Open AccessNot Just about the Money: Which Job Qualities Compensate for Unjust Pay?
Author(s) -
Atsushi Narisada,
Scott Schieman
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
socius
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2378-0231
DOI - 10.1177/23780231221085115
Subject(s) - job design , psychology , job attitude , job analysis , job rotation , job satisfaction , autonomy , social psychology , flexibility (engineering) , function (biology) , job enrichment , job performance , task (project management) , job characteristic theory , management , economics , political science , evolutionary biology , law , biology
Social scientists have documented that perceived underpayment is a chronic stressor that has clear links to job dissatisfaction. However, few have evaluated which job qualities function as alternative compensating rewards that weaken this relationship. Using the job demands–resources model as a guide, the authors investigate the moderating effects of prominent job qualities: support, control, challenge, and advancement opportunities. Analysis of a national sample of Canadian workers confirms that perceived underpayment is associated with job dissatisfaction. The authors elaborate on this relationship by documenting that job qualities located at the organizational and interpersonal levels—advancement opportunities, supervisor support, and schedule flexibility—function as protective buffers, but job qualities located at the individual task level (job autonomy and job challenge) do not. These observations have theoretical and practical implications by specifying the particular job qualities that buffer the effects of perceived underpayment. The authors integrate insights from organizational support theory to interpret the underlying mechanisms.