Thirty-five members of an adult probation department were given the Hackman/Oldham Job Characteristics Questionnaire. Statistical results were computed and compared to the national averages for technical/professional workers. As a group, probation officers seemed to experience more "complicated" and "enriched" jobs than most professionals, but significantly lower levels of "feedback" and "knowledge of results." This would appear to be responsible for both the measured level of "job satisfaction" which was significantly lower than the national average, and for the moderately higher "turnover intention" reported by probation officers.
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