Workplace Satisfaction

Workplace satisfaction is critical for employees to thrive and an organization to succeed. It paves the way for engagement, and it cannot be overlooked. After Covid-19, people’s relationship with time changed. Satisfaction, compensation, work-life balance, and job security have taken on new meaning.

JOB SATISFACTION EXAMPLES:

Job satisfaction refers to the basic, core needs of your employees. Unless your employees’ needs are met, they will struggle to develop a greater sense of commitment to the organization.

Job satisfaction examples include:

Job security:

Nobody works well when they believe their jobs are at risk.Covid-19 hit everyone hard, and “stability” is a shifting beast. Instability triggers stress. Stress lowers satisfaction. That said, though your organization might not be able to control instability, security is something you can provide your employees.

Strategy: Be transparent about your organization’s financial health. When employees don’t know what’s going on, they’re likely to feel anxious, imagine the worst. Discuss roles, the organinzation’s trajectory, and how each person’s job aligns with that. Provide your employees with the tools they need to get their jobs done. Show them they are valued.

Compensation and Benefits:

Pay people a fair wage. Offer competitive salaries. Provide meaningful, comprehensive benefits – health, retirement, education, and more. Consider performance-based bonuses. Meeting your employees’ economic needs is a leading factor in job satisfaction.

Strategy: Conduct regular salary audits. Benchmarks including industry-specific salary surveys and reports, government data, job boards, salary websites, and competitor rates all aid in ensuring fair compensation for employees. Consider hiring an outside firm to do a salary audit.

A Healthy Work Environment:

A workplace free of harassment; a workplace culture that is based on respect; a workplace that values DEI, where people are given the space to express themselves, make mistakes, learn, and improve is a vital to satisfaction.

Strategy: Take a DEI survey.Clarify your workplace culture climate and identify opportunities for improvement. Take a team assessment survey. Identify strengths and weaknesses in your teams. Establish behavior expectations and consequences when people do not comply with company policy. Provide employees with workshops about workplace harassment. Have anonymous pathways for reporting harassment or toxic workplace behavior. This encourages reporting and disclosures.

Growth and Development Opportunities:

Career development opportunities are a key factor of satisfaction.

Strategy: Provide real growth opportunities including mentorship and returnship programs, workshops, skills workshops, and access to continued education and certifications. You want your employees to be their best, so many doors will open to them. And you want your employees to love their work, so they’ll stay.

Work-Life Balance:

This is where many organizations have seen the greatest shift in what satisfies employees and what doesn’t. People don’t want to be on call. They want to go home to life. And we think this is a positive thing!

Strategy: Consider flexible work arrangements. (People have proven they can work from home!). Be mindful of caregivers and parents when you plan meetings (no early mornings or late afternoons). Make meetings matter. Establish clear internal communication guidelines and stick to them. Bring life to work – noon yoga classes, zumba class, or MOOCs.

What is the difference between employee satisfaction and employee engagement?

Satisfaction is the extent to which employees are happy or content with their jobs and work environment.

Engagement is the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work.

The key is, you cannot have engaged employees if their basic needs are not satisfied.

WHY WE DON’T OFFER AN EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION SURVEY:

Employee satisfaction surveys usually cover areas like:

Pay and compensation packages
Management styles and practices
Working environment and conditions

These things matter. But if you go no further, you’re not really tapping into driving factors of motivation at work.

On the other hand, employee engagement surveys delve into the employee's emotional, behavioral, and cognitive connection with the manager and the organization. These aspects are crucial for pinpointing the main factors that influence overall employee engagement and identifying areas for improvement.

CustomInsight’s Focal Org’s employee engagement survey is a comprehensive employee survey that measures employee engagement. Within the structure of the survey, we touch on key pieces of employee satisfaction. You’ve got to have the foundation! But with a much more in-depth survey, you can not only tap into what drives engagement and disengagement, but you can also get actionable insights on how to improve your organization culture, processes, and, in turn, performance.

Workplace Satisfaction

The Foundation of Best Practices to Pave the Way for Engagement

JOB SATISFACTION EXAMPLES:

Job security:

Compensation and Benefits:

A Healthy Work Environment:

Growth and Development Opportunities:

Work-Life Balance:

What is the difference between employee satisfaction and employee engagement?

WHY WE DON’T OFFER AN EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION SURVEY:

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