The impact of interpersonal relationships within the workplace on job satisfaction among employees in Iceland

Abstract

Strong interpersonal relationships have been proven to be an important factor when it comes to both happiness and health. When looking at the fact that most people spend a considerable amount of time at work, one would think that the same mechanisms would apply there. Several researches have aimed at proving the importance of interpersonal co-worker relationships, and the results have all implied a strong connection between co-worker relationships and job satisfaction. This research aims to confirm the importance of interpersonal relationships between co-workers as well as between subordinates and superiors. A questionnaire containing 10 questions and statements was sent out to 156 participants. Most participants were full time employees but working at various companies. The results showed that a good relationship between subordinates and superiors correlated with higher job satisfaction. The results for co-worker relationships, however, were not as clear.Keywords: job satisfaction, social factors, co-workers, interpersonal relationships.

Fjöldi rannsókna hefur sýnt fram á mikilvægi félagslegra samskipta þegar kemur að hamingju og heilbrigði einstaklinga. Þegar litið er til þess hve miklum tíma meðalmanneskjan eyðir í vinnu mætti ætla að sömu lögmál gildi þar. Nokkrar rannsóknir hafa einblínt á að sýna fram á mikilvægi félagslegra samskipta milli samstarfsfélaga og hafa niðurstöður þeirra bent til þess að sterk fylgni sé milli félagslegra tengsla samstarfsmanna og ánægju í starfi. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna nánar mikilvægi félagslegra tengsla milli samstarfsfólks og ánægju í starfi og einnig mikilvægi góðra tengsla milli undirmanna og yfirmanna. Spurningalisti með tíu spurningum og fullyrðingum var sendur til 156 þátttakenda. Flestir þátttakendur voru í fullri vinnu hjá fyrirtækjum af ýmsu tagi. Niðurstöðurnar benda til þess að fylgni sé á milli góðra tengsla við yfirmenn og ánægju í starfi. Niðurstöðurnar varðandi félagsleg tengsl milli samstarfsfélaga voru hins vegar ekki eins skýrar.Lykilorð: Ánægja í starfi, félagslegir þættir, samstarfsfólk, félagsleg tengsl