ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
This study examines how supervisor support, flexible working arrangements, rewards and training are related to job satisfaction among banking employees in Klang Valley, Malaysia based on Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. Data was collected from 143 employees in banking sector using self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression. The correlation result showed that all four variables were positively and significantly related to job satisfaction. However, when the four factors were analyzed together, only rewards and training were found to be significant predictors of job satisfaction. Supervisor support and flexible working arrangements, although significantly related to job satisfaction at the correlation level, did not have significant effects in the regression analysis. The results indicate that rewards and training may play a more important role in shaping employees’ job satisfaction than supervisor support and flexible working arrangements when the factors are considered simultaneously. The study adds to the limited empirical evidence on job satisfaction among banking employees in Malaysia and offers useful insights for human resource practitioners in developing strategies to improve employee satisfaction and retention.
Ali, B. J., & Anwar, K. (2021). An empirical study of employees’ motivation and its influence on job satisfaction. International Journal of Engineering, Business and Management, 5(2), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijebm.5.2.3
Assefa, M., & Kassa, E. C. (2021). Effect of human resource management practices on employees’ job satisfaction in the banking sector. Abyssinia Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 6(1), 36-46. https://doi.org/10.20372/ajbs.2021.6.1.253
Bank Negara Malaysia. (2023). Financial stability review: Second half 2023. Bank Negara Malaysia.
Bawazir, A. A., Hamedani, S. S., Subramaniam, K. D. A. P., Satwiaveloo, V. A. L., Chinniah, V. A. P., Chong, L. T., & Nor, S. M. (2023). The impact of human resource management practices on job satisfaction in the banking sector in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, 13(2), 490-503. https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARAFMS/v13-i2/17216
Chandola, T., Booker, C. L., Kumari, M., & Benzeval, M. (2019). Are flexible work arrangements associated with lower levels of chronic stress-related biomarkers? A study of 6025 employees in the UK Household Longitudinal Study. Sociology, 53(4), 779-799. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038519826014
Chienwattanasook, K., & Jermsittiparsert, K. (2019). Factors affecting job stress among employees in the banking sector of Malaysia. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 6(2), 288-302.
Cho, E., & Kim, S. (2019). Cronbach’s coefficient alpha: Well-known but poorly understood. Organizational Research Methods, 22(1), 207-230. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114555994
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297-334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555
Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2023). Labour force survey report, Malaysia, 2022. DOSM.
DeVellis, R. F., & Thorpe, C. T. (2021). Scale development: Theory and applications (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Gabon, S. R. A. (2024). Sun and moon: A phenomenological study on work-life balance of bank employees. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Current Educational Research, 6(3), 257-266.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Hair, J. F., Page, M., & Brunsveld, N. (2020). Essentials of business research methods (4th ed.). Routledge.
Hasim, M. A., Mahbob, N. N., & Che Musa, N. (2024). The impact of leadership styles, flexible working arrangements, rewards, and organizational culture on employee job satisfaction: Evidence from selected commercial banks in Johor, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, 14(4), 1426-1438. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARAFMS/v14-i4/24345
Herzberg, F. (1966). Work and the nature of man. World Publishing Company.
Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. B. (1959). The motivation to work (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Hussain, Y., Zakaria, M. N., Salleh, M. Z. M., & Hassan, H. (2025). Reward and supervisor support as key drivers of employee retention in Malaysia. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Management Practices, 8(31), 597-608. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEMP.831040
Ipsen, C., van Veldhoven, M., Kirchner, K., & Hansen, J. P. (2021). Six key advantages and disadvantages of working from home in Europe during COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), Article 1826. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041826
Jameaba, M. S. (2024). Digitalization, emerging technologies, and financial stability: challenges and opportunities for the Indonesian banking sector and beyond. Emerging Technologies, and Financial Stability: Challenges and Opportunities for the Indonesian Banking Sector and Beyond. 10.32388/CSTTYQ.3.
Jamil, N. A., Ismail, Z., Ismail, M. S. F., Suradi, M. N. A., Arshad, S. M., & Hamdin, H. M. H. (2022). Determinants of Employees’job Satisfaction: The Review of Management and Professional Officers in Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL). Asian Journal of Social Science Research,Vol. 3, No. 1. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8063096
Stello, C. M. (2011). Herzberg’s two-factor theory of job satisfaction: An integrative literature review. In Unpublished paper presented at the 2011 student research conference: Exploring opportunities in research, policy, and practice, University of Minnesota Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development, Minneapolis, MN.
Kasbuntoro, Irma, D., Maemunah, S., Mahfud, I., Fahlevi, M., & Parashakti, R. D. (2020). Work-life balance and job satisfaction: A case study of employees on banking companies in Jakarta. International Journal of Control and Automation, 13(4), 439-451.
Kim, M., & Beehr, T. A. (2020). Empowering leadership: Leading people to be present through affective organizational commitment? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(16), 2017-2044. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2018.1424017
Kolluru, M. (2021). Association between rewards and employee performance: An empirical research on Omani banks. Corporate Governance and Sustainability Review, 5(1), 15–21. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgsrv5i1p2
Kooij, D. T. A. M., de Lange, A. H., Jansen, P. G. W., Kanfer, R., & Dikkers, J. S. E. (2011). Age and work-related motives: Results of a meta-analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(2), 197–225. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.665
Kumari, D. K. (2021). Examining the role of motivation and reward in employees’ job performance through mediating effect of job satisfaction: An empirical evidence. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 10(4), 401–419. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2021.60606
Kuvaas, B., Buch, R., Weibel, A., Dysvik, A., & Nerstad, C. G. L. (2020). Do intrinsic and extrinsic motivation relate differently to employee outcomes? Journal of Economic Psychology, 61, 244–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2017.05.004
Masuda, A. D., Poelmans, S. A. Y., Allen, T. D., Spector, P. E., Lapierre, L. M., Cooper, C. L., & Moreno-Velazquez, I. (2012). Flexible work arrangements availability and their relationship with work-to-family conflict, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions: A comparison of three country clusters. Applied Psychology, 61(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2011.00453.x
Nguyen, T. T., Mia, L., Winata, L., & Chong, V. K. (2021). Effect of transformational-leadership style and management control system on managerial performance. Journal of Business Research, 123, 484–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.08.018
Pich, K., & Suhariadi, F. (2021). The correlation between training, career development and employee performance with moderating variable of job satisfaction: A case study in Cambodia. Jurnal Manajemen Teori dan Terapan, 14(2), 194–212. https://doi.org/10.20473/jmtt.v14i2.27229
Putra, P. N., Wati, R., & Lestari, A. P. (2022). Job satisfaction and employee commitment: Evidence from post-pandemic workplaces. Management Research Letters, 8(2), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i11/15417
Riyanto, S., Endri, E., & Herlisha, N. (2021). Effect of work motivation and job satisfaction on employee performance: Mediating role of employee engagement. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 19(3), 162–174. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.19(3).2021.14
Roscoe, J. T. (1975). Fundamental research statistics for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2023). Research methods for business students (9th ed.). Pearson.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (7th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Sidharthan, K., & Zahrah, N. (2024). The impact of supervisor support and work environment on job satisfaction among bank employees in Cyberjaya. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(10), 1395–1404. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i10/23032
Sija, A. (2021). The influence of job satisfaction and its effect on employee turnover intention in the financial service industry of Malaysia. European Journal of Economic and Financial Research, 5(1), 90–107. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejefr.v5i1.1066
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2019). Using multivariate statistics (7th ed.). Pearson.
Taber, K. S. (2018). The use of Cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education. Research in Science Education, 48(6), 1273–1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2
Tarcan, G. Y., Kartal, N., Koca, G. S., & Karahan, A. (2021). The effect of mushroom management style and perceived supervisor support on employee performance: An application in university hospital employees. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 36(2), 532–544. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3102
Wong, L. S. C. D., Dass, M., Nazera, F., & Tanvir, K. (2023). Banking on satisfaction: A study of job satisfaction among employees in Malaysian banks. Journal of Corporate Finance Management and Banking System, 4(1), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.55529/jcfmbs.41.50.59
Zumrah, A. R. (2015). Training, job satisfaction, perceived organizational support and service quality: The case of Malaysia. World Journal of Management, 6(2), 74–91. 10.21102/wjm.2015.09.62.06
Alias, B. A., Laili, N., Yusof, M. Y. M., & Tukiman, N. F. I. B. (2026). Supervisor Support, Flexible Working Arrangements, Rewards and Training as Determinants of Job Satisfaction among Banking Employees in Klang Valley. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(10), 1518-1531.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode