We spend one-third of our lives at work – so it makes sense to say that our job has a considerable impact on the quality of our life. Since we spend a significant chunk of time at work, it inevitably affects our overall happiness. So job satisfaction is of paramount importance.
In short, job satisfaction is a measure of how happy or content the employee is with their job. The adage “love what you do, do what you love” has never been more accurate than now. Companies need more people who are excited to go to work. A satisfied employee will be a consistent and productive performer.
What’s more, employee job satisfaction plays a significant role in reducing attrition rates and employee turnover. So here are 15 things your boss wishes you knew about job satisfaction.
What causes job satisfaction?
- Workplace culture
- Work-life balance
- Employee engagement
- Be human
- Employee skill development
- Consistent 1:1 feedback
- Transparency
- Equal opportunity
- Meaningful work
- Employee journeys
- Appreciation
- Communication
- Wellbeing
- Trust
- Work distibution
1. Workplace culture
A workplace culture is a set of shared beliefs, values, and attitudes that your company upholds. Workplace culture varies for each company, and it is what sets a business apart from the rest.
A good workplace culture drives innovation, growth and attracts more talent. It also defines – you guessed it- job satisfaction.
It is only through open communication and trust that a company can build a great workplace culture. Employee surveys can help in gauging the current workplace culture, its shortcomings, and the ways you can achieve a better one.
2. Work-life balance
Work-life balance and job satisfaction are inseparable. Long work schedules, along with a heavy workload, affects the performance of even the most driven employees. It can cause fatigue and a lack of focus that will, at the end of the day, affect the employee’s quality of work.
To be fair, striking a work-life balance is quite a challenge for the post-Covid workforce. That’s why flexible work hours, along with a strong employee wellness policy is crucial for job satisfaction. They help reduce burn-out, stress and mental health problems among your employees.
You can check out these nine low-cost employee wellness ideas for inspiration.
3. Employee engagement
Job satisfaction and employee engagement have some key differences. However, more engaged employees are likely to experience better job satisfaction.
Employee engagement, in short, is a measure of the emotional connection that an employee has with their work.
Everyone wishes to have a fulfilling work life. But it is often up to the management to get the ball rolling. Consider investing in an employee engagement tool that includes features like gamification, employee feedback surveys and benefit programs through integrations.
Here’s an employee satisfaction survey created using SurveySparrow:
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4. Be human
In cut-throat competitive environments, where we rush after targets to reach, profit margins and tight deadlines to meet, we often forget the meaning of friendship and camaraderie.
Employees are human beings who have desires, hopes and fears. This makes each person unique and special in their own way. When dealing with each person, keep in mind that no two people are the same and behave accordingly.
What’s more, employees cannot work in an environment where they are treated like robots. A kind word, a pat on the back and appreciation where it is due, goes a long way in boosting their morale.
5. Employee skill development
Another important aspect of job satisfaction is employee skill development.
So, how is job satisfaction related to career development? Well, a study of office workers around the globe showed that 83% wanted their employers to give more chances for skill development. One of the major reasons for this was the fear of unemployment; more than half the employees feared that they would lose their job due to outdated skills.
Therefore, companies must incorporate employee skill development programs so that they are always up to date with the skills to perform well. This will lead to organizational growth and tells potential hires that you care about their career growth.
Consider using a Training Needs Assessment Questionnaire to gauge your staff’s training requirements. Always evaluate whether they want to learn a new skill and provide them with ways to achieve that. Employees should always feel as if they have something new to learn every day.
6. Consistent 1:1 feedback
Integrate feedback into your day to day interactions because it is essential for employee job satisfaction, retention and growth. It sets a tone, helps employees know what is expected of them and lets them learn from their shortcomings.
Positive feedback or appreciation is easy to give but negative feedback can be tricky. But if it is not addressed immediately, it will lead to even bigger problems. So, check out some of these employee feedback examples – they could help you phrase your words more carefully.
Good and bad feedback is a crucial part of the employee work experience. In fact, according to one source, companies that implement regular employee feedback have turnover rates that are 14.9% lower than for companies that give zero feedback.
7. Transparency
Transparency in the workplace can further solidify employee job satisfaction.
Workplace transparency is at it’s core an open, two-way communication between employees and management. A lack of transparency can lead employees to feel unsure of where they stand and feel mistrust towards the management.
By keeping employees in the loop and providing the rationale behind key decisions, management can improve transparency by a tremendous amount. Also, communicate to the employees where the company has reached today, what has been accomplished and what needs to be done to get there.
Everyone should have an idea about the company’s vision, mission, and goals; irrespective of their designation.
8. Equal opportunity
All organizations need to be Equal Opportunity providers. They must enforce and act upon regulations to provide equal opportunity to all people regardless of their age, gender and race.
All the employees should also feel that they are being given an equal opportunity to excel in the workplace, equal pay, and equal benefits. It’s possible to gauge this in your office with a Workplace Diversity Questionnaire.
Are your managers aware of diversity issues in the workplace? Have they undergone diversity training in the past? You can assess the training’s effectiveness with a few well-researched questions.
As more women come into the workforce, there should be a proportionate increase in women who hold leadership roles within the company. It is reported that globally only 24% of women have senior leadership positions. The gender gap in leadership roles needs to be bridged at the earliest.
9. Meaningful work
The notion that their work positively impacts another person’s life is a huge driver of job satisfaction.
In fact, more millennials and Gen-Zers are looking for meaningful work with autonomy in their job devoid of micromanaging and constant monitoring.
While all work might not necessarily have a “higher purpose” in the lofty sense of the term, if it done well, that alone is enough to create a positive impact.
10. Employee journeys
In our experience with a company, certain moments stand out. Our job interview, the first day of joining, the induction program, training program, performance appraisals and finally the exit interview. These moments that define our journey right from the joining interview to the exit interview is referred to as the employee journey.
Mapping these crucial moments of an employee journey helps us improve the overall employee experience. This correlates to better job satisfaction. This process is called employee experience management, and it is a vital function of HR/Talent today.
Through employee experience management tools, employee journey mapping will shed light on key aspects at each stage of the employee journey. It is crucial to collect employee feedback through employee satisfaction surveys periodically at each stage as well. That will help you enhance your EX to be one of the best in the industry.
11. Appreciation
Salary, location and work schedule are all critical for employee job satisfaction. But appreciation trumps it all.
Real appreciation is markedly different in that it is sincere, honest and focused on the individual. Appreciation in the form of rewards, recognition and incentives all have a beneficial psychological effect. They motivate the employee to achieve more.
Appreciation is one of the essential qualities that drives employee loyalty. You can start your own recognition program with these creative employee award names, Don’t forget to reward your remote employees as well.
12. Communication
The workforce determines the success or failure of an organization. A committed employee is more likely to work productively than their counterparts.
To keep employees effectively involved, communication is of paramount importance. Plan your internal communications strategy at all levels and within teams as well.
Ensure that this communication is relevant and frequently happens through the proper internal channels. If you feel that are are gaps in your policy, do an internal communications survey to understand existing communication patterns.
13. Employee wellbeing
Research suggests a strong link between employee wellbeing and employee job satisfaction
Businesses often find it hard to comprehend the challenges that employees face at work or home. Initiating a conversation through timely check-ins and wellness activities can help us keep tabs on our employees’ overall health.
There are many benefits to ensuring employee well being that include, but are not limited to, higher employee morale and productivity.
14. Trust
For a team to succeed and work together, the leader should create an environment of trust. Trust in one another’s effort and confidence in the guidance of their team leader.
Building trust is the cornerstone of future success. Without trust, there would be a lack of innovation, creative thinking, and co-operation. Where then would be job satisfaction?
A high trust environment focuses on knowledge-sharing between team members. To build a high trust environment, discourage blame game and formation of cliques within the team that isolate individual members. Remember that in doing all this, a leader should lead by example and demonstrate these values.
15. Distributing work across a team
Work should be distributed uniformly across a team. To have one team member busy all the time with piles of work, and the other with ample time on their hands, shows a lack of leadership and coordination at the team level.
Employee opinion surveys should also be incorporated to gauge their workload and current work climate.
This survey could include questions that address their satisfaction with the workplace facilities or whether they are getting the resources they need.
Wrapping Up
Employees perform well when they realize their efforts are being seen and appreciated. When they feel like they are an integral part of a team – a team that is continually moving forward to achieve its goal.
There are a myriad of factors that go into job satisfaction, and employee opinion surveys can effectively assess it. In an environment that fosters inclusivity and understanding, they can step up to more significant challenges that they never knew they could accomplish. Job satisfaction is the first step to creating a great place to work!
