The Effect of Furloughs on Non-Furloughed Federal Workers' Job Satisfaction Level

This study deals with the effect of furloughs on non-furloughed federal worker's job satisfaction levels. Furlough is a budgetary problem that affects government programs and services by increasing workloads and absenteeism to the identified non-furloughed federal workers. The threat of furlough and furlough itself is a problem to the organizations in the form of poor performances; increase work stresses and emotional strain. The problem to be addressed is the negative effect of furloughs on non-furloughed federal workers, predominately excepted contractors. The purpose of this study is to examine the negative effect of furlough on the job satisfaction levels of the identified non-furloughed federal contractors. To help non-furloughed federal workers cope with the symptoms caused by role busyness and heighten insecurities in workplaces, a quantitative research method was conducted to examine six variables that are associated with job satisfaction levels. These variables are task performance, organizational commitment, organizational productivity, work locus of control (WLOC), workloads, and absenteeism. The sample of 131 respondents from the DKW Communications, Inc. in Washington, D. C., was asked to fill out survey questionnaires on all the six variables, in which 63 responded for analysis. The final results revealed interesting differences as conceptualized according to Idris' (2011) Role Stress Model (RSM) based on Kahn's (1964) Role Stress Theory (RST) and John Bowlby's (1982) Attachment Theory. Role busyness and heighten insecurities in the workplaces should also show to have an effect on non-furloughed federal workers, predominately excepted contractors' job satisfaction levels.