Assessing the individual effects of different job satisfaction facets on the job performance of qualified employees in the unique conditions of the construction industry

Abstract

Job performance is crucial to success in the labor-intensive and competitive construction industry. Unlike previous studies, this research focused not only on the overall job satisfaction and job performance relationship but also provided enhanced insights into the relationship between employee satisfaction levels with different aspects of their jobs and the individual impacts of each of these on the employee’s overall job performance in a comprehensive manner by presenting the survey findings of 394 skilled laborers, engineers/architects, and managerial staff in the Turkish and North Cyprus construction markets. A further contribution of the current study is differentiating among various categories of construction professionals for potential approach variations in the analysis of the defined relationship. Both job satisfaction and job performance vary considerably based on different employee categories. The lowest job satisfaction and job performance were recorded by skilled laborers, while the greatest ones were recorded by engineers/architects, and there was a strong positive correlation between job satisfaction and performance across all respondent categories. Regression analysis findings revealed “workload conditions” as the only strong predictor of job performance existing in all three categories, indicating a need to reconsider the heavy workload tradition available in the construction industry. The distinct difference between the job satisfaction facets that predicted job performance in various employee categories was a noteworthy finding. This suggests that organizations may benefit from categorizing their employee groups, concentrating on each group’s distinct approach, and developing tailored strategies in response. Strikingly, numerous strong predictors of job performance identified in this research may be improved without significant investment, giving the organizations a competitive edge. This study provides a guide for construction organizations in identifying the key job satisfaction facets to prioritize while implementing tailored strategies to improve the job performance of three types of crucial construction professionals.