Every organization would like all of their workforce to be happy and satisfied employees, but
only a few succeed in transforming this dream into reality. A study on job satisfaction reveals
that only 40% of employees in America are usually satisfied with their job.
In this post, we are going to review some of the key influences and impact Employee
Satisfaction numbers can make.
What is Employee Satisfaction?
What makes Employee satisfaction somewhat challenging is that every one of us is built
differently – humans fortunately are not like robots in that no two of us are alike. What
satisfies one person may not satisfy the other. As a result there is rarely a universal program
that can effectively cover all employees. Employee satisfaction programs should be localized
and flexible enough to incorporate the nuances of the individual. An example is work area
preference – some employees may prefer to work at a home office – others may prefer the
office environment.
Forcing everyone to work at the home office is going to benefit one group who will likely be
highly satisfied and disenfranchise another group who will likely be very unsatisfied. And
evaluating the Employee Satisfaction score on an aggregate level would generate a
completely inaccurate impression of the workforce since one half are happy and the other
are not. The mean being average or satisfied – not one worker in that company is satisfied –
some are very satisfied and others are very unsatisfied.
In summary there are two moving dimensions to programs that drive higher levels of job
satisfaction. Keep the human element in mind – as long as the preferences of your
employees are understood this is a key driver for higher levels of productivity and
satisfaction. Second, understand how you are measuring and interpreting the metrics.
Numbers can be completely meaningless unless carefully aligned with the preferences of the
employees.
Positive employee satisfaction numbers do way more than generate happy employees
- Enhanced Brand Image
If dissatisfied employees are working for you, they’ll hurt your company’s culture and turn
the work environment negative. In short, dissatisfied employees affect the brand image of a
company.
But, measuring employee satisfaction regularly (monthly or bi-monthly) and acting to
increase the number of satisfied employees makes your company a workplace where
employees are valued. This enhanced brand image attracts high-calibre employees, which is
eventually positive for your company. - Reduced Turnover
According to the dictionary definition of turnover, it is “the rate at which employees leave a
workforce and are replaced.” In today’s time, it is almost impossible to retain employees if
they don’t feel happy and valued working in your company.
On the other hand, satisfied employees are usually content and don’t leave their job without
any valid reason. If you measure the satisfaction level of your employees regularly and take
steps to improve it, you’d see reduced turnover in your company. - Increased Productivity
It is well-known that efforts made by dissatisfied employees are comparatively less than the
efforts made by their satisfied co-workers. Less productive employees are not advantageous
for any company.
When it comes to productivity, satisfied employees are usually 2X productive in comparison
to their dissatisfied peers. And, the easiest way to increase satisfied employees at a
workplace is to measure employee satisfaction regularly and act to improve it.
How to Measure Employee Satisfaction?
There are many ways to measure employee satisfaction accurately. Employee Surveys are by
far the most popular and effective at gaining a quantitative view of the your employee
population.
Surveys
Conducting employee satisfaction surveys is one of the most reliable methods to find the
likes and dislikes of employees. Surveys can be anonymous which helps drive honesty in the
feedback. Companies can do annual, semi annual or even quarterly surveys.
Pulse surveys help you determine the progress in programs in addressing some of the
company’s weaknesses as pointed out by the employees. With Pulse Surveys you can
establish a baseline and then ongoing you can determine how the company is doing versus
the initial baseline that was established.
