A Preliminary Study of Different Types of Organizational Support Associated With Community Corrections Staff Job Satisfaction

Many people work in community corrections, and their job satisfaction is important. The current preliminary study examined how the four major types of work social support (i.e., family/friends support, coworker support, supervisor support, and management support) were directly related to the job satisfaction of community corrections officers. A cross-sectional design analyzed survey data from 227 community corrections employees in a Western U.S. state. Ordinary least squares regression results indicated that family and friends support, coworker support, and management support had significant positive associations with job satisfaction, with management support having almost three times the association as compared with the other types of support. Supervisor support, however, had a nonsignificant association. The results from this study are particularly relevant for policy makers and supervisors in the field of community corrections as they seek ways to increase retention and job satisfaction among community corrections employees.