The effects of job satisfaction and staff empowerment on employee performance: A study on healthcare workers

Ensuring the sustainability of service quality in the healthcare sector and enhancing institutional success largely depend on the performance levels of employees. In this context, employee job satisfaction and empowerment practices are among the key factors shaping performance. The primary aim of this thesis is to analyze the effects of job satisfaction and employee empowerment variables on the performance of healthcare workers, and to identify how these effects can be managed more efficiently. The research was conducted as a descriptive study using quantitative data. The sample group of the study consisted of healthcare workers aged between 18 and 65 working in the province of Konya. A total of 400 participants took part in the study. Data were collected from the participants using an online survey technique, and a relational screening model was applied based on the obtained data. In the first part of the questionnaire, there were questions aimed at identifying the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, while the second part included three different measurement tools. In the study, the Job Satisfaction Scale, Employee Empowerment Scale, and Employee Performance Scale were used. The analysis of the data obtained in the research was carried out using the SPSS 22.0 statistical software package. Since the research data were found to be normally distributed, parametric tests such as the independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used. Additionally, to test the main objective of the study, the Pearson Correlation Test and Regression Analysis were conducted. According to the findings of the correlation analysis, a moderate, positive, and significant relationship was found between job satisfaction and employee performance (r=0.428, p<0.01). The relationship between employee empowerment and performance was found to be stronger, positive, and statistically significant (r=0.699, p<0.01). Multiple regression analysis indicated that the employee empowerment variable significantly predicted employee performance (B=0.704, β=0.697, t=15.417, p<0.001). This result shows that a one-unit increase in employee empowerment leads to approximately a 0.704-unit increase in employee performance. These findings highlight the critical role of employee empowerment practices in enhancing the performance of healthcare professionals.