Analyzing work attitudes of Chinese employees : A comparison between state‐owned and privately‐owned enterprises in China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the work attitudes of native Chinese employees and to identify and resolve current problems challenging human resource management. Design/methodology/approach – With an empirical design and the data collected from 991 employees of nine companies located in Guangdong, China, this research analyzes the present status of work attitudes through job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The main analytical path bases on comparing differences among demographic groups, and particularly between employees in state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) and privately‐owned enterprises (POEs). Findings – First, it was found that employees overall show a higher level of job satisfaction and a lower level of organizational commitment; second, employees with older age and lower education tend to have higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment; third, employees in POEs have a higher level of job satisfaction and organizational commitment than employees in SOEs. Research limitations/implications – In order to yield broader conclusions, further empirical research should expand sampling to other areas and other ownership‐type enterprises in China. Moreover, more work‐related attitudinal variables, such as social value and corporate culture, should be included in the future studies regarding work attitudes. Practical implications – In general, the management in native Chinese enterprises needs to pay more attention to the impact of employees' demographic variables on work attitudes. Specifically, SOEs have an imperative need of heightening employees' job satisfaction and organizational commitment so as to compete with POEs. Originality/value – While filling a gap in the existing literature of the subjects being studied, this paper provides constructive suggestions in practice.