Republic of the Philippines

Region 1
Candon National High School
Senior High School
Candon City, Ilocos Sur

WORK STRESS AND JOB SATISFACTION

OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN
CANDON CITY

A Quantitative Research
Presented to
The Candon National High School
Senior High School Department
City Division of Candon

In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the subject
Research 2
(Quantitative Research)

by:
Legaspi, Jericho Reniel D.
Molanida, Chrisalyn A.
Molina, Rizza Joy P.
Pescador, Leigh Coleen B.

Feljone G. Ragma Ed. D

(Adviser/Co-author)

August 2017
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of Study

The success of a society is linked with the welfare of its

inhabitants. Their safety and protection, the promotion of their rights

and the stability of their social status constitute a socially developed

locale. If the people’s well-being is good, then it is a promising one. The

society is mutually related to the people so as the people are mutually

related to the society – a relationship where social development usually

takes place.

Social Development, an aspiration of every community, can be

described as putting people at the center of progress. It is all about

improving the well-being of every individual in the society so that they

can reach their full potential. It has always been the main objective of

this type of development – the growth of the individual himself.

Sociological thinkers agree that there is a very close relation between

man and society (Mundra, 2015). Man serves as the backbone of the

society for he is the primary reason why it exists. This implies that a

commitment on the development process must benefit the people but not

only the poor. Thus, this development process is shaped through the

recognition on how people interact in the society and the norms that

facilitate such interaction.

 2

Moreover, Social Development is a long process that needs

thorough action and participation from the people. It cannot be attained

overnight but can be made possible through the efforts of its prime

movers. They are the stewards of social development – the social workers.

The primary role of social workers is to give support and assistance

to people in improving their lives and attain stability. Social workers can

work both statutory and non-statutory roles. In statutory positions, their

role is to adhere to the laws that exist to protect the vulnerable clients

that they work with (AGCAS editors, 2015). Social workers practising in

statutory contexts such as local authorities commonly assess the need

for care, support and protection of individuals and families, develop care

plans and provide or manage the provision of care. They are also

responsible for implementing policies which aim to safeguard vulnerable

children or adults and ensure that people have as much choice and

control over services they use as possible (Stevenson, 2015). In non-

statutory positions, they are often employed in the charity section in

specialist roles such as providing support for drug and alcohol user issue

(AGCAS Editors, 2015).

People who do social work carry a bunch of burden. Like other

types of jobs, social workers also suffer from different work stressors and

this one is a booming case nowadays. Work stress is the state where
 3

employees increasingly face condition of overwork, job insecurity and

lack of anatomy. Work stress has been shown to have effects on the

health and well-being of employees, as well as a negative impact on

workplace productivity and profits.

Recent surveys by the British Association of Social Workers and

Community Care suggest workloads have increased, working conditions

have deteriorated and stress levels have escalated as a result (Beer,

2016). Stress is associated with both short and long-term health

problems. It is therefore important to acknowledge the health risks of

social work, a profession that has been associated with stress,

depression and burn out (Asthana, 2016). Thus, acknowledging the work

stressors is also a thing to consider.

In the international scene, social workers also have a heavy load.

Social work profession in Africa underwent a decrease in number of its

manpower. According to Adlem (2007), many reasons contribute to the

high turnover of social work. This includes poor working conditions, poor

compensation for work, lack of resources and support. On the other

hand, stress is the most common work-related health problem in Europe

(Broughton, 2010). The presence of work stress among social workers is

also evident in the global field.

 4

Nationally, the country also suffers from the scarcity of social

workers. A total of 6,435 Human Health and Social Workers were covered

in the 2012 Census of Philippine Business and Industry (CPBI). The lack

of social workers means less attention to the individuals of the society

and brings additional workloads to the employed ones which may serve

as their potential work stressors. Moreover, Whitaker, et al (2006) says

that social workers in the Philippines reported that they experienced

decreases in job security, staffing levels (both social workers and others),

availability of supervision and most of all, the levels of reimbursement. In

a survey done by Philippine Association of Social Workers Incorporated

(PASWI), at least 80% of social workers believe that stress levels are

affecting their ability to their job. This can be a problem that seeks for

solution because if this continues, the performance of social workers in

the country will not be of high quality.

In addition, the job satisfaction of social workers also deteriorates.

According to Vroom (2011), job satisfaction is generally considered to be

an individual’s perceptual or emotional reaction to important parts of

work. It is the contentment of a certain individual on how he works on a

particular workplace. In addition, job satisfaction is a set of the favorable

or unfavorable feelings with which employees view their work (Davis,

 5

2012). It can also be said that the feeling of an individual on its work

determines job satisfaction.

Job satisfaction, on the other, hand portrays more of the positive

but once it becomes negative, then it will be job dissatisfaction. This job

satisfaction or dissatisfaction is influenced by the presence of work

stressors, if there is or there is none. By the presence of such, it will be of

the negative way. According to Ray (2014), employees with low job

satisfaction can negatively affect a company because they typically lack

motivation, perform poorly and possess negative attitudes.

In the locality of Candon, work stress among social workers is also

obvious and that it results in job dissatisfaction. According to Tudayan

(2017), a Child Development Worker from Barangay Cubcubbuot, stress

arises when the children are too hyper and naughty. Moreover, she

added that aside from the children, the child’s parents are also stressors

most especially when they do not follow the rules that are implemented

unto them. The work stress of the social worker falls under the heavy

load they have. Thus, this stressor paves way to job dissatisfaction.

The research study aims to address the work stressors met by

social workers and give them appropriate actions to avoid the resurgence

of job dissatisfaction. Quality of work is always a thing to consider when

it comes to service and aside from addressing such dilemmas, it will also
 6

be an avenue to boost social worker’s performance: from meagre to an

optimum one.

Framework

Work stress and job satisfaction are two varying terms but still

have something in common. They are based on theories that will prove

their existence. The relationship between the two variables will also be

discussed.

According to the World Health Organization, Work-related stress is

the response people may have when presented with work demands and

pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and

which challenge their ability to cope. It runs parallel to the theory of

work stress which is the Person – Environment Fit Theory (P-E Fit

Theory) stating that stress can arise due to a lack of fit between the

individual’s skills, resources and abilities, and the demands of work

environment (Edwards, Caplan, & van Harrison, 1998).The statement

explains that when employees cannot do the job well, they are more

likely to feel stress.

Aside from the lack of appropriateness between the social worker

and demands of their work, the interaction between different dimensions

can also be considered. The second theory under work stress is the Job

Demand-Control (Support) Theory which postulates that job strain

 7

results from the interaction between two dimensions of the work

environment namely psychological job demands and job control

(Karasek, 1985). Karasek also defines psychological demands as

workload, operated mainly in terms of time pressure and conflict. On the

other hand, job control refers to the person’s ability to control their work

activities, and is defined by two key components (a) decision authority

(worker’s ability to make decisions about their job); (b) skill discretion

(the breadth of skills used by the worker on the job). The theory shows

that individuals experiencing high demands paired with low control are

more likely to experience work-related stress. There is a resemblance

with the first theory for it is all about the individual and their work.

The two theories for work stress are connected to the study

because they can be the determinants or concrete bases of the different

work stressors a social worker may face.

Job Satisfaction on the other hand, is the pleasurable emotional

state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job as achieving or facilitating

the achievement of one’s job values (Locke, 1976) or the extent to which

people like
 8

or dislike their jobs (Spector, 1997). In order for people to achieve that

emotional state and like their jobs, the needs must be fulfilled first. This

is in connection to Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory (Maslow, 1995)

(presented in Figure 1) which states that human needs form a five-level

hierarchy consisting of physiological needs, safety, belongingness/love,

esteem and self-actualisation. Moreover, the theory postulates that there

are essential needs that need to be met first before dealing with the more

complex ones. Maslow’s needs hierarchy is formulated to explain human

motivation but its main tenants are also applicable in the work setting

and can also be a guide for the study. Financial Compensation and

Healthcare are some of the benefits which help an employee meet their

basic physiological needs. Safety needs can

 9

Figure 2.
Herzberg’s Hygiene Motivation
Theory

manifest itself through employees feeling physically safe in their work

environment, as well as, job security and/or having suitable company

structure and policies. When these things are satisfied, employees can

focus on feeling that they belong to the workplace they are in. It is

connected to the study simply because it gives the things that may

influence job satisfaction.

Furthermore, Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory (Herzberg,

1966) suggests that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not two

opposite ends of the same continuum, but instead are two separate and,

at times, even unrelated concepts. Motivating factors like pay and

benefits, recognition and achievement need to be to be met in order for

an employee to be satisfied with work. Hygiene Factors on the other

hand, (such as working conditions, company policies and structure, job

security, interaction with colleagues and quality of management) are

 10

associated with job dissatisfaction. In this theory, hygiene and

motivational factors are viewed as independent and it is possible that

employees are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied making them neutral. The

theory is connected because it can be a tool in assessing a social worker

with regard to his/her satisfaction: be it satisfied, dissatisfied or neutral.

The theory postulates that when hygiene factors are low the employee is

dissatisfied, but when these factors are high it means that the employee

is not dissatisfied (neutral), but not necessarily satisfied.

In general, work stress has been viewed as an antecedent of job

satisfaction, and the two constructs have been treated related (Stanton,

Bachiochi, Robie, Perez, & Smith, 2002). When there is the absence of

work stress or there are minimal stressors in the workplace, then there is

job satisfaction. However, if there is the presence of work stress (of high

level) then there will be job dissatisfaction. Work stress and Job

Satisfaction possess an inverse relationship but still have characteristics

in common.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to assess the cases of social workers in connection

to their work stress and job satisfaction. Thus, the study looks to give

answer to the following questions.

 11

1. What is the level of work stress among the social workers along?

a) Boredom Induced Stress;

b) Communications and Comfort with Supervisor;

c) Disagreement and Indecision;

d) Job Description Conflict;

e) Job-Related Health Concerns;

f) Pressure on the Job;

g) Problem of Job Security;

h) Work Overload Stress; and

i) Work Underload Stress?

2. What is the level of job satisfaction on the social workers along?

 General Working Conditions;

 Pay And Promotion Potential;

 Use Of Skills And Abilities;

 Work Activities; and

 Work Relationships?

3. Is there a significant correlation between work stress and job

satisfaction?

Hypothesis

There is no significant correlation between work stress and job

satisfaction.
 12

Scope and Delimitation

The respondents of the study focusing on Work Stress and Job

Satisfaction are the social workers from the different institutions of

Candon City. The study will be conducted from the month of June 2017

until the last day of first semester, October 2017.

Importance of the Study

This study will mostly benefit the following:

The Department of Labor and Employment will be given basis in

lending a helping hand to the social workers.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development will be

informed about the cases of their workers. Thus, they can formulate

solutions to such dilemma.

The Social Workers, who are the primary beneficiaries of the study,

will have their concerns about their work known and possibly be

addressed.

The researchers, who are Humanities and Social Sciences students

of Candon National High School, will be more knowledgeable on the

cases of these social workers.

The study will also give additional knowledge emphasizing the

future researchers’ interest to continue and impose their own researches

given the findings as basis for further study.

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Definition of Terms

To further understand this research study, the following terms are

operationally defined:

Level of Job Satisfaction. This refers to the level of contentment a

social worker is feeling in his job.

General Working Conditions. It talks about how satisfied

the worker is in his working premise.

Pay and Promotion Potential. This is all about the wage a

social worker receives.

Use of Skills and Abilities. It talks about how the social

worker utilizes his ability on the job and how satisfied he is.

Work Activities. A parameter for job satisfaction where the

activities of the social workers are highly pinpointed.

Work Relationships. The relationships that arise in the

workplace.

Level of Work Stress. This is the degree of manifestation of the

inconveniences met by social workers in the workplace which can also be

the possible factors that may affect job satisfaction.

Boredom Induced Stress. Stress caused by boredom in the

workplace.
 14

Communications and Comfort with Supervisor. It is the

interaction between the social worker and the supervisor. It also

points out how comfortable the interaction is.

Disagreement and Indecision. The social worker’s views on

his colleagues’ ideas and opinions.

Job Description Conflict. The social worker’s idea about

social work – his responsibilities and any underlying thing about

the job.

Job-Related Health Concerns. The social worker’s health

condition as he does the job.

Pressure on the Job. The problems the social worker may

arise like time pressure and etc.

Problem of Job Security. It is all about the safety of the

social worker while doing the job.

Work Overload Stress. It is the huge number of workload a

social worker receives. It has something to do with time

management.

Work Underload Stress. It is the lack of work a social

worker receives. It may cause boredomon the other hand.

 15

Social Workers in Candon City. These are the social workers that reside

in the City of Candon and that they will be the respondents of the study.

Review of Related Literature and Studies

The following presents the literature and studies relevant to the

correct understanding of the study.

Work Stress and its Levels

According to the World Health Organization, Work-related stress is

the response people may have when presented with work demands and

pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and

which challenge their ability to cope. These are the things they encounter

in the workplace. A 2013 survey by APA's Center for Organizational

Excellence also found that job-related stress is a serious issue. Almost all

employees suffer from work stress. No one is excused and everyone is

vulnerable to suffer from work stress given that they are acted upon by

different work stressors.

However, the focal point of the study is the stewards of social

development – the social workers.

Internationally, More than one-third of working Americans (social

workers) reported experiencing chronic work stress and just 36 percent

said their organizations provide sufficient resources to help them manage

 16

that stress. Organizations that must be responsible for these employees

refused to take action eventually leading to stress.

In the national stage, the cases of social workers are also a

problem to look upon. Whitaker, et al (2006) says that social workers in

the Philippines reported that they experienced decreases in job security,

staffing levels (both social workers and others), availability of supervision

and most of all, the levels of reimbursement. In a survey done by

Philippine Association of Social Workers Incorporated (PASWI), at least

80% of social workers believe that stress levels are affecting their job

ability. This can be a problem that seeks for solution because if this

continues, the performance of social workers in the country will not be of

high quality.

This work stress can also be determined in its different levels such
as:

Boredom Induced Stress

In layman’s term, Boredom is not the result of having nothing to

do. It is very hard to come up with a situation where a person’s options

are so limited that he or she literally can do nothing. Rather, boredom

stems from a situation where none of the possible things that a person

can realistically do appeal to them. Boredom is thought by some (e.g.

Fisher, 1993) to be a distinct emotional state in which the level of

 17

stimulation is perceived as unsatisfactorily low. The lack of external

stimulation leads to increased neural arousal in search of variety –

failure to satisfy this leads to experience of boredom.

Boredom has been found to be the second most commonly

suppressed emotion at work (Mann, 1999). It is suffered at work when

employee’s choice of the things they will do does not appeal on what they

want to. In some cases, the level of difficulty the task they are dealing

with also contributes to boredom.

Fifty-five percent of all US Social Workers were found to be not

engaged in their work in a recent survey reported in the Washington Post

(10 August 2005). Boredom among social workers is also a thing to

consider and to be addressed for this may end up in retirement or

employees quitting the job.

However, avoiding boredom in the workplace has been made

possible can be achieved through various steps. According to Barber

(2012), the most effective way to kill boredom is to make yourself busy all

the time. Being busy on the other hand can also be attained on different

things. First, you must take pride in doing your work well. Allocate

sufficient time on your task and accomplish it with high quality. Second,

try other things in the workplace such as coaching your colleagues and

the like. Third, be creative about devising tasks to kill time during slow
 18

spells. Even rearranging your files is better than doing nothing. There are

still more a lot of ways to disregard boredom in the workplace as long as

these ways contribute to the job performance of the employee himself.

Communication

Workplace communication is vital to an organization's ability to be

productive and operate smoothly (Lombardo, 2012). It is a factor that can

influence on how an organization will go through.

Workplace communication is the process of exchanging

information, both verbal and non-verbal, within an organization. In the

workplace, communication may occur in the large scale, such as between

management and employees, as well on a smaller scale which is between

the individual employees themselves.

The communication in the workplace can either be good or not.

The good one can have positive effects such as improvement of worker

productivity, increase of employee job satisfaction and less absenteeism

and turnover rates. Positive communication within the workplace also

constitutes a better performance for every employee and the organization

as a whole.

On the contrary, poor communication may result in unwanted

results. According to Joseph (2016), lack of communication in the

 19

workplace may lead to the creation of uncertainty, miscommunication in

resource sharing, poor teamwork and dissemination of false cues such as

rumors and gossips. Thus, stress and conflict will also take place. This

makes communication a potential stressor most especially when done

the other way of what is expected.

Disagreement and Indecision

Workplace conflict includes any type of conflict which takes place

within a workplace or among workers and/or managers, potentially

including conflict between employees out of work hours (Honeyman,

2013). It is a broad concept that includes several types of conflict that

are normally treated separately, including employment conflict and

labor-management conflict. Beyond those two subtypes, however,

workplace conflict may not involve the employer as a party; a workplace

conflict may be between two or more employees.

Employee conflict in the workplace is not only frustrating for the

employees but also to the organization in general. It is detrimental to the

smooth and efficiency of the organization’s daily operation. It is still a

conflict making its effects negative.

Given the fact that workplace or employee conflict brings negativity

to the employees, it is also a possible work stressor. This thing may

 20

influence or be a factor for stress to arise and the reflex action to be

treated must always be the resolution of the conflict itself.

According to Chuasiriporn (2015), the solution to avoid workplace

conflicts is to have a good communication where everyone must listen to

each other and take turns to speak. Employees must build a good

foundation of bond in order to avoid conflicts or show respect to one

another. When a problem arises, both parties must take a move to

resolve it immediately so that no further quarrel will occur.

Conflict will never disappear, however arming yourself with the

tools necessary to address it in a healthy, productive fashion will go a

long way towards a more harmonious and productive workplace (Mullins,

2008).

Job Description Conflict

A job description is a document that describes the general tasks,

or functions, and responsibilities of a position. It may specify the

functionary to whom the position reports, specifications such as

the qualifications or skills needed by the person in the job, and

a salary range (Torrington & Hall, 2012). The conflict for job description

occurs when the employee is confused about the functions and

 21

responsibilities he will do. This happens more frequent when the

employee’s capability is not appropriate to the job he is in.

Job Description Conflict can become a work stressor in a way that

the employee cannot handle the assigned task. Thus, it will lead the

employee to quit the job and find a more suitable one to his abilities.

Job Related Health Concerns

An employee can never work at his optimum without the wellness

of his body. Health Concerns in the workplace can be a potential work

stressor and that eventually affects one’s performance. According to the

World Health Organization (2014), the health of workers is an essential

prerequisite for household income, productivity and economic

development. Therefore, restoring and maintaining working capacity is

an important function of the health services. The assurance of workers

about their steady health must be of high consideration to secure good

performance.

Occupational Disease or Work-Related Health Concern is any

disease contracted primarily as a result of an exposure to risk factors

arising from work activity. Health risks at the workplace, such as heat,

noise, dust, hazardous chemicals, unsafe machines and psychological

stress, cause occupational diseases and can aggravate other health

problems (Word Health Organization, 2014). Aside from these health

 22

risks becoming a stressor, it can also exacerbate to different health

problems giving way to a poor performance from the worker himself. On

the case of the social workers themselves, some of the above health risks

are frequently met.

In 2007/08 an estimated 2.1 million people in Great Britain were

suffering from an illness they believe was caused or made worse by their

current or past work (UK Labour Force Survey, 2008). Job Related

Health Concerns has also been a problem to the global stage prior to the

study employed by United Kingdom. The number of people who acquired

an illness is way alarming and that it must be addressed with the most

effective way.

With this disturbing case in bloom, there are ways that are

proposed in order to eliminate such. World Health Organization, the

primary agency which is capable of reducing the number of Job Related

Health Concerns, projected a resolution which is the World Health

Assembly/WHA60.26, “Workers’ Health: Global Plan of Action”, urging

Member States “to work towards full coverage of all workers, particularly

those in the informal sector, agriculture, small enterprises and migrant

workers with essential interventions and basic occupational health

services for primary prevention of occupational and work-related

diseases and injuries.” Now, employees possess an assurance of having

health services which can help address their health needs but still,
 23

prevention is better than cure. There are effective interventions to

prevent occupational diseases. For example encapsulation of pollution

sources, ventilation, noise control, substitution of dangerous chemicals,

improvement of furniture and the organization of work. For the social

workers, these certain actions can be adopted to eliminate job related

health problems in the workplace. Thus, social workers can work at ease.

Problem of Job Security

Job security has become an increasingly rare commodity in a

global economy that offers no lack of cheap labor alternatives. However,

that is no reason to dismiss the importance of job security. Employees

who settle into a position are more likely to achieve long-term career

goals, better position themselves financially, and gain marketable skills

that appeal to future employers. All these factors provide sufficient

reminders about the importance striving for job security.

Job Security is an assurance that an individual will keep his or her

job without the risk of becoming unemployed. He will have continuity in

employment and it may be from the terms of a contract of employment,

collective bargaining agreement, or labor legislation that prevents

arbitrary termination. This provides a steady job to an employee

contributing to economic development. The families of the said employee

will have a mean to earn a living.

 24

Adebayo and Lucky (2012) agreed that job security has become

indispensable in employee and organization preference list, particularly

due to economic reasons. Thus, it has become one of the most crucial

and important factors among the employee preference list as well as the

organization (Schappel, 2012; KPMG, 2010). Globally, about 75% of the

employees preferred to keep their jobs compared to other factors in their

preference list (Towers Watson, 2010). This indicates that job security is

as important as the employees’ salary and healthcare (KPMG, 2010). The

importance of job security is shown through the reality that the employee

can now support the financial needs of his family. Thus, he can be able

to fulfil the needs and wants of the family in their day to day basis.

At present, the most important desire of every employee is to keep

their jobs for as long as they wish. In this view, it implies that job

security has become the most determinant and key element influencing

an employee’s decision on whether to join an organization or not (Towers

Watson, 2010). Therefore, the crucial challenge facing the organization is

not just to employ and retain workers but to ensure that employees are

assured of their jobs for as long as they wish.

However, the absence of job security’s assurance can be a stressor

to the employee himself. The employee may lose a source of income when

they lose the job and that settle to look for another which means no wage
 25

until the time he gets employed again. This can be avoided as long as the

organization promises job security. Consequently, the employees are

more likely to perform well when vowed with such.

Work OverLoad Stress

According to the Stress in America 2011 survey, 70 percent of the

people polled were stressed over work, which is second to finances.

Stressor can include anything from cranky co-workers, impossible

bosses, and long commutes to huge workloads. Work place overload and

high can lead to burning the candle at both ends.

Going a step further, work overload has been defined as employees’

perceptions that they have more work than they can complete within a

given time (Jex, 1998). Overworked people usually have unreasonable

workloads; work long (and/or odd) hours; undergo a tougher working

pace; feel pressure to work overtime (paid or unpaid); and receive shorter

breaks, days off, and vacations (or none at all). Work Overload does not

only remain with having a lot of tasks rather it comes in different forms.

There are two types of work overload (measured with the Work

Overload Measure based on French et al., 1982): Quantitative overload

(i.e., feelings related to the amount of work, working too fast or too hard,

having too much to do, or sensing too much pressure) and Qualitative

overload (i.e., an employee’s feeling that he/she does not have the time to
 26

produce quality work or does not have the skills to perform assignments).

As mentioned earlier, there are different forms of work overload and it

can quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative work overload relates to the

work itself, the amount of load while qualitative one refers to the

employees feeling of not doing excellent work at all.

Work Overload, on the other hand, can also be a stressor. It makes

the employee uncomfortable and instills the feeling of surrendering. It

can drain the employee physically, emotionally and mentally.

However, it can be mended. Stress overload can be dealt with by

learning to: slow down and relax; a variety of relaxation exercises, or new

coping mechanisms (Hick, 2017). The solutions for work overload are

usually by taking breaks and through relaxation.

Work Underload Stress

Work underload is the extreme opposite of burnout, yet its effects

can be just as marked (Kennard, 2012). A dull, repetitive, unrewarding

job with no prospects can quickly lead to boredom. Left unchecked,

apathy sets in and productivity slows. Such jobs can become highly

stressful as there is no outlet other than grumbling. In worst case

scenario’s workers may even resort to minor acts of sabotage that can

negatively affect others.

 27

Work underload is the complete opposite of work overload (Barling

& Kelloway, 2005). It makes sense that if employees can have too much

to do, they can have too little to do as well. Like role overload, role

underload can likely be viewed from both a quantitative and a qualitative

perspective. An employee who is experiencing quantitative underload

simply has too few tasks to do, and thus may experience periods of

idleness or boredom on the job. Though many workers may wish they

occasionally had a day when they had too few tasks to accomplish at

work, most would probably become bored if this were the case every day.

When an employee is qualitatively underloaded, he or she has enough

things to do, but the nature of the work tasks are below his or her

capabilities.

Work underload is also a stressor in the workplace. In this case,

the true capability of an employee is seldom used and it may bring

boredom to them. However, it can also be resolved through finding

something to do and helping out colleagues in the workplace.

Job Satisfaction and its Levels

An employee is satisfied when his expectations are met by the

organization he is in. However, he is not when these expectations are not

fulfilled. In this particular scenario, the concept of job satisfaction is

highly considered.
 28

Job Satisfaction on the other hand, is the pleasurable emotional

state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job as achieving or facilitating

the achievement of one’s job values (Locke, 1976) or the extent to which

people like or dislike their jobs (Spector, 1997). It actually refers to the

level of contentment an employee possesses towards his particular work.

Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory (Herzberg, 1966), explains that

there are three levels of satisfaction. It can either be job satisfaction, job

dissatisfaction or neutral.

Moreover, Vroom (2011) states that job satisfaction is generally

considered to be an individual’s perceptual or emotional reaction to

important parts of work. It is the sensation the individual has when the

talk is all about his job. In addition, job satisfaction is a set of the

favorable or unfavorable feelings with which employees view their work

(Davis, 2012). It can also be said that the feeling of an individual on its

work determines job satisfaction.

On the contrary, there is also job dissatisfaction. This refers to the

negative insight an individual thinks about the organization or work he is

in. According to Ray (2014), employees with low job satisfaction can

negatively affect a company because they typically lack motivation,

perform poorly and possess negative attitudes. It can be clearly seen that

job dissatisfaction has always something to do with the negatives.

 29

On the other hand, taking into account job satisfaction of employee

and its affecting factors have significant value for any institution or

concern to stay alive and prosper (Danish, 2012). Job satisfaction as

discussed by the study is hereby concerned with the following levels.

General Working Conditions

Working conditions are at the core of paid work and employment

relationships. Generally speaking, working conditions cover a broad

range of topics and issues, from working time (hours of work, rest

periods, and work schedules) to remuneration, as well as the physical

conditions and mental demands that exist in the workplace. Working

Condition refers to the outlook an individual is undergoing in his job.

Researches have shown a link between working conditions and job

satisfaction (Brill et al., 2001; Newsham et al., 2004; Finnegan and

Solomon, 1981; Leather, et al., 1998, Veitch et al., 2005; Newsham et al.,

2009; Kinzl et al., 2005). This link between such two variables is working

condition as a determinant of job satisfaction.

The studies that have dealt with the working conditions as a factor

of job satisfaction shows that employees prefer working conditions which

are not dangerous and unpleasant (Robbins, 1998). They like working
 30

conditions which are similar to the conditions that they have in their

homes.

Working condition being a factor of job satisfaction is shown in a

way that people who work in the mediocre level are most likely to be

satisfied than those who has a lot of pressures.

Pay and Promotion Potential

In every job, there are these things that fuel up employees to

perform at their best. The two of these things are pay and promotion.

Job satisfaction is influenced by a lot of variables. Promotions are

an important aspect of employee’s life. Considerable increase in pay or

wage of an employee also constitutes a major effect on work (Brown,

2001).

A 2014 SAP survey found that compensation is the number one

factor that matters most to employees. Moreover, another survey by the

SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) conducted in 2013

also found that compensation and pay was the number one factor

contributing to job satisfaction. This shows that pay play a vital role for

an employee.
 31

Pay is an important job attribute (Jurgensen, 1978) and greater job

satisfaction results, inter alia, from job rewards (Rusbult and Farrell,

1983; Anderson, Jerman and Constantin, 1979). This may be sometimes

the first thing to consider an employee will account to.

The relationship between salary level on worker satisfaction is well

established (Herzberg, Mausner, Peterson, & Capwell, 1957), though not

without complexity. For example, gender has been shown to influence

the relationship between pay and work satisfaction (Hulin & Smith,

1965). There is a causal relationship between salary and job satisfaction

whereas increased salary results in increased job satisfaction (Beutell &

Wittig-Berman, 1999; Igalens and Roussel, 1999). Similarly, it has also

been conceptualized that satisfaction results in increased pay. Indeed,

Mohanty (2007) found that a positive attitude, which may arise from job

satisfaction, among other factors in one’s life, helps one earn more

money. In either case, job satisfaction and salary are shown to have a

general and positive relationship. Pay level and job satisfaction have been

shown to play a role in outcomes such as work motivation (Chiu, 1999)

and performance (Judge, Thoresen, Bono, & Patton, 2001). Pay has

become a motivation for employees to do great on their job.

Another thing that can influence pay is promotion. Promotion is a

Shifting of employee for a job of higher significance and higher

 32

compensation (Lazear, 2000). The movement of an employee going

upward in the hierarchy typically brings enhancement of responsibility

and rank. Thus, it brings good wage and compensation. Another

definition of promotion is the reassignment of an employee to a higher-

rank of job (McCausland & Theodossiou, 2005). Promotion is also a vital

part of an employee for it branches out to different help primarily on the

increase of salary.

Many researchers give their opinion that job satisfaction is strongly

correlated with promotion opportunities and there is a direct and positive

association between promotional opportunities and job satisfaction

(McCausland & Theodossiou, 2005).

Generally, pay and promotion has been a factor for job satisfaction

in a way that most of the employees seek higher wages and that it will

provide them a steady source of income.

Use of Skills and Abilities

Money may make the world go ‘round, but for employees it is only

a part of the puzzle and there are still some things to consider aside

from it.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (2012),

the top five most important aspects of employee satisfaction are as

 33

follows: Opportunities to use skills and abilities, Job security,

Compensation/pay, Communication between employees and senior

management, Relationship with immediate supervisors. It is obviously

shown in here that there are times that employees seek jobs where they

can embody their full potential benefiting their selves and the

organization itself.

The use of skills of abilities can be a potential factor for job

satisfaction. It can be attained in a way that the employee shall have

happiness towards his work. This is due to the fact that the employee’s

capabilities are well-utilized and are harnessed to further improve

performance.

However, having utilized the skills and abilities does not actually

end there. It must be accompanied by interest for both skills and interest

together is a wonderful way to target job satisfaction.

Work Activities

Killing the monotony of different tasks at the workplace can be

achieved through the appraisal of different work activities. Work

activities in its broadest sense talk about the extra-curricular

happenings done in the workplace bringing the employees out of their

comfort zones.
 34

Building activities in the workplace and in your local community

for your employees can somewhat satisfy them in their jobs (Heathfield,

2017). These may bring them happiness for they are to think not about

their jobs but of a thing they could be happy of. These activities can

come in ways such as fieldtrips, games and many other types of team

building activities.

Work Relationships

Naturally no man is an island. This is also true to the case of

employees in the workplace. Building a good relationship to one another

is like strengthening the bond and the foundation of the organization

itself.

Workplace relationships are unique interpersonal

relationships with important implications for the individuals in those

relationships, and the organisations in which the relationships exist and

develop (Sias, 2005). This type of relationship usually occurs inside the

organization. It can be from the boss to the employees or to the

employees themselves.

It is important to allow employees the opportunity to build quality

relationships with their co-workers. This can be accomplished through

the organization of informal get-togethers away from work, as well as by

 35

encouraging employee interaction. According to McFarlin (2014), some of

the possible effects that a good work relationship brings are improved

teamwork, improved employee morale, higher employee retention rates,

and increased productivity.

Moreover, the Gallup Organization (2012) said that a good

relationship is constituted by trust, mutual respect, mindfulness,

welcoming diversity and open communication. It can be concluded that

building such relationship needs different variables.

Work relationships on the other hand can be a factor for job

satisfaction in a way that employees can feel at ease with their co-

workers even with their boss. Acquiring this relationship can boost the

performance of every employee as they accomplish quality work.

Moreover, such relationship also promise a nice outcome for the

organization they are in

Correlation of Work Stress and Job Satisfaction

Work stress has been viewed as an antecedent of job satisfaction,

and the two constructs have been treated related (Stanton, Bachiochi,

Robie, Perez, & Smith, 2002). The relationship that animates with work

stress and job satisfaction is inverse proportion. When there is the

absence of work stress, there is job satisfaction and if there is work

stress there will be no job satisfaction rather it will be job dissatisfaction.

 36

An inverse relationship between job stress and job satisfaction

among various populations has been reported consistently in the

literature (Beehr, Walsh, & Taber, 1976 ; Cotton, Dollard, & de

Jonge, 2002; Dua, 1994 ; Hawe, Tuck, Manthei, Adair, & Moore, 2000 ;

Heslop, Smith, Metcalfe, Macleod, & Hart, 2002 ; Lu, Shiau, &

Cooper,1997 ; Richardsen & Burke, 1999 ; Ulleberg & Rundmo, 1997 ).

This statement from different authors gives evidence to the existence of

inverse relationship between the two variables.

However, when it comes to how each affects one another,

numerous studies found that stress influences the employees’ job

satisfaction and their overall performance in their work. Because most of

the organizations now are more demanding for the better job outcomes.

In fact, modern times have been called as the age of “anxiety and stress”

(Bemana, 2013). The stress itself will be affected by number of stressors

(Moradi, 2013). Stressors do occur within the environment of the

organization. Workplace stress occurs when individuals are confronted

with a situation in which coping intervention are inadequate and their

bodies are unable to adapt.

The study highly focuses on the correlation of work stress and job

satisfaction but specializes fully on the cases of social workers, the so-

called stewards of social development.

 CHAPTER II
METHOD AND PROCEDURES
This chapter exhibits the following parts: research design, sources

of data, instrumentation and data collection, tools for data analysis, data

categorization and ethical considerations.

Research Design

This study will make use of the descriptive correlational method of

quantitative research. Descriptive Correlational method is classified into

two namely: Descriptive and Correlation approaches.

The descriptive method of research according to Medel (2009)

involves the description, recording, analysis, and interpretation of

present nature. It defines the nature of one certain phenomenon

depending on the levels of description. It is subjected to answer the

‘whats’ of every research study. This approach will be used to describe

the conditions of social workers when it comes to work stress and job

satisfaction.

On the other hand, the correlation method according to Kalla

(2011) is a tool to determine whether or not two variables are connected.

Finlay (1999) and Creswell (2009) added that a quantitative correlation

offers a non-obtrusive approach to the inquiry and resulting in

identification of significant relationships between study variables. The

 38

given definitions discuss the connectedness and correlation of two

variables to be specific. This means to study whether an increase or

decrease in one variable corresponds to an increase or decrease in the

other variable. This type of design is highly applicable to the study of

work stress and job satisfaction for it will determine how the variables

affect one another.

Descriptive Correlational design, in general, will be used in the

study about work stress and job satisfaction. This will determine the

conditions of social workers in Candon according to the different levels of

work stress and job satisfaction as well as describe the correlation that

the two variables have.

In addition, quantitative research is the systematic empirical

investigation of observable phenomena via statistical, mathematical or

computational techniques (Given, 2008). It is the analysis and

interpretation of observations for the purpose of discovering underlying

meanings and patterns of relationships by means of numerical data. This

approach will be highly utilized since it will employ quantitative

techniques such as questionnaires and different calculations that will

back up the results. Thus, the study can focus more on a larger scope

making the outcomes close to a high level of accuracy.

Sources of Data
 39

Locale and Population of the Study. The population of the study will be

composed of current social workers from the locality of Candon.

To generate the sample, Slovin’s Formula (Leary, 2010), which is a

sampling technique to estimate sample size was used.

𝑁
𝑛=
1 + 𝑁 (𝑒 2 )

where:

n = the sample population N = the population

1 = constant e = the level of significance 0.05

Instrumentation and Data Collection

To gather the necessary information from the social workers, the

researchers will ask the Department of Social Welfare and Development

Office about the number of Social Workers in Candon. Thus, the

researchers will formulate the sample size from the given information.

The researchers will also utilize the questionnaire form to gather

data from the respondents. Relevant and direct questions will be

formulated by the researchers to comply with the necessary

requirements to conduct the floating of questionnaires. The

questionnaire is subdivided in three parts: (Part I) Profile of the Social

Workers, (Part II) Work Stress Checklist and (Part III) Job Satisfaction
 40

Checklist. For Part II, the Work Stress Checklist is divided along 9 levels

which are: Boredom Induced Stress, Communication and Comfort with

Supervisor, Disagreement and Indecision, Job Description and Conflict,

Job-Related Health Concerns, Pressure on the Job, Problem of Job

Security, Work Overload Stress and Work Underload Stress. On the other

hand, Part III which is Job Satisfaction Checklist also involves five levels

namely: General Working Conditions, Pay and Promotional Potential,

Skills and Abilities, Work Activities and Work Relationships. The

questions on the questionnaire will focus on the levels of work stress and

levels of job satisfaction among social workers and that they will be

subjected for research purposes.

Moreover, the distribution of questionnaires will be conducted by

the researchers themselves. They will be giving questionnaire forms and

shall retrieve them after the respondents answer the questions.

Tools for Data Analysis

The problems of the said research study will be treated specifically.

For problems regarding the levels of work stress and levels of job

satisfaction, it will be utilizing the mean. According to Kalla (2009)

Statistical mean is a measure of central tendency that gives us an idea

about where the data seems to cluster around. This will determine

whether what stressor really strains the social workers or what are the

aspects of their job they are satisfied.

 41

Moreover, the problem concerned with the correlation of work

stress and job satisfaction will be using the Pearson Product Moment

Correlation or Pearson r. It shows the linear relationship between two

sets of data. This will determine how work stress is connected to job

satisfaction and how well they are related to one another.

Data Categorization

Responses on the level of implementation and level of validity

pertaining to the questionnaires about work stress and job satisfaction

will be scored and categorized using the following point scale, range

value and descriptive equivalent:

Statistical Range Descriptive Equivalent Classification

4.51-5 Very Highly Satisfied Strength

3.51-4.5 Highly Satisfied Strength

2.51-3.5 Moderately Satisfied Weakness

1.51-2.5 Poorly Satisfied Weakness

1-1.5 Not Satisfied Weakness

Ethical Considerations

To establish and safeguard ethics in conducting this research, the

researchers will strictly observe the following:

The names of the social workers will not be mentioned in any part

of the research. While having the floating of questionnaires, the social

 42

workers will not be forced to do anything they do not want to. Thus, they

will not be harmed physically or emotionally. The researchers will also

make sure that the content of the questionnaire will not hurt any person

or organization and will ensure them that responses will just be

subjected for research.

Proper document sourcing or referencing of materials will be done

to ensure and promote copyright laws.

A communication letter will be presented to the concerned

authorities.

The researchers will explain the research instrument to the

respondents/interviewees.

They considered all the suggestions of the validators before

undergoing the interview.