INFLUENCES OF FINANCIAL COMPENSATIONS AND ROLE STRESS ON TOURISM EMPLOYEES’ JOB SATISFACTION: EVIDENCES FROM SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

This study examines the influences of financial compensations (whether direct or indirect) and role stress on tourism employees’ job satisfaction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This is because job satisfaction has become a major concern for service organisations, which rely on employees for fulfilling their business goals. To achieve this purpose, a pre-tested questionnaire survey has been self-distributed to a sample of tourism employees in KSA. The results of statistical data analysis showed a positive relationship between financial compensations and job satisfaction. Both direct and indirect financial compensations have positive influences on job satisfaction of tourism employees. Unlike the results of most pervious research studies, the results showed that role stress has a significant positive influence on job satisfaction of tourism employees. The results of follow up interviews with a sample of respondents showed that most respondents were expatriates or foreign employees, who had expectations of high role stress before they undertake their tourism job role outside their country. They found the level of role stress generate their creativity and make a differentiation for them among other tourism employees. This leads employees to prove their ability at work hence, employee seeks to accomplish many tasks at the same time in order to get an attention of their managers/employers and ensure that they win the job for the next year by renewing their contract. Thus, such employees get thanks and appreciation by the manager/employer and is reflected in their job satisfaction. The study confirmed positive significant influence of both types of financial compensation and role stress on job satisfaction. It concludes that condition of employment should have special consideration when examining factors affecting employees’ attitudes, i.e. job satisfaction.