Personality Factors and Job Satisfaction Levels in Military Staff Employed on a Contract basis

Abstract

Abstract The professional military category currently represents a substantial component of the Romanian army, both in terms of numbers and importance of the work they perform. From the perspective of our country's accession to NATO and the European Union, the importance of the military staff gradually increased. This was mainly due to the gradual professionalization of the army and cessation of conscription. Given the special missions involving military employees either in the country or abroad and the necessary skills to meet them, a rigorous selection for the employment into the military system became a priority. The objective of this research paper was to determine the personality factors influencing job satisfaction levels in military personnel. It also aims to identify differences in job satisfaction levels in officers compared to those of non- commissioned officers (NCOs), taking into consideration the work specificity of each position. This research was conducted on a group of 80 military personnel, both men and women, aged between 25 and 42, from a subunit in Constanta, Romania. The average age of those participating in the study was 34.29 years. The study revealed the existence of differences between officers and NCOs regarding job satisfaction levels. Officers experience a greater satisfaction than NCOs with regards to material aspects such as salary, advantages and collateral benefits, working conditions, being in a leading position and work in general. One of the possible limitations of this study is determined by the small number of subjects in the sample and the low diversity (only one subunit has been chosen). The study results may also be explained by the fact that the subjects responded in a socially desirable manner, which would explain the low scores for some of the job satisfaction levels.