Work environment and autonomous work motivation in explaining job satisfaction among Generation Z employees in Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55573/IJAFB.117010Keywords:
work environment, autonomous work motivation, job satisfaction, Generation Z, Malaysia, Job Demands–Resources theory, Self-Determination TheoryAbstract
Generation Z is increasingly a significant contributor to the Malaysian workforce and there is an urgency for organisations to understand the factors that contribute to young people being satisfied in their work. This concept paper is an integrated framework of Work Environment (WE), Autonomous Work Motivation (AWM), and Job Satisfaction (JS) for Generation Z employees in Malaysia. The model is based on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory and the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Work environment is conceptualised as a multidimensional set of physical, social, and organisational conditions that provide employees with job resources, while autonomous work motivation refers to engaging in work because it is intrinsically interesting or personally valued. The framework contains three relationships: Job satisfaction is positively related to a supportive work environment, autonomous work motivation is positively related to job satisfaction, and a supportive work environment is positively related to autonomous work motivation. The third relationship serves as a foundation for further testing of autonomous motivation as a mediator between work environment and job satisfaction. The importance of studying flexibility, development, autonomy, supportive relations and meaningful work as a whole, rather than separately, is warranted by recent evidence on the values of the generation Z and on employment conditions in Malaysia. The paper makes a contribution by combining two complementary theoretical lenses in a Malaysian context for Generation Z and by proposing a testable mechanism by which workplace resources might help to increase job satisfaction.
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