The Influence of Workplace Support on Job Satisfaction Among Academic Staff in Five Malaysian Public Research Universities

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the relationship between workplace support and job satisfaction among academic staff in five Malaysian public research universities. The population of this study is 12,994 academic staff, and the sample size was 325. The sample was obtained using convenience sampling technique, in which information was gathered from elements of the population who are conveniently available at the point of data collection. The workplace support construct is made up of four elements: Perceived organizational support (POS), supervisor support, co-worker support, and mentoring. The findings of Pearson correlation analysis indicate that workplace supports (POS, supervisor support, co-worker support, and mentoring) have positive correlation on job satisfaction. Meanwhile, the result of multiple regressions shows only POS and mentoring positively effect on employee job satisfaction. Thus, the greater the extent to which employees perceived that the organization is giving them support and support from mentor to junior employee, the more they feel a moral obligation to keep working for that organization. Still, efforts should be made to improve the existing workplace support in public research universities as it can lead to higher job satisfaction and higher productivity level among the academics staffs.