Description

The Overall Job Satisfaction Scale (OJS-18) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess employees’ overall satisfaction with their work. The scale was developed by Brayfield and Rothe in 1951 and is considered one of the most widely used and comprehensive measures of job satisfaction internationally. It has been extensively applied in occupational psychology research and in professional settings, particularly within the fields of healthcare and education.

The OJS-18 focuses primarily on the emotional dimension of job satisfaction, evaluating employees’ affective responses toward their work rather than emphasizing cognitive evaluations or specific workplace conditions.

The scale provides an overall evaluation of how positively or negatively individuals feel about their professional role and their current employment experience.

Data Analysis and Use

Data collected through the OJS-18 can be used to assess overall levels of professional satisfaction and examine relationships between job satisfaction and other organizational or psychological variables.

The scale is particularly useful in studies investigating employee well-being, workplace attitudes, organizational commitment, emotional experiences at work, and professional functioning.

Statistical analysis may include descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and comparisons between different professional groups. The results can help identify patterns of satisfaction and support interventions aimed at improving workplace experiences.

The OJS-18 has been widely used in occupational settings, including healthcare and educational environments, where understanding employees’ emotional responses toward their work is important.

Objective

The primary objective of the Overall Job Satisfaction Scale (OJS-18) is to measure the overall level of job satisfaction experienced by employees.

The scale aims to evaluate emotional reactions toward work and provide an indication of the extent to which individuals feel satisfied with their professional role.

The instrument emphasizes the affective component of job satisfaction, focusing on feelings and emotional responses associated with employment.

Structure and Content

The OJS-18 consists of 18 items assessing employees’ overall feelings toward their job.

The scale emphasizes emotional satisfaction with work and does not primarily assess cognitive judgments, workplace conditions, or intentions to change employment circumstances.

The questionnaire provides a general measure of job satisfaction rather than separate evaluations of specific job characteristics.

Scoring

Each item of the OJS-18 is rated using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from:

1 = Strongly Disagree
5 = Strongly Agree

The total score is calculated by summing the responses across all items. Each item receives a score from 1 to 5, resulting in a total score range from 18 to 90 points. The neutral midpoint of the scale is 54 points.

Higher scores indicate greater job satisfaction, whereas lower scores indicate lower levels of professional satisfaction.

Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis of the OJS-18 includes calculation of the total satisfaction score through the cumulative score of all questionnaire items.

Researchers may apply descriptive statistics to examine average satisfaction levels, reliability analysis to evaluate internal consistency, and comparative analyses to identify differences between occupational groups.

The scale can also be used to explore associations between job satisfaction and other variables, such as emotional intelligence, emotion regulation, organizational commitment, and workplace well-being.

Validity

The OJS-18 is considered a valid measure of overall job satisfaction and has been widely used in occupational research.

Its theoretical basis focuses on the emotional experience of work satisfaction, providing a measure of employees’ affective responses toward their professional role.

For Greek populations, elements of the OJS-18 were translated and adapted by Kafetsios and Loumakou (2007), supporting its applicability in Greek workplace research.

Reliability

The OJS-18 demonstrates high reliability.

The original scale showed excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of α = 0.87.

In the Greek adaptation by Kafetsios and Loumakou (2007), the scale also demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha = 0.85.

These findings support the reliability of the OJS-18 as a measure of overall job satisfaction across different populations.

References

Brayfield, A. H., & Rothe, H. F. (1951). An index of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 35, 307–311.

Kafetsios, K., & Loumakou, M. (2007). A comparative evaluation of the effects of trait emotional intelligence and emotion regulation on affect at work and job satisfaction. International Journal of Work Organization and Emotion, 2, 71–87.