Skilled and efficient human resources are undoubtedly one of the most important and effective tools for achieving organizational goals and play a significant role in increasing organizational productivity [1]. In recent years, considerable attention has been given to the potential relationship between employee characteristics and organizational outcomes [2]. Understanding social awareness, perspectives, and behaviors is crucial in guiding society towards higher social values, with the work and relationship between human resources and organizational performance being central to this effort [3]. Job satisfaction is a behavioral phenomenon that results from an individual's overall attitude towards their job. It can be seen as the outcome of positive or negative beliefs that employees hold about various aspects of their work [4]. Job satisfaction is considered a psychological factor and can be viewed as a form of emotional alignment with one's job and employment conditions. In other words, if the job provides the desired enjoyment, the individual is satisfied; otherwise, they may seek to change their job [5].

There are various theories concerning job satisfaction, highlighting its multidimensional nature and its connection to multiple factors. Some of these factors include job conditions, salary levels, opportunities for promotion, relationships with colleagues, and supervisory methods [6]. Herzberg's two-factor theory (motivational-hygiene) is one of the most comprehensive motivational theories, classifying influencing factors into two categories: motivational and hygiene. According to Herzberg, hygiene factors eliminate dissatisfaction, while motivational factors increase job motivation [7]. In today's competitive world, many organizations have realized the importance of HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) management, considering it as integral as other management aspects within the organization [8]. Preventing health, safety, and environmental incidents to enhance productivity while ensuring the health and safety of human resources requires an effective HSE management system [9]. The HSE management system aims to prevent health, safety, and environmental incidents by ensuring the health and safety of employees and those affected by organizational activities. It also aims to achieve sustainable development, reduce costs, and increase productivity [10].

Various threats and hazards have resulted in many employees in industrial environments losing their lives or suffering from poisoning and disabilities due to work-related incidents. The oil and gas industry is no exception, constantly facing increasing risks that endanger employees exposed to these hazards [11]. According to research, accidents in oil and gas facilities in developing countries are significantly more costly and irreparable in terms of human and infrastructural losses than similar incidents in developed countries [12]. Hence, adherence to HSE management system requirements is one of the key factors in improving productivity in this critical industry. However, it should be noted that the successful implementation of this management system depends on the participation of all employees in adhering to health, safety, and environmental requirements i.e., high HSE performance among employees in the oil and gas industry. Research shows that employees who are fully satisfied with their jobs are less likely to file complaints, have better physical and mental health, enjoy longer life expectancy, learn new tasks related to their jobs more quickly, and experience fewer work-related incidents [13].

Several studies, both domestic and international, have examined the relationship between job satisfaction and HSE performance. Mardani et al. [14] explored the relationship between job satisfaction and HSE performance among human resources in the mold-making industry, finding a positive and significant relationship between employee HSE performance and job satisfaction at the 5% error level. Sembe and Ayuo [15] investigated the impact of selected occupational health and safety management methods on employee job satisfaction in university campuses in Nakuru, Kenya. Their multiple linear regression results indicated that different occupational health and safety management methods had a significant impact on employee job satisfaction, with the variables of emergency procedures and workplace environment being significant at a 95% confidence level. Branch [16] studied the relationship between job satisfaction and HSE performance in a pharmaceutical company, concluding that there was a positive and significant relationship between job satisfaction and HSE performance. Regression analysis revealed that job nature and success had the greatest influence on HSE performance.

Perera [17] examined the role of job satisfaction in mediating the relationship between occupational health and safety and job performance, finding that job satisfaction significantly mediates the relationship between occupational health and safety and job performance.

Given the importance of the subject, this study aims to model the relationship between job satisfaction and HSE performance among employees of Pars Oil and Gas Company using multiple linear regression, contributing in some small way to enhancing organizational performance in this industry.

This study is applied in nature, survey-based in terms of data collection, and descriptive-correlational in terms of data analysis. The research aims to model the relationship between job satisfaction and the HSE performance of Pars Oil and Gas Company employees using multiple linear regression conducted in 2021. The statistical population includes all employees of Pars Oil and Gas Company (N = 5300), and based on Cochran's formula and simple random sampling, 360 employees were selected as the research sample. The data collection tool was a questionnaire. For the job satisfaction section, the standard Dant questionnaire, based on Herzberg's two-factor theory, was used, which includes 36 items across 10 indicators. For the HSE performance section, the Mardani et al. [14] questionnaire was employed, which consists of 21 items across 6 indicators.

The questionnaire used a 5-point Likert scale, and to quantify the qualitative data for analysis in the model, a triangular fuzzy scale was used. Each qualitative option was represented by a triangular fuzzy number in the form of (m, α, β), where m represents the mean, and α and β represent the right and left tolerances, respectively. The scale included five options: very low, low, medium, high, and very high, which were assigned the following fuzzy values: 0.190, 0.345, 0.5, 0.655, and 0.81, respectively. These values were then used in the modeling process.

To ensure the content validity of the questionnaire, feedback was obtained from five university faculty members who were experts in the research subject. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by conducting a pilot test with 30 employees, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated. The alpha values for the job satisfaction section and HSE performance section were 0.79 and 0.83, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 19.

The personal and professional characteristics of the respondents revealed that 70.3% were male and 29.7% were female. In terms of marital status, 23.4% were single, and 76.6% were married, with more than half of them being between the ages of 41 and 50. The educational level of the majority of respondents (64.1%) was a master's degree or higher, and most of them (42.2%) had between 15 to 25 years of work experience. Regarding employment status, most of the employees surveyed (82.8%) were formally employed.

The employee job satisfaction variable in the studied company was evaluated using 10 indicators with 36 items (Table 1). According to the results shown in Table 1, the indicators of 1) salary and wages, 2) appreciation and promotion, 3) technical management, 4) provision and safety, 5) policies and working conditions, 6) human relations management, 7) nature of work, 8) achievement, 9) satisfaction with colleagues, and 10) responsibility were ranked from lowest to highest, respectively.

Furthermore, the HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) performance variable of the employees in the company was assessed using 6 indicators with 21 items (Table 2). According to the results shown in Table 2, the indicators of 1) reporting, 2) preparedness and response in emergency situations, 3) training, 4) commitment and participation, 5) communication, and 6) performance and execution were ranked from lowest to highest, respectively.

This study focused on modeling the relationship between job satisfaction and employees' HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) performance using multiple linear regression with the stepwise method. The analysis of the job satisfaction variable showed that responsibility and satisfaction with colleagues ranked the highest. This indicates that the employees of the company demonstrate a high level of responsibility, and most of them are sufficiently satisfied with their colleagues. Mardani et al. [14] also found that responsibility and satisfaction with colleagues held the highest rank, while the lowest rank was attributed to the provision and safety index. Similarly, in Khodayari Fard's [18] study, satisfaction with colleagues had the highest rank. The indices of responsibility and satisfaction with colleagues are critical across various industries and sectors, including the Pars Oil and Gas Company. To further enhance employee satisfaction, the company can focus more on these two indices. For instance, job rotation and regular employee surveys could be utilized to maximize satisfaction with colleagues. In this study, the salary and wage index received the lowest rank, indicating that the company's employees do not find their wages sufficient, which undoubtedly leads to job dissatisfaction. Shokri et al. [19] found a significant negative relationship between employees' wages and job satisfaction at the 1% error level. Kameli et al. [20] also stated that there is a significant positive relationship between wages and employee efficiency at an error level of less than 5%. Therefore, it can be confidently concluded that the wages of the company's employees can influence their job satisfaction.

The ranking of job satisfaction indices in this and other studies suggests that satisfaction in different contexts depends on specific environmental factors related to the job domain. This emphasizes the need to study this significant psychological phenomenon under different working conditions and examine the influencing factors.

The analysis of the HSE performance of the company's employees revealed that the performance and execution index ranked the highest, while the reporting index had the lowest rank. The lack of attention to reporting could lead to negative consequences. Therefore, employees must be educated and obligated to understand the importance of reporting and following operational guidelines. Reporting unsafe behaviors and conditions in the workplace or reporting near-miss incidents to the HSE unit can help prevent major accidents. Today, accidents in oil and gas facilities in developing countries tend to be far more costly and irreparable than similar incidents in developed countries [12]. Thus, focusing on the reporting index could prevent many of these accidents.

Another part of the study's results indicates that there is a significant positive relationship at the 1% error level between job satisfaction indices, including: 1) achievement, 2) nature of the job, 3) provision and safety, 4) management of human relations, and 5) policies, rules, and working conditions with employees' HSE performance. Additionally, a positive and significant relationship at the 1% error level exists between overall job satisfaction and HSE performance, consistent with the findings of Kerr et al. [21].

The regression model results indicate that in two steps, the nature of the job and provision and safety indices, which have the highest impact on employees' HSE performance, entered the analysis. The correlation table between job satisfaction and HSE performance indices also shows that these two indices have a significant positive relationship at the 1% error level with almost all HSE performance indices (except for the relationship between provision and safety with performance and execution, which is not significant). Branch [16] conducted a study on the relationship between job satisfaction and HSE performance in a pharmaceutical company and found that the nature of the job has a greater impact on employees' HSE performance than other variables. In Tahavori's [22] study, job security was identified as one of the most important aspects of work. It was argued that as long as employees are uncertain about their job security, such as insurance and retirement, they will experience stress and anxiety, reducing their overall performance.

In this study, the regression results also show that in the first model, the nature of the job index explains 59% of the variance in the response variable (employees' HSE performance). In the second model, with the addition of the provision and safety index, this number increases to 63%. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the company's managers and decision-makers should focus specifically on these two indices to improve employee job satisfaction.

Samira Bahrkazemi conceptualized the research, conducted the primary data collection, and performed the initial analysis. Hamidreza Soltani contributed to the research methodology, supervised the statistical modeling process using multiple linear regression, and critically revised the manuscript. Both authors reviewed and approved the final version of the paper.

This research received no specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

The data supporting the findings of this study were collected from Pars Oil and Gas Company employees and are not publicly available due to confidentiality agreements. However, anonymized data can be provided upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this study.