Who wants to work and why? workplace practices, job satisfaction and the will to work

Abstract

Beyond the obvious positive effect on employees, job satisfaction is also critical for organizations. Job satisfaction affects workers' turnover intents, while also predicting employees' commitment to their workplace and their performances. Thus, not surprisingly, most organizations strive for employee satisfaction. The goal of the study is to examine which job characteristics and workplace practices affect the job satisfaction of employees, and particularly that of older ones (55+), and, in turn, enhance their will to work and may encourage them to work longer. Our analysis of the Social Survey for 2016 from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics focused on job conditions and revealed that income satisfaction, additional benefits, a sense of belonging and work-life balance enhance job satisfaction and the desire to work longer, particularly among older workers. Among younger workers, a higher significance was found for professional training and skills. Implications for organizations and policymakers are discussed.

Keywords

• job satisfaction
• older workers
• workplace practices
• job characteristics