Determinants of job satisfaction among operators at bottleneck stations in Malaysian manufacturing systems

This study examines operator job satisfaction at the bottleneck station of a production line by analysing the operational factors that influence worker perceptions and performance. Job satisfaction is identified as the dependent variable, while workload, ergonomics, communication, resource availability, and training are considered as independent variables. A structured survey questionnaire employing Likert-scale items was administered to a sample of 103 operators working at the bottleneck station. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analytical techniques to evaluate the relationships between the independent variables and operator job satisfaction. The results indicate that excessive workload, inadequate ergonomic conditions, ineffective communication, limited availability of resources, and insufficient training have a statistically significant negative impact on operator job satisfaction, contributing to bottleneck-related operational inefficiencies. Based on the empirical findings, this study proposes targeted improvement strategies, including workload balancing, ergonomic workstation redesign, improved communication processes, enhanced resource availability, and systematic training programmes. These recommendations are expected to enhance operator job satisfaction, alleviate bottleneck constraints, and improve overall production line performance