirical findings also revealed that job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between work-life balance and job performance. We also found that when FSSB interacts with work-life balance and job satisfaction, it moderates the relationship between work-life balance and job performance and job satisfaction and job performance. Hence, our findings provide exciting and valuable insights for research and practice.

Keywords: Indonesia; family-supportive supervisor behaviors; job performance; job satisfaction; work-life balance.

Copyright © 2022 Susanto, Hoque, Jannat, Emely, Zona and Islam.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Conceptual research model.

Result of structural model.

Similar articles

• Job Satisfaction in Remote Work: The Role of Positive Spillover from Work to Family and Work-Life Balance. García-Salirrosas EE, Rondon-Eusebio RF, Geraldo-Campos LA, Acevedo-Duque Á. García-Salirrosas EE, et al. Behav Sci (Basel). 2023 Nov 10;13(11):916. doi: 10.3390/bs13110916. Behav Sci (Basel). 2023. PMID: 37998663 Free PMC article.
• Are different generations of female employees trapped by work-family conflicts? A study on the impact of family-supportive supervisor behavior on thriving at work. Zhao X, Zhang T, Choi M, Xu J. Zhao X, et al. Front Psychol. 2024 Jun 21;15:1339899. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1339899. eCollection 2024. Front Psychol. 2024. PMID: 38979072 Free PMC article.
• The influence of supervisor supportive behaviors on subordinate job satisfaction: the moderating effect of gender similarity. García-Cabrera AM, Suárez-Ortega SM, Gutiérrez-Pérez FJ, Miranda-Martel MJ. García-Cabrera AM, et al. Front Psychol. 2023 Dec 29;14:1233212. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1233212. eCollection 2023. Front Psychol. 2023. PMID: 38222844 Free PMC article.
• [Perceived supervisor support as a relevant factor for subordinates' job satisfaction - model verification]. Wnuk M. Wnuk M. Med Pr. 2019 Jul 16;70(4):475-486. doi: 10.13075/mp.5893.00837. Epub 2019 Jun 26. Med Pr. 2019. PMID: 31241623 Polish.
• Humor and job satisfaction. Robert C. Robert C. Curr Opin Psychol. 2023 Dec;54:101721. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101721. Epub 2023 Oct 28. Curr Opin Psychol. 2023. PMID: 37972524 Review.
• Work-life balance Twitter insights: A social media analysis before and after COVID-19 pandemic. Kuralová K, Zychová K, Kvasničková Stanislavská L, Pilařová L, Pilař L. Kuralová K, et al. Heliyon. 2024 Jun 22;10(13):e33388. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33388. eCollection 2024 Jul 15. Heliyon. 2024. PMID: 39040282 Free PMC article.
• The effect of sense of security on job performance of medical staff: the mediating effect of psychological capital. Xu Y, Zhan N, Zhang D, Xie Z, Li G, Huang H. Xu Y, et al. Front Psychol. 2024 Apr 4;15:1347783. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1347783. eCollection 2024. Front Psychol. 2024. PMID: 38638512 Free PMC article.
• A study on work-family life imbalance among women administrators in UAE higher education institutions. Begum V, Anwer Arshi T, Said Arman A, Saleem Butt A, Latheef S. Begum V, et al. Heliyon. 2024 Mar 16;10(6):e28286. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28286. eCollection 2024 Mar 30. Heliyon. 2024. PMID: 38533041 Free PMC article.
• The effect of family supportive supervisor behavior on teachers' innovative behavior and thriving at work: A moderated mediation model. Li Q, Liu M. Li Q, et al. Front Psychol. 2023 Mar 8;14:1129486. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1129486. eCollection 2023. Front Psychol. 2023. PMID: 36968709 Free PMC article.
• Abdirahman H. I. H., Najeemdeen I. S., Abidemi B. T., Ahmad R. (2020). The relationship between job satisfaction, work-life balance and organizational commitment on employee performance. Adv. Business Res. Int. J. 4 42–52. 10.24191/abrij.v4i1.10081 - DOI
• Achour Y., Ouammi A., Zejli D., Sayadi S. (2020). Supervisory model predictive control for optimal operation of a greenhouse indoor environment coping with food-energy-water nexus. IEEE Access 8 211562–211575. 10.1109/access.2020.3037222 - DOI
• Aeknarajindawat N., Jermsittiparsert K. (2020). Does organization justice influence the organization citizenship behavior, job satisfaction & organization outcomes? Syst. Rev. Pharm. 11 489–496.
• Alias E. S. B. (2021). Supervisor support as a moderator between flexible working arrangement and job performance–Malaysia evidence. Turk. J. Comput. Math. Educ. 12 525–539.
• Allen T. D., French K. A., Dumani S., Shockley K. M. (2020). A cross-national meta-analytic examination of predictors and outcomes associated with work–family conflict. J. Appl. Psychol. 105 539–576. 10.1037/apl0000442 - DOI - PubMed

Related information

Linkout - more resources, full text sources.

• Europe PubMed Central
• Frontiers Media SA
• PubMed Central

• Citation Manager

NCBI Literature Resources

MeSH PMC Bookshelf Disclaimer

The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited.

Bridging the Work Life Balance Satisfaction Gap: A Guide for SMBs

TriNet Team

In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving work environment, maintaining a healthy work-life balance has become a top priority for employees and employers alike. However, recent statistics from our research survey, State of the Workplace 2024 , revealed a significant disparity in the satisfaction levels between these two groups. While 61% of employers 1 report being satisfied or very satisfied with their work-life balance, only 52% of employees 2 share the same sentiment. This figure drops alarmingly to 38% among Gen Z employees. This article delves into the implications of this disparity, explores the underlying causes and provides actionable insights for business owners and HR decision makers to address this critical issue.

Understanding the Disparity

The satisfaction gap between employers and employees regarding work-life balance is a multifaceted issue. Employers, typically in positions of leadership and control, often have more flexibility and autonomy in managing their schedules. This autonomy allows them to balance their professional responsibilities with personal life more effectively. On the other hand, employees, especially those in junior level positions, often have less control over their work schedules, leading to a greater struggle in achieving a satisfactory work-life balance.

The State of the Workplace Research Report 2024

Get a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. SMB community, covering topics like employee engagement, work/life satisfaction, AI usage and benefits support and technology.

The Gen Z Perspective

The situation is particularly dire for Gen Z employees with the same survey noting only 38% reporting satisfaction with their work-life balance. This generation, born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, has grown up in a digital age where the boundaries between work and personal life are increasingly blurred. The constant connectivity through smartphones and other devices means that work-related tasks and communications may often extend beyond traditional office hours leading to burnout and dissatisfaction.

Implications for Businesses

The disparity in work-life balance satisfaction has significant implications for businesses. Employee dissatisfaction can lead to decreased productivity, higher turnover rates and increased recruitment and training costs. Moreover, in the current competitive job market, where attracting and retaining top talent is crucial, businesses that ignore work-life balance issues may struggle to maintain a motivated and committed workforce.

Productivity and Performance

A satisfied employee is generally more productive and engaged. When employees feel overwhelmed and unable to balance their work and personal lives, their performance can suffer. Chronic stress and burnout can lead to mistakes, reduced efficiency and even health problems, which can further impact their productivity and the overall performance of the business.

Employee Retention

High employee turnover is a costly concern for businesses. Recruitment, training and onboarding new employees require significant time and resources. By addressing work-life balance issues, businesses can improve employee satisfaction and retention rates, ultimately potentially saving on these costs and maintaining a more reliable and experienced workforce.

Actionable Insights for Business Owners and HR Decision Makers

To bridge the work-life balance gap and create a more satisfied and productive workforce, business owners and HR decision makers need to implement strategies that promote a healthier balance for their employees. Here are some actionable insights:

1. Flexible Work Arrangements

Offering flexible work arrangements, such as remote work options, flexible hours and compressed workweeks, can significantly improve employees' ability to balance their professional and personal responsibilities. This flexibility allows employees to manage their time more effectively and reduces the stress associated with rigid work schedules.

2. Promote a Healthy Work Culture

Creating a work culture that values and promotes work-life balance is essential. Encourage employees to take breaks, use their vacation days and disconnect from work during non-working hours. Leading by example, where management practices what they preach, can reinforce the importance of work-life balance throughout the organization.

3. Provide Mental Health Support

Mental health is a critical component of overall well-being. Offering mental health support through employee assistance programs, counseling services, and wellness initiatives can help employees manage stress and maintain a healthier work-life balance. Regular workshops and training on stress management and resilience can also be beneficial.

4. Encourage Open Communication

Creating an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their work-life balance concerns with their company is crucial. Regular check-ins, anonymous surveys and an open-door policy can help employees voice their issues and suggest improvements. Acting on this feedback shows that the organization values its employees' well-being.

5. Invest in Technology

Leveraging technology to streamline work processes can reduce the time employees spend on mundane tasks, freeing up more time for personal activities. Project management tools, automation, and efficient communication platforms can enhance productivity and contribute to a better work-life balance.

6. Career Development Opportunities

Providing opportunities for career growth and development can increase job satisfaction and engagement. When employees see a clear path for advancement, they are more likely to be motivated and satisfied with their jobs, which can positively impact their overall work-life balance.

7. Tailored Approaches for Different Generations

Recognize that different generations have varying needs and preferences. For instance, Gen Z employees may value flexibility and technology integration more than other generations. Tailoring work-life balance initiatives to cater to employees’ specific needs can enhance their satisfaction and engagement.

The disparity in work-life balance satisfaction between employers and employees is a pressing issue that requires prompt attention. By understanding the underlying causes and implementing targeted strategies, business owners and HR decision makers can create a more balanced and satisfied workforce. This not only improves individual well-being but also enhances overall business performance, making it a win-win situation for both employers and employees.

Addressing work-life balance is not just a nice-to-have but a necessity in the modern workplace. By fostering a culture that prioritizes employee well-being, businesses can attract and retain top talent, boost productivity and ultimately achieve long-term success. It's time for businesses to take proactive steps to bridge the work-life balance gap and create a more harmonious and productive work environment for all.

This article may contain hyperlinks to websites operated by parties other than TriNet. Such hyperlinks are provided for reference only. TriNet does not control such web sites and is not responsible for their content. Inclusion of such hyperlinks on TriNet.com does not necessarily imply any endorsement of the material on such websites or association with their operators.

Trending now

• Talent Generational Differences in the Workplace: Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z Explained
• Compliance A State-by-State Guide for Each IRS Mailing Address
• Talent How to Terminate an Employee (With Sample Scripts)

Inspirational stories and on-the-ground perspectives shaping the future of work.

On-demand sessions

Is a PEO right for you? Take our assessment.

Get the latest hr trends, insights, advice and more sent straight to your inbox..

CAREER & HIRING ADVICE

11 surprising job satisfaction statistics.

• Ryan Bradshaw
• March 14, 2024

Whether you’re in university, looking for a job, or already have one, job satisfaction statistics can give you a lot of helpful information.

Knowing what jobs are most satisfying can help you decide on a future career or give you the motivation to switch to a more fulfilling job. 

Job satisfaction statistics reveal that some of the most satisfying jobs include clergy, chiropractor, chief executive, and nurse. Roofers, waiters, bartenders, and cashiers have low satisfaction. In the U.S., 65% of employees are satisfied with their jobs, with 20% being passionate about their jobs.

There are hundreds of statistics out there. But if you’re looking for some of the most crucial job satisfaction statistics, you’ve come to the right place.

This article will cover which jobs are the most satisfying and why their satisfaction levels tower over other career paths.

Why Does Job Satisfaction Matter?

Job satisfaction can majorly affect workers, which in turn affects the company . 

When employees are satisfied with their careers, they usually align with the company’s goals and mission. An employee who supports the company’s mission will be loyal and more likely to spread only good things about the company to friends and family. 

Introducing unique corporate rewards can further enhance this satisfaction, directly contributing to an employee’s sense of value and belonging within the organization.

There’s also lower turnover when most of the employees are satisfied with their jobs. The lower turnover will help the HR department save money and spend more time finding qualified future employees. 

Satisfied employees are also more productive. If they believe in what they’re doing, they’ll want to get the job done and get it done well for the sake of the company and team. These actions will then increase profit since they’re working harder. 

As we can see, job satisfaction is crucial to a company’s success. However, it’s also essential for the well-being of the employee. Job satisfaction will significantly influence the employee’s mindset and happiness in the workplace. 

General Job Satisfaction Statistics

Now, let’s take a look at some general job satisfaction statistics. 

We now know that job satisfaction is essential for both the employees and the company. Learning more about job satisfaction worldwide can help you choose a better job or help you realign your goals if you’re in charge of a company. 

• 65% of employees in the US are satisfied with their job
• 20% of employees in the US are passionate about their job
• 60% of employees believe that their coworkers are the biggest contributor to their happiness at work
• Companies with high worker satisfaction outperform low satisfaction companies by 202%
• 45% of Generation Y (Millennials) are completely satisfied with their current job/career path
• 74% of employees in the US believe that company culture is one of the biggest contributing factors to job satisfaction
• 58% of employees in Japan are unsatisfied with their job
• 57% of employees that work from home are satisfied with their job
• 81% of employees in the legal industry find their job boring and dissatisfying

Offering  employee incentives  can significantly boost these satisfaction rates, further enhancing employee engagement and retention.

What Are the Most Satisfying Jobs in the World?

Now that we’re familiar with some general job satisfaction statistics, let’s look at the world’s most satisfying jobs. 

Job satisfaction will increase your overall happiness and feelings of fulfillment in life. If you don’t have a satisfying job, perhaps it is time to consider moving to a different industry. 

Several surveys by CareerBliss, PayScale, and US News & World Report have found the following jobs to be the most satisfying:

• Chiropractor
• Chief Executive
• Conservation Scientist
• Medical and Health Services Manager
• Firefighter
• Human Resources Manager
• Physical Therapist
• Software Developer
• Psychologists

Why Are These Jobs So Satisfying?

There are a few reasons why these jobs are satisfying. 

First of all, in most of these jobs, you’ll find that there’s something new every day. Completing the same task daily can become boring quite quickly, but when each shift is a surprise and less repetitive, the job will feel more interesting.

Another factor that contributes to satisfaction is stress. If you’re not working long, intense hours every day, you won’t be as stressed. Jobs with limited stress and regular hours will be better for a person’s overall health in the long term. 

Many of these jobs will also have a positive company culture and opportunities for advancement. If an employee doesn’t feel that they’re moving forward in their job, they won’t be satisfied. 

Another thing that several of these jobs have in common is that employees are helping people. Social psychologist Elizabeth Dunn explains in her Ted talk that helping others makes us happier. The more employees help people, the more satisfied with their job they feel. 

Finally, the majority of the jobs on the list have high salaries. When employees don’t have to worry about having enough money to pay their bills, their stress level will significantly decrease.

Lower amounts of stress will lead to higher job satisfaction.

What Are Some of the Least Satisfying Jobs in the World?

Now we know the most satisfying jobs in the world , let’s see the least satisfying jobs . 

However, it’s worth noting that even the lowest-paying jobs can be satisfying depending on the employee. Not all workplaces are the same; this factor can greatly affect how satisfying the job is. 

With that in mind, here are the least satisfying jobs:

• Parking Lot Attendants
• Printing Machine Operators
• Fast Food Cooks
• Motorboat Mechanics
• Dishwashers
• Cafeteria Attendants
• Laundry / Dry Cleaning Workers
• Home Furnishing Salespersons

Why Aren’t These Jobs Satisfying?

Even though there could be many reasons why these jobs aren’t satisfying, there are a few common ones that employees mention. 

One of the main reasons people don’t feel satisfied with their job is that they cannot live comfortably off the salary. When workers have to struggle to pay their rent and grocery bills, it’ll be hard to feel fulfilled with their current job.

Many of these jobs also don’t have benefits, such as health insurance or work bonuses. This factor may lead to workers feeling stuck in a job with no opportunity or support.

Another factor that could lead to a dissatisfying job is a lack of flexibility. Many higher-paying job employees will have the opportunity to choose their hours and take vacations throughout the year.

However, the jobs in the list above won’t be as flexible, becoming the center of an employee’s life.

Many of these jobs also have a high employee turnover. A high turnover will make it hard for employees to build meaningful relationships with one another.

Since 60% of employees believe that coworker relationships are the key to job satisfaction, this could be a major factor affecting an employee’s daily experience. 

These jobs don’t feel as satisfying because they don’t revolve around helping people. While employers in these careers help customers on a surface level, you’re not changing people’s lives on a deeper and more meaningful level. 

There are a few factors that can affect job satisfaction. These can include coworkers, company culture, pay, flexibility, benefits, tasks, and company mission statements. 

Some of the most satisfying jobs are Clergy, chiropractors, physicians, teachers, dentists, and firefighters. A few of the least satisfying jobs include fast-food cooks, waiters, parking lot attendants, bartenders, and roofers.

If you find yourself in a dissatisfying job, consider reading The Art of Find the Job You Love: An Unconventional Guide to Work with Meaning by Cara Heilmann.

• Business Advice
• Employer Advice
• Job Seeker Advice

Related Posts

A guide to visualizing recruitment data for better hiring decisions.

• August 20, 2024

Ways How Technology Revolutionizes Our Society

• August 18, 2024

Secure cyberspace: protect your data and logs from unauthorized access on your device

• August 16, 2024

How Task Management Software Enhances Individual Accountability

Python interview questions and answers, your next engineering or it job search starts here., how do you hire for engineering and it.

1955 Lake Park DR SE STE 350 Smyrna, GA 30080

Dallas, TX 75212

Our Dallas TX recruiting experts understand the challenges unique to companies in dozens of industries  and of all sizes.

Houston, TX 77040

Our Houston TX recruiting experts understand the challenges unique to companies in dozens of industries  and of all sizes.

Austin, TX 78717

Our Austin / San Antiono TX recruiting experts understand the challenges unique to companies in dozens of industries  and of all sizes.

Tampa, FL 33612

Our Tampa FL recruiting experts understand the challenges unique to companies in dozens of industries  and of all sizes.

Raleigh, NC 27612

Our Raleigh NC recruiting experts understand the challenges unique to companies in dozens of industries  and of all sizes.

Columbia, SC 29203

Our Greenville SC recruiting experts understand the challenges unique to companies in dozens of industries  and of all sizes.

Chicago, IL 60714

Our Chicago IL recruiting experts understand the challenges unique to companies in dozens of industries  and of all sizes.

• Engineering Staffing
• CAD Design / Drafting
• Information Technology
• Renewable Energy Recruiters
• Software Engineering Recruiters
• Controls Engineering Recruiters
• Supply Chain Recruiting
• Wireless & Telecom Recruiting
• Mechanical Engineering Recruiters
• Electrical Engineering Recruiters
• Civil Engineering Recruiters
• Chemical Engineering Recruiters

Original text

After the pandemic, the number of companies that moved to fully-remote working hit an all-time high. Remote working provides employees with a better work-life balance, enhances their job satisfaction, and means that companies don’t need to rent out an office facility.

At present, nearly  16% of companies are fully remote , while 83% report using a hybrid structure. In this new age of distributed work, HR managers need to spend more time setting policies and putting in place strategies to overcome the gaps in communication that can arise. 

In this article, we’ll dive into the major challenges that remote work poses for communication and then turn to the best strategies to leverage email accounts to overcome them.

Let’s dive right in. 

What Are the Challenges Associated with Remote Work Communication?

Remote work is a fantastic solution that offers many benefits to businesses and their employees. However, while remote work can be effective, it can lead to a whole host of new, communication-based problems in the workplace.

Here are a few of the most common problems that remote working dynamics cause:

Communication Delays: If a worker has an urgent message to deliver to someone who works in the same office, they can simply walk to that person’s desk and deliver the news. When people are distributed around the globe, this is no longer an option. Remote work can lead to massive communication delays and gaps due to this factor.

Poor Workplace Culture: One of the potential downsides that HR managers will experience when their workforce transitions to remote work is that they will be unable to bring people together for workplace events. In many organizations, small events or gatherings after work – like going for drinks after a shift – are a great way to build up rapport between teams and team members. As everyone is working from home, potentially in different states or countries, these events are no longer an option

Unfamiliarity Between Coworkers: Some of the best work that comes out of teams happens due to the strong connections between team members. When people are familiar with everyone on their team, it becomes easier to divide up certain tasks, as you know everyone’s strengths. Equally, you have a pre-established rapport with people that is much harder to build when working remotely.

While none of these problems is particularly grave, they do have an impact on your organization and the social dynamics that go on behind the scenes. 

Luckily, by implementing some strategies to overcome these problems, you can establish a workplace culture that closely echoes in-person working, without actually having to go to the office. 

Strategies to Improve Remote Communication with Email

Remote communication relies on effective and sustained communication. Email is the perfect medium for this, as it allows for person-to-person mailing that will help to rapidly put your team members in touch with one another.

However, by making a few changes to how you email in your organization, you can start to solve the aforementioned problems that remote communication may cause.

Here are our leading strategies for enhancing email communication for remote teams: 

Use Internal Email Signatures

One of the major impacts of remote work is that employees may not feel connected or close to their coworkers. Without having met them in person, can lead to awkwardness that reduces collaboration and slows down the progress of projects. 

An effective strategy to allow employees to get to know their coworkers better via email is to use internal email signatures. Internal email signatures are signatures that only show up when an employee emails someone inside their organization. These are different from external signatures, which show off your name, job title, and contact information.

Employees can use internal email signatures to show off their personality to their coworkers. For example, they could put in a fun fact about themselves, what they’re currently reading, or information like what they like to do in their spare time.

These little bits of extra information will allow other employees to strike up a conversation with them about personal matters. While still not as effective as an in-person relationship, these internal email signatures can be the start of a remote friendship between coworkers. 

With a wide range of  email signature templates online, your company will be able to find a signature solution that fits the style of communication you want to offer to your employees.

Set Clear Email Protocol

Another main problem with remote working is that employees may have different ideas about when they are meant to be communicating with coworkers. Especially if your organization works over several time zones, then establishing email rules and regulations will help avoid communications arriving at all hours of the day.

When employees are constantly bombarded by work emails, even when they’ve already finished for the day, they can quickly start to feel burnt out. To avoid this potential issue with remote work, your business should implement an email protocol.

For example, you can implement a recommendation that employees don’t message other employees outside working hours. On email, you can enable a setting that allows people to schedule emails. This means that if someone does end up typing out an email response after working hours, it won’t arrive until the next morning.

While a simple fix, this can help to reduce burnout and ensure your employees look after their mental health, even while working from home.

Make Use of Supportive Mediums

One final strategy to enhance workplace communication with email is to look to other supportive channels. For example, while emails are great for many aspects of communication, they’re not perfect for shorter messages. 

Using a supplementary tool like Slack or Microsoft Teams allows your workers to select the form of communication they would prefer. For more serious matters, they can use email, while for everyday communication they can pick an instant messaging service.

The more options your teams have, the more effective your remote communication will be. 

Final Thoughts

Email is a powerful medium of communication that lets businesses around the world connect with customers and establish internal webs of dialogue. While email is likely a tool that your business already uses, don’t overlook its potential to bridge communication gaps within your organization.

As your business goes remote or moves to a hybrid style of working, you can take advantage of these email strategies to create better pathways of communication with your workers. Not only will this help to boost rapport, but it’ll make everyone feel closer – no matter where they are in the world. 

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

Embracing Gen AI at Work

• H. James Wilson
• Paul R. Daugherty

The skills you need to succeed in the era of large language models

Today artificial intelligence can be harnessed by nearly anyone, using commands in everyday language instead of code. Soon it will transform more than 40% of all work activity, according to the authors’ research. In this new era of collaboration between humans and machines, the ability to leverage AI effectively will be critical to your professional success.

This article describes the three kinds of “fusion skills” you need to get the best results from gen AI. Intelligent interrogation involves instructing large language models to perform in ways that generate better outcomes—by, say, breaking processes down into steps or visualizing multiple potential paths to a solution. Judgment integration is about incorporating expert and ethical human discernment to make AI’s output more trustworthy, reliable, and accurate. It entails augmenting a model’s training sources with authoritative knowledge bases when necessary, keeping biases out of prompts, ensuring the privacy of any data used by the models, and scrutinizing suspect output. With reciprocal apprenticing, you tailor gen AI to your company’s specific business context by including rich organizational data and know-how into the commands you give it. As you become better at doing that, you yourself learn how to train the AI to tackle more-sophisticated challenges.

The AI revolution is already here. Learning these three skills will prepare you to thrive in it.

Generative artificial intelligence is expected to radically transform all kinds of jobs over the next few years. No longer the exclusive purview of technologists, AI can now be put to work by nearly anyone, using commands in everyday language instead of code. According to our research, most business functions and more than 40% of all U.S. work activity can be augmented, automated, or reinvented with gen AI. The changes are expected to have the largest impact on the legal, banking, insurance, and capital-market sectors—followed by retail, travel, health, and energy.

• H. James Wilson is the global managing director of technology research and thought leadership at Accenture Research. He is the coauthor, with Paul R. Daugherty, of Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI, New and Expanded Edition (HBR Press, 2024). hjameswilson
• Paul R. Daugherty is Accenture’s chief technology and innovation officer. He is the coauthor, with H. James Wilson, of Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI, New and Expanded Edition (HBR Press, 2024). pauldaugh

Partner Center