What variables explain variation in job satisfaction among municipal govern ment employees? Using data from a recent survey of over 1,200 full-time municipal employees, this research tests the relative influence of 11 environ mental variables and 3 demographic factors on variation in job satisfaction among this rarely studied group of employees. The regression analysis revealed that environmental factors such as promotional opportunities, pay and benefits satisfaction, performance appraisal satisfaction, equipment and resources, training, workload, supervisory relationships, and most important of all, departmental esprit de corps were significantly, and positively, related to overall job satisfaction. In contrast, demographic variables were relatively poor predictors of job satisfaction. Over 50 percent of the variation in job satisfaction among municipal employees is explained using this model. O rganizational scholars have long been interested in why some people report being very satisfied with their jobs, while others express much lower levels of satisfaction. 1 The drive to understand and explain job satisfaction has been motivated by utilitarian reasons (e.g., increased productivity and organizational commitment, lower absenteeism and turnover, and ultimately, increased organiza tional effectiveness) as well as humanitarian interests (i.e., employees deserve to be treated with respect and have their psychological and physical well-being maximized). Satisfied workers also tend to engage in organizational citizenship behaviors, i.e., altruist behaviors that exceed the formal requirements of a job 2 ; while dissatisfied workers show an increased propensity for counterproductive behaviors, e.g., with drawal, burnout, and workplace aggression. 3 Despite the widespread interest in job satisfaction among researchers and prac titioners, scant attention has been focused on explaining variation in job satisfaction among government employees, especially municipal employees. In fact, to our knowl edge, no one has developed an empirical model to analyze the antecedents of job sat isfaction among municipal employees. This oversight is especially glaring in light of the fact that local government employees represent one of the fastest growing sec tors in the U.S. work force. Over 11 million people are currently employed by local governments throughout the United States 4 , an increase of over 20 percent in the past 10 years.5 Moreover, the continued devolution of federal power to the state and local levels assures the continued growth of municipal employees for years to come. 6 Public Personnel Management Volume 31 No. 3 Fall 2002 2 Schnake, M. 1991. Organizational citizenship: A review, proposed model, and research agenda. Human Relations 44, 735-759; Organ, D., and K. Ryan. 1995-A meta-analytic review of attitudinal and dispositional predictors of organizational citizenship behavior. Personnel Psychology 48, 775-802. 3 Spector, P 1997. Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes and consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA:...
