Work Values and Job Satisfaction Dynamics
Summary
Work values are enduring beliefs that guide individuals’ choices, behaviours and priorities in the workplace. They span a spectrum from intrinsic orientations—such as autonomy, creativity and personal growth—to extrinsic orientations—such as income, status and job security. Job satisfaction refers to the extent to which employees feel content with their work conditions, roles and outcomes, while work engagement describes a positive and energetic involvement in work tasks. The dynamics between these constructs are shaped by individual factors (personality, career stage), organisational contexts (culture, leadership style) and broader socio-economic conditions (labour market trends, cultural norms). Recent global events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have intensified interest in how shifts in work arrangements and values influence employee well-being, retention and performance. An integrated understanding of the interplay between work values, need fulfilment, engagement and satisfaction offers practical insights for human-resource strategies, career development programmes and organisational policies aimed at fostering resilient and motivated workforces.
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Work Values and Job Satisfaction Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in work values and job satisfaction dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Work values: Enduring beliefs about desirable outcomes and experiences in one’s work.
Intrinsic work values: Orientations toward personal growth, autonomy, creativity and meaningful work.
Extrinsic work values: Orientations toward material rewards, status, security and external recognition.
Job satisfaction: Subjective appraisal of contentment and fulfilment with one’s job and work environment.
Work engagement: Positive, fulfilling state of work characterised by vigour, dedication and absorption.
Basic psychological needs: Fundamental requirements for autonomy, competence and relatedness that underpin motivation and well-being.
Job burnout: Syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment resulting from prolonged occupational stress.
References
- Work Values and Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Basic Psychological Needs at Work. Journal of Career Development (2021).
- Work Values Predict Job Satisfaction among Chinese Teachers during COVID-19: The Mediation Role of Work Engagement. Sustainability (2022).
- Work Values of Police Officers and Their Relationship With Job Burnout and Work Engagement. Frontiers in Psychology (2019).
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