Job Satisfaction Goes Up For Some Employees, But Not For Others, When They Help Other Employees

Some employees go beyond their job description and actively help other employees, which is called organizational citizenship behavior. These employees help others because they expect that those other employees will help them later in return. For these employees, their job satisfaction improves when they help others. Today’s best managers know that some employees may not help other employees solely because they believe they will be helped in return. Instead, these employees naturally have a high concern for others that enables them to be good corporate citizens without expecting reciprocal help in response. Unfortunately, job satisfaction for these employees may not go up as a result of helping others.

Source: Lester, S. W., Meglino, B. M., & Korsgaard, M. A. 2008. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29, 829-841.