Measuring the Level of Job Satisfaction and Opportunities for Participation Empowerment of Health Workers in the Aseer Region

Introduction

The healthcare sector is an important industry that plays a significant role in refining the health and well-being of people and communities. Job satisfaction, empowerment, training, job environment, work culture, and development opportunities are critical factors that determine the performance and retention of health workers in the healthcare sector. 1

Job satisfaction is defined as the positive feelings or attitudes that individuals have towards their job or work environment. It is a critical factor that determines the performance and retention of employees in any organization. Job satisfaction is influenced by several factors, including job security, pay and benefits, recognition, relationships with colleagues, and opportunities for career development. 2 Some healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia experienced low job satisfaction due to many factors, such as long working hours, a lack of autonomy, and poor working conditions. Empowerment can be defined as the process of enabling individuals to take control of their work and make decisions that influence their job performance and outcomes. Empowerment is an essential factor that determines the engagement and motivation of employees in any organization. It is influenced by several factors, including leadership support, access to resources, and opportunities for professional development. Empowerment was positively related to job satisfaction, job performance, and organizational commitment. 3 Training is the acquisition of new skills, knowledge, and abilities that are necessary for job performance and career development. Training is an important issue that determines the effectiveness and performance of employees in any organization. 4 Training is influenced by several factors, including organizational culture, leadership support, and access to resources.⁵ Training was positively related to job satisfaction, job performance, and career development. Hence, training should be a continuous endeavor to enhance health outcomes in any place. 6

The job environment is the physical, social, and psychological conditions of the workplace that influence the job satisfaction and performance of employees. The job environment is considered a critical element that determines the well-being of the employees in any organization. 7 Job environment influenced by several factors, including physical working conditions, social support and organizational culture. The job environment investigations established that job environment positively related to job satisfaction performance and organizational commitment. 8

Work culture is defined as the shared values, beliefs, and behaviors of employees in an organization that influence their job satisfaction and performance. Work culture is an important factor that determines the engagement and motivation of employees in any organization. Work culture is influenced by several factors, including leadership style, organizational values, and social support. The work culture is positively related to job satisfaction, job performance, and organizational commitment. The positive correlation can make work integration easier and more beneficial to individuals and the entire community. 9

Development opportunities describe the opportunities for professional growth and advancement within an organization. Development opportunities significantly influence the job satisfaction of healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia. It was found that healthcare workers who perceived a clear path for career development were more satisfied with their jobs and felt more empowered. Similarly, it is established that development opportunities are positively associated with job satisfaction among healthcare workers. Development opportunities play a critical role in promoting job satisfaction and empowerment among healthcare workers in the Aseer region. As healthcare is a constantly evolving field, providing opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth is essential for ensuring that health workers remain motivated, engaged, and up to date with the latest knowledge and skills. 10 A research from Jordan revealed that job satisfaction is significantly affected by psychological empowerment among health workers in private settings. This suggests that assessing psychological empowerment can provide insights into job satisfaction levels.¹¹ Other study investigated the perceived empowerment and turnover intention of middle nurse managers in Cyprus before and after the implementation of a major healthcare reform. The study found that nurse managers had moderate levels of perceived empowerment, and that those with turnover intentions had lower levels of empowerment. The study suggests that senior management should create opportunities and implement interventions to maintain and improve the empowerment of nurse managers, in order to reduce turnover intention.¹² This study examined how structural empowerment and work ethics affect millennial Saudi clinical nurses' engagement. The study indicated that personal and organizational variables, work ethics, and structural empowerment engage millennial Saudi clinical nurses. To engage millennial nurses, nurse managers should recognize, reward, and incentivize effective nursing practice, according to the study. Thus, millennial Saudi clinical nurses who feel empowered and have a strong work ethic are more interested in their employment. The study also recommends that nurse supervisors might boost work engagement by recognising, praising, and motivating effective nursing practice.13In finalization, this literature review highlights the importance of measuring job satisfaction and opportunities for participation and empowerment among healthcare workers in the Aseer region. Job satisfaction has been found to be linked with various factors such as work environment, work culture, training, and development opportunities. Empowerment has been recognized as an important factor for improving job satisfaction, as it enables healthcare workers to have greater control over their work and enhances their sense of ownership and responsibility. Training and development opportunities have also been identified as important factors for promoting job satisfaction and empowerment. It is evident from the literature that addressing these factors can have a positive impact on job satisfaction and empowerment among healthcare workers in the Aseer region, ultimately leading to better quality of care and improved health outcomes for the population. This paper aim focus on identifying the key factors that may affect job satisfaction either positively or negatively and discovering opportunities for participation in the empowerment of healthcare workers in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. The study objective was use a validated job satisfaction questionnaire to measure health workers' job satisfaction in Asir. Job satisfaction will be measured by job security, compensation and perks, work-life balance, and professional growth.

Identifying participation empowerment opportunities: The study will interview health workers and healthcare management in Aseer to find participation empowerment opportunities. The interviews will examine how health workers can make decisions and govern their work.

The study examine the relationship between job satisfaction, participation empowerment, and healthcare quality in the Aseer region. The study will examine how work happiness and involvement empowerment affect healthcare quality and how healthcare managers can foster them.

Methods:

A mixed-method approach comprised of a structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to gain an in-depth understanding and elicit detailed responses was employed to collect data from the participant. The sample size was calculated using Raosoft's sample size calculator for the population size, which was 18700 healthcare workers. For a confidence level of 95%, the minimum sample size accepted was 377 employees. The participants were selected from different primary, secondary, and tertiary centers and from other organizations using a simple random sampling technique. The research was carried out between April 20th and May 20th, 2023. The study tools based on Satisfaction of Employees in Health Care (SEHC) 14. The questionnaire contained closed-ended questions to measure and collect data on various aspects, including demographic information, participation empowerment, and job satisfaction like salary, work environment, and workload. A pilot study was conducted on a small sample (50) to test the questionnaire's validity and reliability. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, e.g., the mean, standard deviation, and frequency distribution. In addition, inferential statistics such as the chi-square test, t-test, and ANOVA were also used to examine the relationships between the variables. Ethical approval was obtained from the Aseer Health Ethical Committee (REC 20-3-2023) before starting the study, and each participant signed a consent form where his or her confidentiality was ensured.

Result:

The present study investigated the perceptions of employees working in different workplaces in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia regarding their job satisfaction and work environment. A sample of 543 participants was surveyed, and the frequencies and percentages of various variables were analyzed to gain insights into employee experiences and highlight areas for improvement in the Saudi workforce. The demographic characteristics of the participants were examined, revealing that 91% of the respondents were Saudi. In terms of gender, 67.8% of the participants were male, and 32.2% were female. The majority of the participants fell into the 30–40 years-old category (57.6%), followed by 40–50 years-old (20.3%), 20–30 years-old (12.9%), and 50–60 years-old (9.2%). Regarding the years of experience, 30.5% of the participants had 15 years of experience, 27.4% had 10 years of experience, 16.8% had experience over 20 years, 13.1% had less than 5 years, and 12.2% had 20 years of experience. Regarding workplace distribution, hospitals had the highest representation (70.5%), followed by primary healthcare centers (PHC) (16.0%) and other workplaces (13.5%). The study examined various aspects of the work environment and job satisfaction. Regarding head support, 51.2% of the participants agreed that they received adequate support, while 20.8% totally agreed, 15.3% disagreed, and 12.7% totally disagreed. In terms of feeling appreciated, 45.9% agreed that they felt appreciated, while 16.8% totally agreed, 18.2% disagreed, and 19.2% totally disagreed. Training and development opportunities were perceived positively by 32.2% of the participants, with 8.1% totally agreeing, 28.2% disagreeing, and 31.5% totally disagreeing. Promotion opportunities were considered fair by 41.8% of the respondents, with 14.2% totally agreeing, 23.2% disagreeing, and 20.8% totally disagreeing. When it came to benefits, 28.5% agreed that the provided benefits were satisfactory, while 9.8% totally agreed, 23.9% disagreed, and 37.8% totally disagreed. Job description compatibility with work was perceived positively by 46.8% of the participants, with 20.6% totally agreeing, 19.2% disagreeing, and 13.4% totally disagreeing. Teamwork was considered important, with 45.1% of the participants agreeing that it was encouraged, while 40.5% totally agreed, 9.2% disagreed, and 5.2% totally disagreed. The study also explored the participants' perceptions of compensation, evaluation fairness, equipment availability, work environment, suggestion acceptance, strategy, transformation knowledge, management of Model of care(MOC), cluster effectiveness, positive effect cluster, and the effect of the cluster on employee

Table 1: Show the descriptive statistic for study variable

Figure 1: interview result

Figure 2: awareness and suggestion of employee

Discussions

The present study investigated the perceptions of health care employees in different workplaces in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia, focusing on variables related to the work environment and job satisfaction. The findings revealed mixed perceptions among participants regarding various aspects of their work environment, including head support, feeling appreciation, training and development, compensation, promotion, and benefits. The study also highlighted the importance of effective management of change and cluster effectiveness in organizations. These findings provide valuable insights for organizations and policymakers in Saudi Arabia to improve employee satisfaction and enhance the work environment. The results of this study align with previous research that has examined similar variables in the context of employee perceptions and job satisfaction. For example, studies have shown the importance of support and appreciation in the workplace for employee well-being and engagement 15–16. Similarly, research has emphasized the significance of training and development opportunities, fair compensation and promotion policies, and comprehensive benefits packages in fostering employee satisfaction and organizational outcomes 17–18. Moreover, the study findings underscore the need for effective management of change and cluster structures in organizations. Change management practices have been identified as critical for successful organizational transformations and employee adaptation 19. Additionally, some research has highlighted the role of effective team structures, such as clusters, in enhancing collaboration and performance. 20 The limitations of the present study should be taken into consideration when interpreting the findings. The cross-sectional design restricts causal interpretations, and the sample may not be fully representative of the entire workforce in Saudi Arabia. Future research using longitudinal designs and larger, more diverse samples would provide more robust conclusions. Additionally, qualitative investigations could provide deeper insights into the factors influencing employee perceptions and job satisfaction.

Conclusion

The findings of this study provide valuable insights for organizations and policymakers in Saudi Arabia to improve employee satisfaction and enhance the work environment. Areas that require attention include training and development opportunities, benefits, equipment availability, and cluster effectiveness. By addressing these areas, organizations can create a more positive work environment, boost employee morale, and ultimately improve job satisfaction and productivity. It is important for future research to delve deeper into the identified areas and explore strategies to bridge the gaps in employee perception and job satisfaction. By conducting longitudinal studies and implementing interventions based on the study findings, organizations can continually assess and enhance their practices to create a conducive and fulfilling work environment for employees. Ultimately, this will contribute to a more productive and satisfied workforce in Saudi Arabia.

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