6 min read
Discover how to improve employee satisfaction and engagement in your workplace.
By Gabe Scorgie
It stands to reason that when you’re happy and satisfied—whether it’s with a job, your home, or a relationship—you tend to stay put. When employees are satisfied, they put more effort into their jobs. They engage more and will go above and beyond expectations every time.
And while one satisfied employee will do much to strengthen a company’s foundations, imagine what an entire workforce, committed, loyal, and fully engaged in their work, could do!
Beyond the benefits to individual happiness, employers gain many benefits when employees are satisfied. Increased productivity, higher employee retention rates, and improved internal culture and morale are just a few. Plus, a company with a highly engaged workforce is up to 23% more profitable than its disengaged competitors.
So the question is, are your employees satisfied? And if you’re unsure, how would you measure it, and what could you do to improve it? Let’s find out.
Even though employee satisfaction and employee engagement are closely related, they’re not quite the same.
Engagement is about how motivated employees are. But as we all know, that’s not always enough. Employees engage for different reasons. They may have personal or career development goals that don’t necessarily include long-term tenure at the company.
By the same token, satisfied employees are not always engaged employees. They might be happy in their jobs but do the bare minimum while on the clock.
We must look at the bigger picture to gauge employee satisfaction levels accurately. When we consider motivation, productivity, and happiness, we get a more concise picture of employees’ satisfaction.
Employers can’t control every factor influencing employee satisfaction, but many circumstances can be affected by an applied combination of policy and empathetic leadership. Some of these include:
Employees may appear happy, but how can you know for sure? Measurement is critical as data tells the true story, enabling actionable insights that allow you to identify issues and course-correct if necessary.
Here are a few methods used to measure employee satisfaction.
Employee satisfaction is never one-and-done. It’s an ongoing process that companies must commit to and make it part of their culture. With policies in place, the employee experience improves, and anomalies can be quickly identified before they become more significant.
Strategies for satisfaction can be broken down into three broad categories—engagement, enablement, and celebration.
Every organization has unique challenges. For example, times of growth or significant change can be highly disruptive to the workforce, and employee satisfaction can take a hit.
Leading with empathy, maintaining consistency, and ensuring transparency instill confidence and ensure employees always feel heard and valued.
When changes happen, be sure to inform employees and involve them in the conversation. It could be as simple as a staffing change or as monumental as a merger, but when everyone is informed and invited to voice their concerns, change will be much less disruptive.
Diverse teams are more productive and innovative and should be encouraged. Make diversity and inclusion part of your culture; the benefits will resonate throughout the organization.
Employers mustn’t allow conflict to fester. Employees should have clear paths to resolve issues without fear of reprisal. Management should practice active listening, show empathy, and determine preventative actions to avoid recurrence.
Measuring employee satisfaction is an essential practice that requires continuous monitoring to inform ongoing improvements. Pulse surveys, establishing a feedback culture, and prioritizing transparent communication help employees feel valued, heard, and connected, enabling continuous improvement.
Read more by
Gabe Scorgie
Jostle’s employee success platform is where everyone connects, communicates, and celebrates at work. Find out more at jostle.me. © 2009–2023 Jostle Corporation. All rights reserved.