Impact of personality traits on employees’ job satisfaction: A study conducted within the telecommunication sector in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This research study focuses on the relationship between employee personality traits: extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness on their job satisfaction. The authors have used the above five personality traits in this study and utilized statistical techniques such as correlation analysis, regression analysis, and Anova to test and validate the hypotheses and results. According to the results, four personality traits out of the selected five demonstrated a positive impact on job satisfaction. Most interestingly a personality trait that usually makes a negative impact on job satisfaction demonstrated a positive impact on job satisfaction in this study. It is neuroticism which is related to job stress. In the Sri Lankan telecommunication sector, employees tend to be more satisfied when they encounter more job stress. Although this may contradict some of the past literature it aligns with the results of some studies which focus on confounding variables which may influence positively to both job stress-related traits and job satisfaction at once. According to the nature of the context, some specific personality traits (neuroticism) need extra comprehension and testing. Recommendations for further research include incorporating qualitative data, considering contextual factors, conducting longitudinal studies, and exploring intervention strategies. This study contributes to the understanding of how personality traits influence employee job satisfaction in the telecommunications industry and provides practical implications for organizations aiming to enhance employee well-being and performance.