This study is unique as it is the first in the Saudi Arabian context and the aviation industry. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between job description elements and the elements of employee performance. A questionnaire survey of 118 employees of the Saudi aviation industry in Jeddah was used to verify the hypotheses formed for this study. The results showed that the correlation matrix strongly supports the beneficial relationship between job description and employee performance. Job content, identity, power delegation, and appropriateness correlate with employee success. Job suitability was the most significant predictor of success, underlining the necessity of matching job qualities to employee talents and abilities. The study also found that authority delegation increased employee enthusiasm and performance. Engaging and difficult work environments are important because job content, job identity, employee effort and inventiveness are positively correlated. These insights will help the aviation sector recruit qualified individuals and create efficient training and development programs to boost employee performance. This study concludes that job descriptions affect employee performance and that HR policies and programs can boost worker productivity in the Jeddah, Saudi Arabian aviation industry. Some limitations of this study are discussed in the end.
Many variables affect an employee's job performance within an organisation. They include ability, motivation, organisational culture, work environment, workload, stress, and work-life balance. Other factors, such as the type of job, the level of autonomy and support provided, and the availability of training and development opportunities, can all impact an employee's ability to perform effectively in their role. However, this paper reports the research on another obscure factor known as job descriptions, which may affect employee performance. Involvement of employees in job design, as an aspect of job description, will motivate them to perform well (Garg & Rastogi, 2006).
A job description is usually brief and consists of job titles, roles and responsibilities, functions, and main activities and duties (Society for Human Resource Management, 2022a). Most authors provide similar job descriptions. However, the effect of job descriptions on employee performance is unclear. The problem is acute in the case of Saudi aviation industry employees. This study was undertaken to address this research gap. Such parameters help employees perform effectively and efficiently.
Job performance can be considered a measure of how much an employee performs his/her job and is a critical factor in organisational success. It combines employee behaviour that can have either a positive or a negative impact on the organisation. There are three types of employee behaviours-
Employee performance results from carrying out the assigned tasks during a certain period compared to standards, targets and criteria singly or in combination. It is easier to measure performance if quantifiable variables relevant to the nature of work are used. One method is to compare the actual performance with the job requirements regarding productivity. Managers can more precisely assess the performance of employees under them.
The above points show the critical nature of designing job descriptions to convey the organisational vision, mission and strategies. A well-written job description helps increase productivity and clarity of purpose by guiding employees toward the organisation's stated goals, vision, and mission (Openstax, 2020).
Poor working conditions may not allow the employees to perform well, leading to a lack of relationship between job description and performance. A mixed methods approach by Folke and Melin (2024) showed pilots and cabin crews were unable to perform their duties properly due to the deterioration in working conditions and job security. According to Talib, Nasir, Dakalbab, and Saud (2025) the rapid integration of technology in the aviation industry requires employees to acquire new skills and competencies to perform, which may differ from their job description when they were recruited. This is especially so in the case of artificial intelligence (AI). According to Chuang, Chiang, and Lin (2025), AI enhances productivity and performance of aviation employees, but at the cost of exhaustion due to work-family conflicts. A positive job description can enhance intrinsic motivation to perform well by reducing emotional exhaustion, leading to performing even extra-role services (Le, Nguyen, Trinh, & Nguyen, 2021). The findings of Han, Bi, and Yao (2024) lead to the conclusion that employee performance and satisfaction depend on the job descriptions related to good work–life balance, crew privileges, culture and values, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion, career opportunities, work hours and crew scheduling. Ziakkas, Michael, and Pechlivanis (2022) noted that aviation human power planning should aim at organizations that need employees possessing the appropriate skills and competencies that align with the job descriptions. The need for qualified and highly skilled professionals in flight operations and training is growing quickly, creating pressure on airline recruiters to devise innovative approaches for engaging with and attracting job seekers. In the case of flight attendants, job crafting mediates the relationship between perceived overqualification and their prosocial service behaviour (Changar, Sesen, Ertan, Cavlan, & Soran, 2025). The differences between traditional HR and skills-first HR were tabulated by Collings and McMackin (2025). Job description in traditional HR is substituted by the skills profile of the employee. Therefore, instead of using educational qualifications, experience and personality as selection criteria in traditional HR, skills developed through education, training and practice are used in skills HR.
Thus, both positive and negative factors affect the job performance of employees in the aviation industry. Many of these factors, job performance, job satisfaction and work-life balance, can be linked to job descriptions. Once the causative relationship between job description and performance is known, solutions can be found to remove or reduce the problems related to job descriptions or job performance variables. Often, job descriptions provide an attractive picture of the job to motivate more people to apply for the job, but in reality, these jobs may not be so colourful. When the employee realises this gap, frustration and a negative attitude set in, and performance becomes poor.
The above literature review concludes that job descriptions have a positive effect on employee performance. However, most papers use surveys and interviews to measure the relationship between job description and employee performance. A better method would have been to use firm documents to examine the relationship between job descriptions and employee performance ratings. This method is a more direct approach to studying the relationship.
In this research, the questionnaire survey method was used as no model was available for document analysis of firms.
This research aimed to determine whether job descriptions improve the work performance of aviation sector employees in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and whether the workforce needs to understand the concept.
Research Design
The research design was a cross-sectional field survey method that examined job descriptions on employee performance in the Saudi aviation industry. Cross-sectional studies collect data from a sample of individuals or organisations at one point and are suitable for research that establishes relationships between variables (Hulley, 2013). Almost all papers reviewed above used cross-sectional questionnaire surveys.
Source: Adapted from an Omani study by Alrawas and Jantan (2022).
According to the literature, a job description should include job content, identification, delegation of authority and job suitability. Hence, these variables were used as independent variables in this research. The dependent variable, employee performance, consisted of efficiency, work planning, creativity, innovation, and employee efforts (Alrawas & Jantan, 2022). A cross-sectional field survey of the employees of the Saudi aviation industry was used to verify the validity of the above model.
The population was chosen by purposive sampling (Creswell, 2014) of Saudi Aviation employees whose roles ranged from entry-level to senior-level managers. According to Cresswell (2014), purposive sampling is a non-probability sampling technique in which participants are selected based on relevance to the research question or objectives of the study.
To collect the data, the researcher designed a survey questionnaire to gain useful information from the participants. The questionnaire was clear, concise, and had short questions. It was administered via Qualtrics email links. The survey was both in Arabic and English and uploaded to Qualtrics to distribute to the survey population. Out of 165 questionnaires distributed, 118 valid responses were obtained. Thus, the response rate was 71.5%. Cronbach’s Alpha (CA) values range from 0.727 to 0.795, indicating the survey constructs are reasonably reliable. The generally accepted critical value for Cronbach’s alpha is 0.7 (Taber, 2018). However, different critical values recommended by different authors were tabulated by Peterson (1994) ranging from 0.5 to 0.95, with 0.7 being the most frequently used value.
Skewness and kurtosis proved that the data were normally distributed. The skewness and kurtosis values for the job description were 0.013 and -0.040, respectively. These values for employee performance were -0.398 and 0.676, respectively. A skewness value between -1 and +1 is excellent, while -2 to +2 is generally acceptable. Values beyond -2 and +2 suggest substantial nonnormality (Hair et al., 2010). When skewness and kurtosis are close to zero, it is considered a perfect normal distribution (Hair et al., 2010). Thus, the two values for job description and employee performance are within the prescribed range.
The job description components and employee performance were adapted generally from an Omani Study by Alrawas and Jantan (2022). Individually, however, the job description components were adapted from:
Employee Performance components were adapted from:
Job description was measured by the four components- Job Content, Job Identification, Authority Delegation, and Job Suitability.
Employee Performance was measured by the four components- Employee Efficiency, Employee Work Planning, Employee Creativity and Innovation, and Employee Making Efforts.
The main aim of the research was to find out the effect of job Descriptions on employee performance among aviation industry employees in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires from employees of Saudi Aviation. Data Analysis was done in SPSS and included various descriptive statistical tests, and the results were computed against the research questions and the hypotheses.
This section describes the results obtained by using the above data collection methods. Descriptive statistics and the correlation of the Job Description and Employee Performance variables were estimated. These are presented below with tables and charts as appropriate.
Table 1 shows the results of the demographic variables collected from the employees of the Saudi aviation industry in Jeddah.
Table 1. Demographic variables of employees of the Saudi aviation industry, Jeddah.
|
Variable |
Item |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
Gender |
Male |
112 |
94.92 |
|
Female |
6 |
5.08 |
|
|
Education |
High school or less |
18 |
15.25 |
|
Diploma |
14 |
11.86 |
|
|
Degree |
63 |
53.39 |
|
|
Master |
22 |
18.64 |
|
|
PhD |
1 |
0.85 |
|
|
Job title |
Manager |
14 |
11.86 |
|
Asst. Manager |
14 |
11.86 |
|
|
Head of Department |
15 |
12.71 |
|
|
Staff |
75 |
63.56 |
|
|
Work experience |
Less than 5 years |
11 |
9.32 |
|
5-10 years |
27 |
22.88 |
|
|
11-16 years |
30 |
25.42 |
|
|
17 years and above |
50 |
42.37 |
According to Table 1, males dominated with 94.92% of the participants. About 53% of them were graduates and 64% were staff. About 42% of employees had the longest experience of 17 years or more. This participant profile shows that they could answer the survey items without much difficulty.
The normality of a distribution is an important assumption in many statistical analyses, including hypothesis testing and regression analysis. According to Hair et al. (2010), a normal distribution ranges from -2 to +2. Table 2 presents the maximum and mean responses, skewness, and kurtosis values of the 118 Saudi aviation industry employees.
Table 2. Normality of Job Description and Employee Performance.
|
|
N |
Maximum |
Mean |
Skewness |
Kurtosis |
||
|
Statistic |
Statistic |
Statistic |
Statistic |
Std. Error |
Statistic |
Std. Error |
|
|
Job description |
118 |
5.00 |
3.2155 |
.013 |
.223 |
-.040 |
.442 |
|
Employees performance |
118 |
4.80 |
3.7832 |
-.398 |
.223 |
.676 |
.442 |
Mean responses of the above 3 for both constructs show that the trend of responses was towards the agreement side of the statements presented for the 1-5 rating.
The Skewness measures the degree of asymmetry of a distribution. For the Job description variable, the mean is 3.2155, with a maximum value of 5.00. The skewness is very close to zero (.013), indicating that the distribution is approximately symmetrical. The kurtosis is also close to zero (.040), indicating that the distribution is relatively flat and has fewer outliers than a normal distribution. These results, according to Hair et al. (2010), suggest that the "Job description" variable is approximately normally distributed.
For the "Employee performance" variable, the mean is 3.7832, with a maximum value of 4.80. The skewness is negative (-.398), indicating that the distribution is slightly skewed to the left. The kurtosis is positive (.676), indicating that the distribution is slightly more peaked than a normal distribution. However, the skewness and kurtosis values are relatively small, suggesting moderate deviation from normality (Hair et al., 2010). These results support the applicability of parametric methods for the data analysis.
Data reliability is very important to show the consistency and stability of measurements obtained from the questionnaire. It is imperative to ensure that the data are reliable, as it may result in erroneous conclusions and incorrect decision-making that can have adverse consequences. Researchers interpret data by analysing its accuracy and consistency, making it pertinent for them to inculcate reliable data while drawing conclusions or taking actions based on the learned information (Cresswell, 2014).
The reliability of various job-related factors was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Cronbach's alpha values of .7 or higher are generally accepted for most research purposes, with values of .9 or higher considered outstanding. For job description components, the Job Content factor yielded a Cronbach's alpha of .749, indicating acceptable internal consistency. Similarly, Job Identification demonstrated a Cronbach's alpha of .744, closely mirroring the reliability of the Job Content measure. Delegation Authority posted a Cronbach's alpha of .727, which, while slightly lower, still reflects a reasonable level of consistency for this construct. Finally, Job Suitability had a Cronbach's alpha of .745, rounding out the set with a solid level of reliability.
For employee performance components, Efficiency achieved a higher reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of .785, followed by Planning, which exhibited a robust Cronbach's alpha of .795. Employee creativity and innovation were also found to have strong internal consistency, as evidenced by a Cronbach's alpha of .790. Making an effort showed a reliability coefficient of .769, ensuring dependable measurement. The values of Cronbach’s alpha demonstrate acceptable reliability as they ranged from .727 to .795.
A correlation analysis is a useful statistical tool for analysing the relationship between variables in a dataset (Kim, 2015). It is commonly used in research to identify patterns and trends among variables. The matrix displays the correlation coefficients between all possible pairs of variables in the dataset, ranging from -1 to 1. The resulting matrix can provide insights into the strength and direction of relationships between variables, helping researchers to identify which variables are most closely related and potentially influential. The correlation matrix between the items of job description and performance is given in Table 3.
Table 3. Correlation of Job Description against Employee Performance.
|
|
Job description |
Employee performance |
|
Job description |
1 |
.389** |
|
Employee performance |
.389** |
1 |
|
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). |
||
The Spearman's correlation coefficient for the relation between job description and employee performance was 0.389, significant at p<.01. This result conclusively establishes that job description is related to employee performance.
Table 4. Detailed correlation matrix
|
|
Job Content |
Job Identification |
Delegation Authority |
Job suitability |
Efficiency of work |
Planning |
Creativity |
Making Effort |
|
Job Content |
1 |
.573** |
.491** |
.499** |
.260** |
0.156 |
.215* |
.246** |
|
Job Identification |
.573** |
1 |
.577** |
.507** |
.242** |
0.019 |
0.085 |
.384** |
|
Delegation Authority |
.491** |
.577** |
1 |
.621** |
.262** |
0.058 |
.235* |
.458** |
|
Job suitability |
.499** |
.507** |
.621** |
1 |
0.173 |
-0.05 |
0.141 |
.456** |
|
Efficiency of work |
.260** |
.242** |
.262** |
0.173 |
1 |
.481** |
.283** |
0.157 |
|
Planning |
0.156 |
0.019 |
0.058 |
-0.05 |
.481** |
1 |
.384** |
0.119 |
|
Creativity |
.215* |
0.085 |
.235* |
0.141 |
.283** |
.384** |
1 |
.220* |
|
Making Effort |
.246** |
.384** |
.458** |
.456** |
0.157 |
0.119 |
.220* |
1 |
A detailed correlation matrix (Table 4) between each job description item and employee performance item was also analysed. It shows that except for the relationship between job content and planning, job identification with planning and creativity, planning and delegation of authority, job suitability with planning and creativity, work efficiency with job suitability (marginally non-significant), planning with job identification, delegation of authority and job suitability, creativity with job identification and job suitability and making efforts with planning, all other relationships were significant.
From the results of the Correlation Matrix of the job description variables against the employee performance variables, Hypothesis 2 is refuted, and Hypothesis 1 is accepted. This hypothesis states that job description has a moderate to strong positive relationship with employee performance. From these results, businesses can influence worker output for the better by including job-description-related factors in HR policies and procedures. Since most of the Job description variables showed positive significance with the many variables of employee satisfaction, the results answer the research question well and thus achieved the aim of this study.
This section summarises, analyses, and draws conclusions from the previous sections’ research. This research aimed to examine the effect of job descriptions on employee performance. The research questions and hypotheses are reviewed in this section, followed by an evaluation of how the hypotheses have been validated by empirical support. The research intends to add to the body of knowledge and offer insights to researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers.
The findings from the correlation matrix support the idea that job description is positive and significantly associated with workplace performance. The variables in the job description include job content, job identification, authority delegation, and job suitability, while the employee performance variables include efficiency, planning, creativity, and effort.
Job suitability was revealed to be the biggest predictor of performance. Furthermore, the correlation between authority delegation and employee efforts was .458. This indicates that employees are more likely to be motivated and perform better when given greater authority and freedom in their work.
Job Content and Employee Effort were determined to have the second strongest positive relationship (0.456). Furthermore, there was a strong positive association between the delegation of authority and efficiency (0.262). There was a strong correlation between job identification and performance, particularly regarding effort and creativity (.384). This means that employees are more likely to be motivated and produce greater results when they identify with their jobs. Furthermore, a strong positive correlation was found between job content and employee performance. The .246 connection between job content and effort is statistically significant at the .05 significance level. This indicates that workers are more likely to be motivated and produce better results when their work is both challenging and engaging.
The findings of this research are directly or indirectly supported by the findings obtained by many workers like Folke & Melin, (2024), Talib et al. (2025), Chuang et al. (2025), Le et al. (2021), Han et al. (2024), Ziakkas et al.(2022) and Changar et al. (2025).
This study is unique because it is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia and is about the aviation industry. It will help the aviation industry attract the right candidates. By studying the relationship between job descriptions and employee performance, the aviation industry can identify the specific job attributes that are critical for success in different job roles. In improving employee performance in the Saudi Arabian aviation industry, a wealth of knowledge can be gained by analysing successful training and development programs. With this information and data, the aviation industry can establish initiatives that prioritise employee development, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
In conclusion, the data highlights the importance of job description as an influencing factor in employee performance. Employees are more likely to do a good job when they are trusted with more responsibility and given the freedom to make decisions based on their judgment. Employees are more likely to be motivated and perform better when they can strongly identify with their work. The results of this study may be utilised to shape HR policies and programs that ultimately benefit worker productivity in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In light of the findings from this research, several recommendations are put forward to enhance employee performance through effective job descriptions. Firstly, a comprehensive job description should encompass roles, duties, job identification, remuneration, line of reporting, work hours, severance packages, travel and utility allowances, medical benefits, and vacation leave days. It is recommended that firms utilise well-crafted job descriptions that emphasise job content, delegation of authority, and job suitability, and these descriptions should be formulated and revised to match job specifications and made available to staff promptly. Additionally, incorporating clear communication between employers and employees within job descriptions is essential for further enhancing employee performance. Job descriptions should also be aligned with the organisational culture, and the involvement of employees in designing these descriptions is crucial.
Moreover, placing employees in specific functional areas with the help of competent HR specialists for job analysis and descriptions can significantly maximise their contribution to organisational performance. The study suggests firms should investigate how worker autonomy motivates performance and provide employees with more decision-making and responsibility-taking autonomy, alongside precise job descriptions and better job alignment. Finally, ensuring a good fit between the job and employee abilities and interests is fundamental to fostering innovation and creativity, which can benefit the organisation by enhancing worker job satisfaction, motivation, and overall performance.
These results might be expanded in future studies by providing insight into the connection between job description elements and performance measures. Researchers may, for instance, examine how various levels of power delegation or employee job suitability can affect performance. It would also be interesting to investigate whether there is a connection between the elements of a job description and other elements known to impact productivity, such as employee engagement, motivation, and stress. Insight into the relationship between job descriptions and employee performance can help businesses craft more effective performance management policies.
The results of the correlation matrix strongly support the beneficial relationship between job description and employee performance. Job content, identity, power delegation, and appropriateness correlate with employee success. Job suitability was the biggest predictor of success, underlining the necessity of matching job qualities to employee talents and abilities.
The study also found that authority delegation increased employee enthusiasm and performance. Engaging and difficult work environments are important because job content, job identity, employee effort and inventiveness are positively correlated. These insights will help the aviation sector recruit qualified individuals and create efficient training and development programs to boost employee performance. This study concludes that job descriptions affect employee performance and that HR policies and programs can boost worker productivity in the Jeddah, Saudi Arabian aviation industry.
The low sample size of 118 may affect the validity and generalisability of findings from this study. Surveys have response biases, which may be beyond the researcher's control. A better method would have been to analyse the documents on job descriptions and employee performance parameters of a sample of firms, based on which the firms rated their performances. This method can be tested in future research. Although the survey items might have covered all variables of job descriptions, some extraneous variables like motivation and stress of employees due to work pressure, business environment, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of Saudi Vision 2030 on job description (work from home) employee motivation and performance could have been included.