Do brighter personalities matter? Relationship between personality and job satisfaction in working pharmacists

Abstract

Objectives: People satisfied with their jobs are more likely to have longer tenures and better performance. A major intrinsic factor contributing to job satisfaction is personality. Our study examined the relationship between personality and job satisfaction in a sample of United States pharmacists. Materials and Methods: We created and deployed a composite web-based survey using constructs from the International Personality Item Pool based on the five-factor model, nine job satisfaction facets and relevant sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Of 157 responses collected, 102 (94% female, 55% 35–44 years) made it to final a nalysis. B ased o n predetermined cutoffs, less than half of pharmacists in analyzable sample (n = 43 or 44%) were satisfied with their jobs. Others were either ambivalent (n = 43, 44%), or dissatisfied (n = 11, 11%). No demographic variable correlated positively with job satisfaction. For personality traits, only emotional stability and openness correlated with job satisfaction. The final r egression m odel s howed a m oderately s trong r elationship b etween p ersonality a nd j ob satisfaction (multiple r = 0.579). The five factor model trait, extraversion, negatively predicted job satisfaction (B = −0.509, P <.001). For occupational scales or traits predicting performance, stress tolerance and reliability positively predicted job satisfaction (B = 0.348; 0.271, P < 0.001). At the individual facet level, there was significant difference in promotion opportunities means for black respondents (2.93 ± 0.99) compared to non-blacks (3.42 ± 0.86). Conclusion: Extending results to organizational interventions for enhancing pharmacists’ job satisfaction will include improving work operating conditions and assuring employees of all races fair chances at promotion and leadership development.