Job Autonomy as a Driver of Job Satisfaction

As one of the essential human needs, autonomy affects internal motivation and drives job satisfaction. The aim of the article is based on long-term quantitative research (n = 631) to examine gender, age, education and job position differences in job autonomy and to evaluate the extent to which job satisfaction and job autonomy are related. The research showed that 72.6% of respondents have a high degree of work scheduling autonomy, 68.1% have a high degree of decision-making autonomy, and 53.9% have a high degree of work methods autonomy. An important finding is that most respondents (84.8%) are satisfied with their job. There are differences between generations and non/managerial job positions regarding work scheduling autonomy, decision-making autonomy, and work methods autonomy. Additionally, there is a difference between education levels regarding work scheduling autonomy. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficients showed positive mutual correlations between job autonomy categories, as well as between job autonomy categories and job satisfaction. The results also confirmed the relationships between job autonomy categories and job satisfaction. Employees with a high degree of job autonomy feel in their jobs more satisfied than others. On the contrary, there are no differences between genders regarding work scheduling autonomy, decision-making autonomy, and work methods autonomy. Furthermore, there are no differences between education levels regarding decision-making autonomy and work methods autonomy. Understanding the relationship between job autonomy and satisfaction is vital for employers and policymakers to enhance job satisfaction, retain employees, and improve organisational performance.
Implications for Central European audience: The research reveals that employees with a high degree of job autonomy, encompassing work scheduling autonomy, decision-making autonomy, and work methods autonomy, experience greater job satisfaction. No gender or education-based differences in terms of job autonomy were found, but differences exist between generations and non/managerial job positions and job autonomy. The results confirmed that job autonomy drives job satisfaction. Employees with a high degree of job autonomy feel more satisfied in their jobs than others. Employers and policymakers should, therefore, prioritise increasing job autonomy to improve job satisfaction, retention, and organisational performance.