Reward Systems and Employee Satisfaction: Insights from A Questionnaire-Based Study in New York

Abstract

Employee satisfaction plays a critical role in organizational success, influencing productivity, engagement, and retention. While prior studies have examined broad factors such as motivation and compensation, limited research has explored how demographic factors, particularly age and department, affect perceptions of specific reward systems. This study addressed that by investigating how employees evaluate rewards such as paid time off (PTO), complimentary lunch, and company-branded goods, and whether these evaluations vary by age or departmental affiliation. Quantitative data were collected from 120 employees at a New York City home health agency using a self-administered questionnaire distributed via Google Forms. Respondents rated five reward-related items using a five-point Likert scale. ANOVA and pairwise comparisons were conducted to assess group differences. Results showed a statistically significant difference in perceptions of PTO across age groups, with older employees reporting lower agreement than younger cohorts. No significant differences were observed across departments or for other reward types. These findings suggest that age plays a larger role than department in shaping reward perceptions. The study underscored the importance of developing reward strategies that consider age. Future research should investigate factors such as job position and marital status to better understand what influences employee satisfaction.