The Relationship Between Career Development and Job Satisfaction: A Study of Private Bank Executives in Ampara District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

In today’s dynamic business environment, companies must go beyond financial success to support employee well-being and satisfaction. A key factor in retaining skilled workers is offering meaningful career development opportunities that combine motivation, rewards, guidance, and clear goals. Personal career aspirations align with organizational goals, both employees and companies benefit. Effective career development strategies include mentorship, training, and personal growth planning. Mentors play a vital role by helping employees navigate challenges and foster continuous learning. This study adopts a deductive approach and a quantitative methodology to investigate the relationships among various factors affecting employee performance in private banks in Ampara District. The research design encompasses decisions on study purpose, setting, sampling, data collection, and analysis techniques. The target population comprises executive employees from selected banks, and a sample of 100 respondents was selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected via questionnaires, coded, and analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric tests, and Pearson’s correlation were employed to examine relationships between independent and dependent variables. This collaborative process, where employees define goals, managers provide feedback, and organizations offer resources enhances engagement and loyalty and reduces turnover. Career development is especially valued by millennial, who often link professional growth with job satisfaction. The banking industry exemplifies how such initiatives improve satisfaction and retention. Career growth is influenced by psychological, social, and economic factors and unfolds throughout a person's working life. Ultimately, investing in employee development not only meets individual goals but also drives long-term organizational success. This study investigates the relationship between career development, including mentoring and counseling, training and development, and supervisors’ roles with employee job satisfaction, in private banks in Ampara District, Sri Lanka. Using a quantitative approach, the research involved hypothesis development, data collection, and analysis through a structured framework. Findings revealed that all three factors are positively related to job satisfaction, underscoring the importance of strengthening these areas, particularly supervisor support, to enhance employee satisfaction in the banking sector.