Job Satisfaction Among Federal Employees: The Role of Employee Interaction With Work Environment

Abstract

U.S. federal agencies seek ways to retain valued workers and simultaneously recruit new blood. By focusing on compatibilities between federal employees and work environments, this study incorporates person–environment fit theory and tests the impact of three compatibilities on job satisfaction of federal civil servants based on the 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Results show that perceived compatibilities between federal employees and their jobs, work group, and supervisors have significant effects on job satisfaction among federal civil servants. Based on these results, we argue that interactional perspectives offer a useful additional theoretical framework for understanding employee job satisfaction.