Job Characteristics as Related to Job Satisfaction of University Foodservice Employees

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between job characteristics and job satisfaction of university foodservice employees. The relationship of demographic variables to job satisfaction was also explored. A three-part survey was developed including the 30-item Job Characteristics Inventory, six items related to job satisfaction and seven demographic items. Separate written questionnaires were administered to 32 supervisory and 147 non-supervisory employees of a large state university foodservice department. The response rate was 98 percent (n=32 supervisory; n=142 non-supervisory).

The reliability of the instruments using Cronbach's alpha was .88 for employees and .91 for supervisors. Multiple regression analyses were used to test research hypotheses at a significance level of p

There was no difference in job satisfaction by role (supervisory vs. non-supervisory) or demographic variables, except age. Among the non-supervisory employees, older employees tended to be more satisfied with their jobs than did younger employees. As expected, job satisfaction appears to be more related to the job itself than to demographic variables.

This study provided information about employees' perception of job characteristics as they are related to job satisfaction. dietitians and foodservice managers can use this information for implementing job design, job enrichment, or job rotation to influence employee satisfaction.