Chapter 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Page
An Ethical Choice
Office Talk
This exercise contributes to:
components of human resource practices
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning
You are peacefully at work in your cubicle when your coworker invades your space, sitting on
your desk and nearly overturning your coffee. As she talks about the morning meeting, do you:
a) stop what you’re doing and listen; or b) explain that you’re in the middle of a project and ask
to talk some other time?
narcissistic, and “think you want to know all the details of their lives,” according to psychologist
Alan Hilfer.
Despite the drawbacks, oversharers can be strong contributors. Billy Bauer, director of marketing
for manufacturer Royce Leather, is an oversharer who boasts about his latest sales – which may
withdraw.
Yet these people can be top performing employees: they are often highly engaged, inspiring, and
strong team players who are more likely to work harder than others. Venting their frustrations
helps restore a positive attitude to keep them high performing. Research indicates that venting to
coworkers can also build camaraderie.
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ethical and productive. Knowing who is approaching you for conversation, why they are
approaching you, what they may talk about, and how you may keep the discussion productive
Sources: S. Shellenbarger, “Office Oversharers: Don’t Tell Us about Last Night,” The Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2014, D2; A. S. McCance, C.
D. Nye, L. Wang, K. S. Jones, and C. Chiu, “Alleviating the Burden of Emotional Labor: The Role of Social Sharing,” Journal of Management
(February 2013): 392–415; S. Shellenbarger, “When It Comes to Work, Can You Care Too Much?” The Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2014, D3;
and F. Gino, “Teams Who Share Personal Stories are More Effective,” Harvard Business Review, April 25, 2016,
https://hbr.org/2016/04/teams-who-share-personalstories-are-more-effective.
Class Exercise
1. Form groups of three to five students.
work situation or in school.
treated in the social setting.
4. Did these situations result in better or poorer work performance? Did they make the
environment a difficult place to be or improve it?
Teaching Notes
This exercise is applicable to face-to-face classes or synchronous online classes such as
BlackBoard 9.1, WIMBA, and Second Life Virtual Classrooms. See
(http://www.wimba.com/solutions/higher-education/wimba_classroom_for_higher_education),
(http://go.secondlife.com/landing/education/) and
(http://docplayer.net/19442732-Effective-use-of-collaboration-tools-for-online-learning-jennifer-pontano-ke-anna-sk
ipwith-drexel-university-e-learning-2-0-conference-march-2011.html) for more information.
MyLab Management
Watch It!
Gawker Media: Attitudes and Job Satisfaction
If your instructor has assigned this activity, go to www.pearson.com/mylab/management to
complete the video exercise.
MyLab Management
Personal Inventory Assessments
Core Self Evaluation (CSE) Scale
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Chapter 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Page
In this chapter, you were introduced to the concept of core self-evaluation (CSE). You probably
have a general awareness of your CSE, or how you candidly view your capabilities. This PIA
can provide you with further insights.
MyLab Management
Try It!
Attitudes & Job Satisfaction
If your instructor has assigned this activity, go to www.pearson.com/mylab/management to
complete the video exercise.
Career OBjectives
How can I make my job better?
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objectives: Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior; Compare the major job attitudes;
Define job satisfaction
Learning Outcome: Explain the relationship between personality traits and individual behavior
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning
Honestly, I hate my job. But there are reasons I should stay: this is my first job out of college, it
pays pretty well, and it will establish my career. Is there any hope, or am I doomed until I quit?
—Taylor
Dear Taylor: You’re not doomed! You can work on your attitude to either improve your
experience or find a positive perspective. In other words, if you can turn “I hate my job” into
“this is what I’m doing to make my situation better,” your job satisfaction is likely to improve.
Try this:
• Write down everything you hate about your job, but wait until you have a few days off so you
can get a more objective viewpoint. Be specific. Keep asking yourself why, as in, “Why do I
dislike my office mate?” Also, consider your history: was the job always a problem, or perhaps
circumstances have changed?
• Now write down everything you like about the job. Again, be specific. Think about the
environment, the people, and the work separately. Find something positive, even if it’s just the
coffee in the break room.
• Compare your lists for clues about your attitude and job satisfaction. Look for mentions of the
work or the people. Job satisfaction is generally more strongly related to how interesting your
work is than it is to other factors. People, especially your supervisor, are important to your
attitude toward work as well.
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Chapter 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Page
• Read your lists aloud to a few trusted friends (you don’t want to rant about your boss with your
coworker). Ask them to help process your grievances. Are there deal-breakers like harassment?
• Decide whether you can talk with your manager about this. According to Roy L. Cohen, author
of The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide, “consider whether how you’re being treated is
unique to you or shared by your colleagues.” If everyone has the same problem, especially if the
problem is the boss, you probably shouldn’t approach your manager. But changes can be made in
most situations.
Based on the sources of your grievances and your ability to make changes in the workplace, you
may choose to address the issues, or develop skills for your next job. Meanwhile, don’t sabotage
yourself with sloppy performance and complaints. Instead, look for positive reinforcement, join a
professional organization, or volunteer. Happy employees are healthier. You deserve to be one of
them.
Sources: “Employee Engagement,” Workforce Management (February 2013): 19; A. Hurst, “Being ‘Good’ Isn’t the Only Way to Go,” The New
York Times, April 20, 2014, 4; R. E. Silverman, “Work as Labor or Love?” The Wall Street Journal, October 18, 2012, D3; H. J. Smith, T. F.
Pettigrew, G. M. Pippin, and S. Bialosiewicz, “Relative Deprivation: A Theoretical and Meta-Analytic Review,” Personality and Social
Psychology Review 16 (2012): 203–32; and A. Tugend, “Survival Skills for a Job You Detest,” The Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2012, B5.
Class Exercise
1. Divide students into groups of three to five each.
perceived organizational support contribute to job satisfaction.
3. Ask groups to brainstorm ways employers can better meet the needs of their employees.
4. Have the groups present their findings to the class.
Teaching Notes
This exercise is applicable to face-to-face classes or synchronous online classes such as
BlackBoard 9.1, WIMBA, and Second Life Virtual Classrooms. See
(http://docplayer.net/19442732-Effective-use-of-collaboration-tools-for-online-learning-jennifer-pontano-ke-anna-sk
ipwith-drexel-university-e-learning-2-0-conference-march-2011.html) for more information.
Myth or Science?
“Happy Workers Means Happy Profits”
This exercise contributes to:
AACSB: Reflective thinking
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Chapter 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Page
There are exceptions, of course, but this is basically true. A glance at Fortune’s Best Companies
don’t necessarily yield higher job satisfaction, productivity, and profits. Research indicates
employees highly value paid time off, a retirement plan such as a 401(k), and lower health
premiums. But many companies offer their employees these benefits and are nowhere near the
Fortune 500 organizations in profits.
factors that affect the bottom line in a big way Conversely, a review of 300 studies revealed that
turnover rates resulting from poor attitudes or low engagement led to poorer organizational
performance.
So the moral of the story seems to be this: Treat others as we want to be treated in the workplace.
It’s just good business.
Class Exercise
organization where employees have high job engagement?
3. Discuss why employee engagement is essential to a satisfied workforce.
4. Students should come to realize that companies that emphasize high job engagement will
have a more productive workforce, happier customers, and lower employee turnover and
absenteeism.
Teaching Notes
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Chapter 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Page
This exercise is applicable to face-to-face classes or synchronous online classes such as
BlackBoard 9.1, WIMBA, and Second Life Virtual Classrooms. See
(http://www.wimba.com/solutions/higher-education/wimba_classroom_for_higher_education),
(http://go.secondlife.com/landing/education/) and
(http://docplayer.net/19442732-Effective-use-of-collaboration-tools-for-online-learning-jennifer-pontano-ke-anna-sk
ipwith-drexel-university-e-learning-2-0-conference-march-2011.html) for more information.
Point/Counterpoint
Employer-Employee Loyalty Is an Outdated Concept
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objectives: Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior; Compare the major job attitudes
Learning Outcome: Explain the relationship between personality traits and individual behavior
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Point
The word loyalty is so outdated it is practically laughable. Long gone are the days when an
employees, while a mere 32 percent believe their employees are loyal to them.
The loyalty on each side of the equation is weak. For the most part, this is warranted – why
retain employees who are subpar performers? It’s only a matter of the employer handling the
loyalty of employees with respect. Admittedly, some breaches happen. For example, Renault
taking that with me.” There just isn’t an expectation of loyalty. In fact, only 9 percent of recent
college graduates would stay with an employer for more than a year if they didn’t like the job,
research indicated. But there is nothing wrong with this. A “loyal” employee who stays with the
organization but isn’t satisfied with the job can do a lot of damage. At best, this person will be
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worker, staying with an organization forever—no matter what—can limit career and income
prospects.
Counterpoint
Agreed: the word loyalty is outdated when it refers to employers and employees. But the basic
concept is valid in the workplace. We now just measure loyalty with finer measurements, such as
organizational trust and organizational commitment. There certainly are employers and
employees who show little loyalty to each other, but that isn’t the norm.
nothing. But is that such a bad thing? Many employers have helped employees take charge of
their own retirement plans.
It’s not that loyalty is dead, but rather that employers are loyal to a different kind of employee.
True, employers no longer refuse to fire a long-tenured but incompetent employee, which is a
obtain high levels of this kind of loyalty. A true reciprocal relationship is a stronger business
model than employees staying with an organization for years in exchange for an organization’s
caretaking. Bonds of trust and loyalty rest on the relationships of individuals. Workplace
psychologist Binna Kandola observes, “Workplaces may have changed but loyalty is not dead –
the bonds between people are too strong.”
Turkish Hospitals: Public Servants versus Private Sector Employees,” International Journal of Human Resource Management
26, no. 9 (2015): 1259–1282; and “Is Workplace Loyalty an Outmoded Concept?” Financial Times, March 8, 2011, www.
ft.com/, accessed July 29, 2015.
Class Exercise
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Chapter 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Page
(Working for a family business is okay.)
2. Ask them to list the jobs at the top of a sheet of paper.
the jobs.
really liked/disliked about each job.
and decrease the dislikes.
it would or would not.
8. Lead the students to draw conclusions about how much their supervisors or managers
control things that would increase their likes or dislikes, and motivation or demotivation
for the job.
Teaching Notes
(http://go.secondlife.com/landing/education/) and
(http://docplayer.net/19442732-Effective-use-of-collaboration-tools-for-online-learning-jennifer-pontano-ke-anna-sk
ipwith-drexel-university-e-learning-2-0-conference-march-2011.html) for more information.
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