Job satisfaction is a positive feeling about a job resulting from an evaluation of its characteristics. Jobs require interacting with coworkers and bosses, following organizational rules, determining the power structure, meeting performance standards, living with less-than-ideal working conditions, adapting to new technology, and so on. An employee’s assessment of satisfaction with the job is thus a complex summation of many discrete elements.

Two approaches are popular. The single global rating is a response to one question, such as “All things considered, how satisfied are you with your job?” The second method, the summation of job facets, is more sophisticated. It identifies key elements in a job such as the type of work, present pay. Respondents rate these on a standardized scale. The single global rating method isn’t very time consuming, while the summation of job facets helps managers zero in on problems and deal with them faster and more accurately. Both methods can be helpful.