organization’s procedures, or its pay policies are fair, your job satisfaction is likely to suf-
fer significantly. However, when you perceive organizational processes and outcomes to
be fair, trust is developed. When you trust your employer, your job satisfaction increases,
and you are more willing to voluntarily engage in behaviours that go beyond your for-
mal job requirements. Recent research suggests that OCB can be applied cross-culturally,
although the exact form of OCB might be different in non–North American countries.^75
Job Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction
Employees in service jobs often interact with customers. Since the management of serv-
ice organizations should be concerned with pleasing those customers, it is reasonable
to ask: Is employee satisfaction related to positive customer outcomes? For front-line
employees who have regular contact with customers, the answer is yes.
The evidence indicates that satisfied employees increase customer satisfaction and loy-
alty.^76 Why? In service organizations, customer retention and defection are highly
dependent on how front-line employees deal with customers. Satisfied employees are
more likely to be friendly, upbeat, and responsive—which customers appreciate. Because
satisfied employees are less prone to turnover, customers are more likely to encounter
familiar faces and receive experienced service. These qualities build customer satisfaction
and loyalty. In addition, the relationship seems to apply in reverse: Dissatisfied cus-
tomers can increase an employee’s job dissatisfaction. Employees who have regular
contact with customers report that rude, thoughtless, or unreasonably demanding cus-
tomers adversely affect the employees’ job satisfaction.^77
How Employees Can Express Dissatisfaction
Dissatisfied employees are more likely to miss work, but the correlation is moderate—
usually less than –0.40.^78 Dissatisfied employees are also more likely to quit their jobs,
and the correlation is stronger than what we found for absenteeism.^79 However, a per-
son’s general disposition toward life moderates the job satisfaction-turnover relation-
ship.^80 Some individuals gripe more than others and such individuals, when dissatisfied
with their jobs, are less likely to quit than those who are more positively disposed
toward life. So if two employees are equally dissatisfied, the one most likely to quit is the
one with the highest predisposition to be happy or satisfied with life in general. Likely
these individuals do not feel trapped and are willing to exert more control over the sit-
uation and look for another job.
The evidence suggests that employees express dissatisfaction in a number of ways.^81
For example, rather than quit, employees can complain, be insubordinate, steal orga-
nizational property, or avoid some of their work responsibilities. Exhibit 3-5 on page 88
illustrates a model that can be used to examine individual responses to dissatisfaction
along two dimensions: whether they are constructive or destructive and whether they are
active or passive. Four types of behaviour result:^82
- Exit. Actively attempting to leave the organization, including looking for a
new position as well as resigning. This is a destructive action from the point of
view of the organization. - Voice. Actively and constructively trying to improve conditions, including
suggesting improvements, discussing problems with superiors, and some
forms of union activity. - Loyalty. Passively but optimistically waiting for conditions to improve,
including speaking up for the organization in the face of external criticism
and trusting the organization and its management to do the right thing. - Neglect. Passively allowing conditions to worsen, including chronic absen-
teeism or lateness, reduced effort, and increased error rate.
Chapter 3Values, Attitudes, and Their Effects in the Workplace 87exit Dissatisfaction expressed by
actively attempting to leave the
organization.voice Dissatisfaction expressed by
actively and constructively attempt-
ing to improve conditions.loyalty Dissatisfaction expressed
by passively waiting for conditions to
improve.neglect Dissatisfaction expressed
by passively allowing conditions to
worsen.