Motivational Regulations and Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Work Life Balance in the Banking Sector

Purpose: In high-pressure sectors like banking, motivational regulations have a significant impact on employee attitudes and workplace outcomes. This study employs work-life balance as a mediating variable and draws on Self-Determination Theory to examine the overall influence of identified, external, introjected, and intrinsic motivation on employee job satisfaction.Design/Methodology/Approach: Responses were obtained by employing a structured and targeted questionnaires responses over 200 employees working across several banks in Sindh, Pakistan. SPSS was used to analyze the provided responses, assessing reliability, descriptive statistics, and the relationships among the study’s variables.Findings: The internal consistency for all constructs was measured using Cronbach’s alpha, and the findings demonstrate that motivational regulations are positively associated with work–life balance, making it as job satisfaction’s powerful indicator. Mediation analysis also points to work–life balance functions as an intervening mechanism, enabling motivational regulations to influence job satisfaction.Implications/Originality/Value: These results establish the importance of fostering supportive motivational practices and work–life balance policies in banking sectors for improved employee satisfaction. The study is currently limited to select banks in Sindh, but future research may extend this model across different sectors and regions within Pakistan, depending on the research goals.