Associative Nature of Employee Satisfaction within the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province

The purpose of this study was to identify the attributes that affect employee satisfaction in the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province, South Africa. In order to address the overall objective of this study, the researchers used a two-tiered (mixed) approach in which both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used to complement and enrich the results. Stratified random sampling and systematic random sampling were used to select a sample of 261 full-time employees for the quantitative phase of the study. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was adapted to collect the data using a face-to-face data collection method.

The study found that a statistically significant association exists between employee satisfaction and leadership style within the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province. As expected, leadership and management within the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province should ensure that they are accommodative to their subordinates. More importantly, issues of a good working environment, remuneration, career growth and recognition should be addressed in order to increase employee satisfaction, reduce staff turnover and attempt to optimise labour productivity.