The relationship between empowerment, job satisfaction and reported stress levels: some Australian evidence

The role of empowerment of subordinates has been an ongoing argument since the 1950s and 1960s following the work of social scientists like Likert and Herzberg. It is argued that empowerment can improve the productivity of the organization. The catch cry of the 1900s and 2000s has been that organizations must be more productive: this could be partly achieved by reducing the workforce and empowering the survivors to make decisions affecting them. The data for this study were collected by the federal government from workplaces across Australia and released in late 1997. It seems that having influence on decisions affecting a person and type and speed of work seems to alter the perceived level of job satisfaction rather than the level of job stress. This study investigates these findings further and discusses the influence of some demographic variables on job satisfaction. The final area of the study will look at how all these variables will impact on the perceived productivity of the organization.