Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment Among Probation and Parole Officers: A Case Study

Numerous studies have focused on job satisfaction and organizational commitment of police officers and correctional personnel, but few have examined these concepts within community corrections agencies. This study draws on prior research into job satisfaction of criminal system actors and looks at the explanatory power of these concepts for probation and parole officers from one county in a northeastern state. Results indicate that employees are most satisfied when their occupational tasks are meaningful experiences into which they have input and are collaborative efforts with supervisors. Background characteristics of officers had no influence on job satisfaction, indicating that organizational culture and management style are the more important factors in explaining employee satisfaction and, possibly, retention. “Employee satisfaction ” and “organizational commitment ” are two buzzwords associated with the retention of personnel in a variety of occupational settings. Nowhere are these concepts receiving more attention than in the field of corrections, where empirical links are being made between employee commitment, organizational culture, and institutional performance (Byrne, Taxman, & Hummer, in press; Hogan, Lambert, Jenkins, & Wambold, 2006). Much of the interest in assessing and analyzing employee satisfaction stems from a concern about possible on-the-job behavioral consequences (Camp, 1994). Low levels of job satisfaction among correctional employees have been shown to produce various undesirable behaviors, such as using the organization’s time to pursue personal tasks, psychological and practical withdrawal from the job, and behavioral changes that alter the work place environment (Camp, 1994). Additional negative consequences associated with low levels of job satisfaction include attendance problems, higher rates of turnover, early retirements, lack of active participation in job tasks, and psychological withdrawal from work (Camp, 1994). Job satisfaction refers to the extent that the working environment meets the needs and values o