The Influence of Demographic Factors and Work Environment on Job Satisfaction Among Police Personnel: An Empirical Study

• DOI: 10.1177/1057567720944599
• Published date: 01 March 2021
• Author: T. K. Vinod Kumar
• Date: 01 March 2021
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

The Influence of Demographic

Factors and Work Environment

on Job Satisfaction Among Police

Personnel: An Empirical Study

T. K. Vinod Kumar

1

Abstract

Job satisfaction among employees is important for police organizations. Low job satisfaction may

result in poor organizational commitment, unsatisfactory job performance, and absenteeism. Job

satisfaction is impacted by demographic factors and characteristics of the work environment. Ana-

lyzing survey data of 6,041 police officers, the study finds that while demographic factors and job

characteristics impact job satisfaction, organizational characteristics have the greatest influence. The

study illuminates the similarities and differences in organizational dynamics impacting job satisfaction

in police organizations in India and other countries and underlines the relevance of the theory across

countries and cultures.

Keywords

job satisfaction, police, organizational characteristics, job characteristics, India

Police work is dependent on a trained and motivated workforce. Police departments spend a large

part of their budget on recruiting and training their personnel (Kumar, 2019). Being a specialized and

human resources intensive work, the trained personnel are the most critical and expensive resource

of a police organization (Malm et al., 2005). The job satisfaction of the employees is important for

the organization. Poor job satisfaction results in low organizational commitment, poor job perfor-

mance, absenteeism, and high employee turnover (Gerhart, 1990), which would result in suboptimal

utilization of human resources and lower organizational performance.

Job satisfaction is impacted by the characteristics of the employee, organization, and job (Johnson,

2012). The present study examines the impact of these factors on job satisfaction of police personnel in

India. The study is based on a survey of 6,041 police personnel of junior and middle ranks working in

police stations and special units. The study was conducted in the state of Kerala in India. The study is

important because there is little research examining the factors impacting job satisfaction among

police personnel in developing countries, and this study contributes to addressing this gap. In addition,

1

Indian Police Service, Trivandrum, India

Corresponding Author:

T. K. Vinod Kumar, Indian Police Service, Trivandrum, Kerala 695014, India.

Email: tkvkcj@gmail.com

International CriminalJustice Review

2021, Vol. 31(1) 59-83

ª2020 Georgia State University

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DOI: 10.1177/1057567720944599

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this research brings together theories of organizational behavior and understanding of functioning of

police organizations, which could form the basis for greater insight into job satisfaction among police

personnel across the world.

Literature Review

Job satisfaction is the pleasurable emotion arising from an appraisal of job experience (Locke,

1976). Job satisfaction has been defined as the degree to which people like or disl ike their jobs

(Spector, 1997) and the positive or negative evaluations an employee makes of the job or job situation

(Weiss, 2002). There have been two broad approaches to study job satisfaction—the global approach

and the facet-based approach. The global approach views job satisfaction as a single overall feeling

regarding the job, whereas the facet-based approach examines different aspects of the job such as job

condition, supervision, and pay and benefits.

Job satisfaction is impacted by both personal and environmental factors (Spector, 1997). Personal

characteristics, which are unique to the individual, include both personality-based and demographic

characteristics. Personality characteristics include negative affinity or tendency of the individual to

experience negative emotions (Connolly & Viswesvaran, 2000) and locus of control (Ng et al., 2006;

Wang et al., 2010). On the other hand, demographic characteristics include age, gender, race,

education, marital status, and other such individual descriptors. Of the two, the present study only

considers the impact of demographic characteristics on job satisfaction.

Oldham and Hackman (1981) theorized that the work environment impacts work outcomes,

including job satisfaction. The environmental factors consist of the organizational and job character-

istics. Organizational characteristics include organizational support, promotional opportunities,

degree of formalization in the organization, and instrumental communication (Johnson, 2012;

Lambert & Paoline, 2008). On the other hand, job characteristics include job variety, task identity,

task significance, job feedback, supervisor support, and job stress (Hackman & Oldham, 1975). The

present study takes into account demographic factors and environmental characteristics—both orga-

nizational and job characteristics.

Demographic Characteristics

This research takes into account the demographic characteristics of age, gender, education, rank,

and marital status. Research on relation between age and job satisfaction has revealed both a linear

relationship with job satisfaction increasing with age (Hickson & Oshagbemi, 1999; Hunt & McCad-

den, 1985; Siu et al., 1999) and a curvilinear relationship (Clark et al., 1996; Gazioglu & Tansel,

2006). The increasing linear trend of job satisfaction could be due to employees adjusting to their jobs,

reduced aspirations, and a process of self-selection with dissatisfied older workers exiting the job

market, leaving behind a small pool of satisfied employees (Gazioglu & Tansel, 2006). In a curvilinear

relationship, there is a “honeymoon” period with a high job satisfaction which then declines to a low

point of a “hangover effect” (Boswell et al., 2005) and then steadying of job satisfaction (Boswell

et al., 2009). The trend has been explained as due to the initial excitement and anticipation in early

career which could be due to lack of experience in the labor market to judge their working conditions.

With increasing experience, they acquire knowledge to judge their working condition, which reduces

their job satisfaction, followed by a period of settling down through a process of socializing in the

organization and coping with the less attractive aspects of the job (Boswell et al., 2009). Most research

in police organizations has revealed a negative relationship between years of service and job satisfac-

tion (Buzawa, 1984; Buzawa et al., 1994; Zhao et al., 1999). Miller et al. (2009) reported a U-shaped

relationship between age and job sati sfaction, which they explain as due to ne w challenges and

60 International Criminal Justice Review 31(1)