Employee job satisfaction in Industry 4.0 era: insights from the Polish SMEs

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this article is to identify the key factors influencing the achievement of job satisfaction by employees in Polish small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises during digital transformation. Design/methodology/approach: The research covered employees of Polish small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises and was divided into three main stages. In the first two stages, the subjects for the research were selected, i.e. those companies that have achieved a high degree of digital maturity. Then, in order to identify and recognize which factors are most important for achieving employee job satisfaction in the Industry 4.0 era, a survey questionnaire was used for the study. Findings: Empirical research indicates the most important factors related to job satisfaction in manufacturing SMEs with a high degree of maturity level are: job security, autonomy, and empowerment. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation is the selection of the sample, i.e. Polish SMEs, as well as the last economic conditions and the global crisis, which can have an impact on the research results and limit the generalization of the results. Practical implications: The conducted empirical research contributes to the science and practice of management by providing insight into the premises and factors related to achieving job satisfaction in small and medium-sized industrial enterprises in the Industry 4.0 era. Originality/value: The results of this article may be useful for understanding the phenomenon of achieving employee job satisfaction in the Industry 4.0 era, as they identify key factors in this area. Keywords: job satisfaction, SMEs, Industry 4.0. Category of the paper: Research paper.