Organizational Behaviour and Management
Question: Some people believe that individuals working in an organisation have basic human right to satisfaction with their work and to the opportunity to grow and develop. How would you defend this position? How would you argue against it?
I disagree with this belief for several reasons as outlined below.
First, lets put things in perspective, to have deeper understanding of the key words used in this statement. To hammer on my position, I would like to first examine the knowledge and understanding we have for Basic Human Right, which otherwise is known as Fundamental Human Right, for a better appreciation of the use of the phrase.
What are the Fundamental Human Rights?
I define fundamental human right as the basic life essentials necessary to survive, such as food, water and shelter. Beyond that, however, we also deserve to be treated with respect, love and have the freedom to do the things we want to do provided they are not harmful to others.
In 1948 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which is a document declaring the?basic human rights—also referred to as?fundamental human rights—of all individuals across the world.
The Preamble of the UN’s Declaration specifies that the?basic rights of humans?should be protected by the rule of law, and that all members of the human family are granted these equal and inalienable rights, which form the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.
Much like any Nation in the World declaration of Independence, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights universally protects fundamental human rights and lays down the responsibility of every governments to act when rights are violated. And yet, the big question is, how much of such rights are protected in our Countries, Organisations and even in our communities.
In reference to the United Nation’s UDHR, here is a list of basic human rights outlined in the document;
These are only some of the basic human rights that are covered in the Declaration. As time has passed and the global landscape has shifted, more rights have been added to help protect individuals and their rights more completely.
?While basic human needs like food, water, and shelter aren’t specifically mentioned in the UDHR, they fall under some of the different articles in the document since they are necessary to live (e.g., the right to life). As our world continues to advance, grow, and evolve, some of the things we need change as well. That’s why for many people, access to electricity is now a basic human right and efforts should be made to expand it to everyone in the world.
?Essentially, what this means is that every human being, regardless of colour, race, sex, ethnicity, age have rights that needs to be met and be respected.
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?On the contrary, the protection and preservation of basic human rights are not justified by individuals working in organisations, and therefore cannot necessarily be assured by having job satisfaction, therefore ensuring some form of growth and development.
In my opinion, job satisfaction is subjective. While I believe that Job satisfaction in its viewpoint means differently to different people, I believe it can be described under one definition. Achieving satisfaction at work could mean differently depending on the needs of a person or the circumstances surrounding the individual.
I was involved in a discussion with some colleagues at the workplace, over why people will resign from a high paid job to do something completely different.
For instance, I have a friend who used to work in a tier 1 investment bank. She worked extremely hard to gain a very competitive position. She had a competitive salary and enjoyed many benefits. She had basically everything a young professional aspired to possess in other to have a good life. And yet, this friend resigned from the job, citing lack of job satisfaction as a reason for her resignation. She pursued a job as a business teacher in a secondary school where she could see the immediate impact of her actions on the young minds. Although this job came with a pay cut, lacked the benefits previously experienced and required lifestyle adjustments, she found that this job provided her with the satisfaction she sought for. A person like this would argue strongly against the fact that working in an organisation means that their basic human rights to satisfaction with their work is met.
On the other hand, I have another friend with great financial difficulty who needed a job to provide for his family. This person due to desperation took on a role they were overqualified for, and had no interest in, just to be able to satisfy his needs at that point in time. Even though he did not find any satisfaction in that job, he chose to do it because of his financial predicament. Considering this fact, I believe job satisfaction is difficult to contain within basic human rights as it’s not always easy to be met. This comes with meeting certain critical needs in life.
Job satisfaction could be defined as the level of contentment employee’s experience with their job. This goes beyond their daily duties to cover satisfaction with team members/managers, satisfaction with organisational policies, and the impact of their job on employees’ personal lives. (According to Chiradeep BasuMallick, a technical writer and researcher for spicework.com, published and updated March 11, 2021).
In his article, he made the point that, job satisfaction is a positive emotional response you experience when doing your job or when you are present at work.
It is however important to remember that job satisfaction varies from employee to employee. In the same workplace under the same conditions, the factors that help one employee feel good about their job may not apply to another employee. Therefore, the opportunity to grow and develop could be hindered.
In conclusion, I argue against the assertion that, individuals working in organisations have basic human right to satisfaction with their work and to the opportunity to grow and develop.
Thank you
By Jamie Blondy