University of Wisconsin, Stout campus climate: university staff job satisfaction

Abstract

A mixed-methodology research approach was taken to understand what job aspects impact university staff job satisfaction at the University of Wisconsin, Stout (UW-Stout). First, thematic analysis of a small number of qualitative interviews produced five themes that impacted university staff job satisfaction: (1) collaboration, (2) job variability, (3) supervision, (4) compensation, and (5) daily tasks. Researchers constructed a survey to measure implicit and explicit job satisfaction of university staff based on the themes generated by the interviews. For the purpose of this study, implicit job satisfaction is the combination of factors that affect job satisfaction, such as workload, supervision quality, communication, compensation, and benefits. A job satisfaction survey was administered to measure implicit job satisfaction in this study. Explicit job satisfaction is the staff members’ direct perception of their job satisfaction. A single item on the survey asked participants directly about their level of job satisfaction to measure explicit job satisfaction. A measure based on three of the five themes was also administered to examine the predictor variables for job satisfaction. This aforementioned survey was sent to all the university staff at the UWStout. Statistical analysis revealed a positive correlation between implicit and explicit job satisfaction of university staff. Regression models found that collaboration, supervision, and compensation predicted implicit job satisfaction, whereas supervision and compensation predicted explicit job satisfaction of university staff.