Regardless of what their personal KRAs are, employees’ satisfaction is a key goal of every HR personnel. A satisfied employee is a retained employee, but they are also an ambassador for the company, externally and internally. They can defend their organization in numerous for a and dispel the concerns of any potential employee. Happy employees are loyal and will sometimes go the extra mile to achieve their goals and objectives.
Most of today’s companies view employee satisfaction as influenced by two factors – salary and scopes of recreation. While employees freely create impressions based on such parameters, the entire basis of employee satisfaction cannot be formed like this. What matters is how well the HR of an organization understands the needs and wants of their employees.
Is Employee Satisfaction Synonymous to Employee Engagement?
Although employee satisfaction and employee engagement share multiple common grounds, the two terms aren’t interchangeable. Both of these contribute to meaningful outcomes but satisfaction is a much broader term. On top of that, a few facets of satisfaction don’t correspond to performance. An employee could be satisfied at work without being completely engaged.
Employee engagement can predict job satisfaction and it strongly links to some desirable outcomes. Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory states that engagement can be measured by two sets of factors – motivation factors encompass challenging work along with employee validation, and hygiene factors like benefits and compensation, working conditions, and job security. Hygiene factors are preconditions for job satisfaction. On the other hand, motivation factors power engagement.
Advantages of Employee Satisfaction
Employee Retention
When an individual is content with their workplace, they hardly consider leaving their job. In a way, employee satisfaction is essential for retention of employee. Companies must retain talented and deserving individuals for long term growth. Granted you can always hire new people because the job market is so vast now, but the value an experience professional adds cannot be denied. It’s important to have experienced employees around who can help guide freshmen.
Organizations face a huge issue with employee attrition. If an employee gets fair treatment at work, has enough opportunities to grow, feel the appreciation by their superiors, receives their salary timely, ever considers changing their job. Employee retention gives any organization a major competitive advantages as they can contribute more than trainees and new entrants.
Furthermore, an individual would be very skeptical about joining a company with a high employee attrition rate. An employee who isn’t satisfied with their job will often badmouth their workplace and warn their contacts to not join the same.
High Revenues
No amount of motivation or training will help unless and until employees develop a sense of loyalty and attachment toward their workplace. Employees who are satisfied with their positions don’t have the time or willpower to involve in needless office politics. They generally avoid things like that and work on improving their individual and company value.
Satisfied employees are more likely to help their fellow employees cooperate with the company even if there’s an emergency. They do not think about leaving their company but try their best to overcome challenges as a team. For them, their company comes first. Monetary gains are a secondary concern for these employees as they value their organization’s goals and brand image. Thanks to their hard work, the organization generally has higher revenues.
Word-of-Mouth
Satisfied employees tend to spread positive words about their organization, increasing goodwill. Instead of gossiping and wasting their time, they dedicate their hours to productivity and eventual benefitting of the company. You cannot truly become a part of any organization till you start taking pride in it. If you’re frustrated with your job, you’ll find yourself having meltdowns over the slightest moments of pressure.
Unsatisfied employees aren’t flexible either, so they can’t adapt to changes. In this dynamic world where globalization is a key part of the industry, there’s a constant need to compromise.
Steps to Increase Job Satisfaction
When an employee experiences high levels of work satisfaction, they are more likely to stick to their job. Here are some ways employers can increase employee satisfaction at work:
Make Work Meaningful
A study revealed that the majority of employees were more productive and satisfied when they believe their work is significant and meaningful. Millennials and Gen Z place more value on higher purpose in an organization.
Invest in Training and Development
Employees report increased satisfaction if they have the right tools and skills required to perform the job well. They should be able to recognize that you’re investing a significant amount in improving their skills – from the very first day of onboarding till the rest of their journey with the organization. Provide technology and training that helps them excel – don’t focus only on the present job. Initiate a conversation on career development and support employee expectations for professional development.
Provide Enough Compensation
Money isn’t the biggest driver of job satisfaction, but organizations that don’t have competitive pay plans will surely face difficulties with top performer retention. It’s difficult for underpaid employees to keep high morale even if they enjoy their company culture or the degree of work.
Offer Autonomy and Flexibility
Employees need flexibility to flourish and showcase their true potential. Letting them express their creativity in the right place can go a long way toward increasing employee satisfaction. This may involve allowing remote work, setting a flexible schedule, or basically telling individuals that they can pursue a project as they deem fit. Employees need to be agile but so does the company – it’s a join effort.
Recognize Employees
Employees would like receiving recognition and praise for work-related achievement rather than getting gifts. Validation for a job well done increases morale.
Final Words
Employees’ Satisfaction plays a key role in the success and growth of any company. Keeping your employees connected to the job will help retain talent and experience.