Ke Xiaoxia
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between employee job satisfaction and job performance at Jiangxi University of Technology (JXUT), with the goal of informing a strategic action plan to enhance employee outcomes and address workplace concerns. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving a randomly selected sample of 300 employees—comprising silver-age, full-time, and X-post faculty members. Quantitative data were gathered using a validated questionnaire adapted from existing literature, measuring job satisfaction across four dimensions: job recognition and security, compensation and benefits, career development, and employee relations. Job performance was assessed using four indicators: output generation, timeliness, quality, and innovativeness. Descriptive statistics (weighted mean) and inferential analysis (Pearson correlation) were used to analyze quantitative data, while thematic analysis was applied to open-ended responses for qualitative insights. The results revealed a strong positive correlation between job satisfaction and job performance. Higher satisfaction in the areas of job recognition, compensation, professional growth, and interpersonal relations was significantly associated with greater productivity, timely task completion, higher quality outputs, and increased innovation. Although both satisfaction and performance were rated very high overall, several recurring concerns emerged, including salary-to-workload mismatches, limited housing assistance, inadequate career development pathways, and insufficient mental health support. Based on these findings, a strategic action plan was proposed to address these issues and sustain high levels of satisfaction and performance. The study concludes that targeted improvements in job satisfaction are essential for maximizing employee effectiveness and recommends institutional reforms to create a more supportive, rewarding, and development-oriented work environment.
Keywords: Employee engagement, higher education, job performance, job satisfaction, organizational strategy
https://doi.org/10.57180/jpsu4756