Journals / Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi / 2025 / Cilt: 22 Sayı: 3

Analysis of the Relationship Between Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance of Software Developers

Yazılım Geliştiricilerinin İş Tatmini, Yaşam Tatmini ve İş-Yaşam Dengesi Arasındaki İlişkinin Analizi

Yavuz Kağan Yasım(ANKARA HACI BAYRAM VELİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-3542-5493
Pages
1705–1720
Publication Date
2025-12-31
DOI
—
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Higher income was positively linked to life satisfaction, underlining the importance of financial security for overall well-being.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:With the ongoing technological transformation, the number of software developers has been rapidly increasing, and their critical role has made their well-being an important subject of academic inquiry.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Correlation analyses revealed a strong positive relationship between job and life satisfaction, while positive spillover between work and personal life significantly enhanced both outcomes.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Higher income was positively linked to life satisfaction, underlining the importance of financial security for overall well-being.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:İş tatmini · Yaşam memnuniyeti · İş-Aile dengesi

Abstract

With the ongoing technological transformation, the number of software developers has been rapidly increasing, and their critical role has made their well-being an important subject of academic inquiry. This study examines the relationships among job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and work–life balance among software developers. Correlation analyses revealed a strong positive relationship between job and life satisfaction, while positive spillover between work and personal life significantly enhanced both outcomes. Analyses of sociodemographic variables showed that gender and marital status did not significantly affect job satisfaction, life satisfaction, or work–life balance. However, professional experience and income were associated with meaningful differences. Early-career developers (with less than two years of experience) reported higher job satisfaction and greater enrichment from work to life, whereas those with 2–5 years of experience showed comparatively lower satisfaction. Higher income was positively linked to life satisfaction, underlining the importance of financial security for overall well-being. The study also considered the impact of emerging remote and hybrid working models on developers’ attitudes and behaviors. The results indicated that work arrangements did not produce significant differences across the examined variables. Overall, the findings highlight the central role of work–life dynamics in shaping the well-being of software developers and encourage organizations to adopt flexible work arrangements, career development initiatives, and psychosocial support mechanisms to foster positive spillover and minimize conflict between professional and personal domains

Özet

Yaşanan teknolojik dönüşüm ile birlikte yazılım geliştiricilerin sayısı hızla artmaktadır. Oynadıkları kritik rol, onların refahını önemli bir akademik çalışma konusu haline getirmiştir. Bu çalışma, yazılım geliştiricileri arasında iş tatmini, yaşam tatmini ve iş-yaşam dengesi arasındaki ilişkileri incelemektedir. Korelasyon sonuçları, iş ve yaşam tatmini arasında güçlü bir pozitif ilişki olduğunu gösterirken, iş ve kişisel yaşam arasındaki pozitif yayılma her iki sonucu da önemli ölçüde artırmıştır. Sosyodemografik değişkenlerin analizleri, cinsiyet ve medeni durumun iş tatmini, yaşam tatmini veya iş-yaşam dengesini önemli ölçüde etkilemediğini ortaya koymuştur. Ancak, mesleki deneyim ve gelir anlamlı farklılıklarla ilişkilendirilmiştir. Kariyerinin başındaki geliştiriciler (iki yıldan az deneyime sahip olanlar) daha yüksek iş tatmini ve işten hayata daha fazla zenginlik algıladıklarını bildirirken, 2-5 yıllık deneyime sahip çalışanlar nispeten daha düşük tatmin göstermiştir. Daha yüksek gelir, daha yüksek yaşam tatmini ile ilişkilendirilmiş ve bu da genel refah için finansal güvenliğin önemini vurgulamıştır. Özellikle son yıllarda artan uzaktan ve hibrit çalışma yöntemlerinin, yazılımcıların tutum ve davranışları üzerindeki etkisi de önemlidir. Analiz sonuçları katılımcıların çalışma yöntemlerin değişkenler üzerinde fark yaratmadığını ortaya koymuştur. Bulgular, yazılım geliştiricilerinin refahını şekillendirmede iş-yaşam dinamiklerinin merkezi rolünü vurgulamaktadır. Kuruluşlar, olumlu yayılma etkilerini teşvik etmek ve iş ile kişisel yaşam arasındaki çatışmayı azaltmak için esnek çalışma düzenlemeleri, kariyer geliştirme girişimleri ve psikososyal destek mekanizmaları benimsemeye teşvik edilmektedir.

🔖

Cite This Article

Yasım, Y. K. (2025). Analysis of the Relationship Between Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance of Software Developers. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, Cilt: 22 Sayı: 3, 1705–1720. https://ajindex.com/articles/1161799

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (50)

  1. Allen, T. D., Johnson, R. C., Kiburz, K. M., and Shockley, K. M. (2013). Work–family conflict and flexible work arrangements: Deconstructing flexibility. Personnel Psychology, 66(2), 345–376.
  2. Arlı, N. B. (2025). Uzaktan çalişanlarda ı̇ş tatmiṅ i̇, ı̇ş-yaşam dengesi, tükenm ̇ işl ̇ ik ve öz ̇ -liderl ̇ ik ̇ üzerine b ̇ ir ̇ ı̇nceleme. Iş, Güç: The Journal of Industrial Relations & Human Resources, 27(1), 24–36.
  3. Bakker, A. B., and Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands–Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
  4. Barca, O., Aydemir Dev, M., ve Bayram Arlı, N. (2025). Comparing teleworkers and traditional workers: Differences in social isolation, burnout, work-life balance and job satisfaction. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 1-21.
  5. Beecham, S., Baddoo, N., Hall, T., Robinson, H., and Sharp, H. (2008). Motivation in software engineering: A systematic literature review. Information and Software Technology, 50(9–10), 860–878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2007.09.004
  6. Casper, W. J., Harris, C. M., Taylor-Bianco, A., and Wayne, J. H. (2011). Work–family conflict, perceived supervisor support and organizational commitment among Brazilian professionals. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(3), 640–652.
  7. Chen, C. (2024). Software Engineers’ Perceptions of Ethics and Its Influence on Job Satisfaction. Online Journal of Applied Knowledge Management, 12(1), 34–53. https://www.iiakm.org/ojakm/articles/2024/OJAKM_Volume12_1pp34-53.php
  8. Clark, S. C. (2000). Work/family border theory: A new theory of work/family balance. Human Relations, 53(6), 747–770.
  9. Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O., and Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 425–445.
  10. Derks, D., and Bakker, A. B. (2014). Smartphone use, work–home interference, and burnout: A diary study on the role of recovery. Applied Psychology, 63(3), 411–440.
  11. Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., and Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
  12. Diener, E., Eunkook, S., Richard, L., et al. (1999) Subjective Well-Being: Three Decades of Progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276
  13. Dolan, P., Peasgood, T., and White, M. (2008). Do we really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Psychology, 29(1), 94–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2007.09.001
  14. Ekinci, H., and Sabancı, A. (2021). İş-yaşam dengesi ölçeği’nin türkçeye uyarlanması: geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Trakya Eğitim Dergisi, 11(1), 151-163. https://doi.org/10.24315/tred.690816
  15. European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). (2015). Sustainable work over the life course: Concept and definition (Eurofound Reference Framework No. EF1618). Publications Office of the European Union.
  16. Evans Data Corporation. (2023). Global Developer Population and Demographic Study. Evans Data Corporation. https://evansdata.com/reports/viewRelease.php?reportID=9
  17. Ford, D., Smith, J., Guo, P. J., and Parnin, C. (2020). Paradise unplugged: Identifying barriers for female software developers in the workplace. Proceedings of the 2020 ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1145/3382494.3410682
  18. França, A. C. C., Sharp, H., and da Silva, F. Q. B. (2014). Motivated software engineers are engaged and focused, while dissatisfied ones are demotivated, disengaged and want to leave. Psychology, 5(02), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2014.52018
  19. George, R., and Sreedharan, J. (2021a). Work-life balance and job satisfaction among IT professionals: A systematic review. International Journal of Management (IJM), 12(2), 8–17.
  20. George, P., and Sreedharan, N. V. (2021b). Work life balance and transformational leadership as predictors of employee job satisfaction. Serbian Journal of Management. https://doi.org/10.5937/sjm18-34305
  21. Graziotin, D., Fagerholm, F., Wang, X., and Abrahamsson, P. (2019). What happens when software developers are (un)happy. Journal of Systems and Software, 140, 32–47.
  22. Graziotin, D., Wang, X., and Abrahamsson, P. (2017). Do feelings matter? On the correlation of affects and the self-assessed productivity in software engineering. PeerJ Computer Science, 3(18). https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj-cs.18
  23. Graziotin, D., Wang, X., and Abrahamsson, P. (2024). The well-being of software engineers: A systematic literature review. Empirical Software Engineering, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664- 024-10543-8
  24. Greenhaus, J. H., and Allen, T. D. (2011). Work—Family Balance: A Review and Extension of the Literature. In J. C. Quick and L. E. Tetrick (Eds.), Handbook of Occupational Health Psychology (pp. 165– 184). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1chs29w.14
  25. Haar, J. M., Russo, M., Suñe, A., and Ollier-Malaterre, A. (2014). Outcomes of work–life balance on job satisfaction, life satisfaction and mental health: A study across seven cultures. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85(3), 361–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.08.010
  26. Hackman, J. R., and Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16, 250–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030- 5073(76)90016-7
  27. Headey, B., Veenhoven, R., and Wearing, A. (1993). Top-down versus bottom-up theories of subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 24(1), 81–100. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01078967 Herzberg, F. (1959). The motivation to work. John Wiley and Sons.
  28. Judge, T. A., and Watanabe, S. (1993). Another look at the job satisfaction-life satisfaction relationship. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(6), 939–948. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021- 9010.78.6.939
  29. Kanwar, Y. P. S., Singh, A. K., and Kodwani, A. D. (2009). Work–Life Balance and Burnout as Predictors of Job Satisfaction in the IT-ITES Industry. Vision: The Journal of Business Perspective, 13(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/097226290901300201
  30. Keser, A., & Öngen Bilir, K. B. (2019). İş tatmini ölçeğinin türkçe güvenilirlik ve geçerlilik çalışması. Kırklareli Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 3(3), 229-239.
  31. Kossek, E. E., Ruderman, M. N., Braddy, P. W., and Hannum, K. M. (2011). Work–nonwork boundary management profiles: A person-centered approach. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 81(1), 112–128.
  32. Kristof-Brown, A. L., Zimmerman, R. D., and Johnson, E. C. (2005). Consequences of individuals' fit at work: A meta-analysis of person–job, person–organization, person–group, and person–supervisor fit. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 281–342. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00672.x
  33. Köse, M. F., Çobanoğlu, G., & Mercan Sarı, R. (2022). Yaşam Memnuniyeti Ölçeğinin Geliştirilmesi ve Psikometrik Özellikleri. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi(55), 324-346. https://doi.org/10.9779/pauefd.1020012
  34. Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 1297–1349). Rand McNally.
  35. Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., and Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131(6), 803–855. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033- 2909.131.6.803
  36. Martinez Montes, C., et al. (2025). Exploring the well-being of software engineers across cultures: A mixed-methods approach. arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.01787. https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.01787
  37. Muller, S. C., and Fritz, T. (2015). Stuck and frustrated or in flow and happy: Sensing developers’ emotions and progress. 2015 IEEE/ACM 37th IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering, 688–699.
  38. Oishi, S., Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., and Suh, E. M. (1999). Cross-cultural variations in predictors of life satisfaction: Perspectives from needs and values. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25(8), 980– 990. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672992511006
  39. Peslak, A., Ceccucci, W., Jones, K., Leonard, L., (2024). Investigating the Relationship between Developer Job Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction: A Global Analysis. Journal of Information Systems Applied Research 17(1) pp 42-52. https://doi.org/10.62273/UFMR5574
  40. Sokolić, D. (2022). Remote work and hybrid work organizations. In M. A. da Silva Costa, (Ed.), T. Susak, (Ed.), V. Haluga, (Ed.), Proceedings of the 78th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development (pp. 202-213). Aveiro, Portugal: Varazdin Development and Entrepreneurship Agency and University North. Retrieved from https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:192:105541
  41. Staines, G. L. (1980). Spillover Versus Compensation: A Review of the Literature on the Relationship Between Work and Nonwork. Human Relations, 33(2), 111- 129. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872678003300203
  42. Sheshadri, T., Vallabhaneni, M., and Malhotra, N. (2024). Employee Retention in the Digital Age: The Role of Work-Life Balance and Job Satisfaction with reference to IT Sector. Journal of Informatics Education and Research, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.52783/jier.v4i3.1457
  43. Spector, P. E., Cooper, C. L., Sanchez, J. I., O'Driscoll, M., Sparks, K., Bernin, P.,. and Yu, S. (2007). Work hours, work-family conflict, and occupational stress in cross-national context: A study of managers in 10 countries. Personnel Psychology, 60(4), 805–835.
  44. Staines, G. L. (1980). Spillover versus compensation: A review of the literature on the relationship between work and nonwork. Human Relations, 33(2), 111–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872678003300203
  45. Tabachnick, B. G., and Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson.
  46. Thomson, J., and Deepthi, D. P. (2023). Burnout, Work-Life Balance and Job Satisfaction Among Software Developers. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.25215/1102.118
  47. Tóth, Á., Berente, N., and Tarafdar, M. (2019). Digital exhaustion and the productivity paradox. ICIS 2019 Proceedings, Paper 2.
  48. Young, D. K., McLeod, A. J., and Carpenter, D. (2023). Examining the influence of occupational characteristics, gender and work-life balance on IT professionals' occupational satisfaction and occupational commitment. Information Technology and People, 36(3), 1270–1297. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-08-2020-0572
  49. Sokolić, D. (2022). Remote work and hybrid work organizations. In M. A. da Silva Costa, (Ed.), T. Susak, (Ed.), V. Haluga, (Ed.), Proceedings of the 78th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development (pp. 202-213). Aveiro, Portugal: Varazdin Development and Entrepreneurship Agency and University North. Retrieved from https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:192:105541
  50. Spector, P. E., Cooper, C. L., Sanchez, J. I., O'Driscoll, M., Sparks, K., Bernin, P.,. and Yu, S. (2007). Work hours, work-family conflict, and occupational stress in cross-national context: A study of managers in 10 countries. Personnel Psychology, 60(4), 805–835.