Employee satisfaction or job satisfaction is, quite simply, how content or satisfied employees are with their jobs. Employee satisfaction is typically measured using an employee satisfaction survey.

Factors that influence employee satisfaction addressed in these surveys might include compensation, workload, perceptions of management, flexibility, teamwork, resources, etc.

These things are all important to companies who want to keep their employees happy and reduce turnover, but employee satisfaction is only a part of the overall solution. In fact, for some organizations, satisfied employees are people the organization might be better off without. Satisfaction doesn’t mean high performance or engagement.

HR ideas and strategies focused on how to improve employee satisfaction oftentimes have results that demoralize high performers.

Employee satisfaction and employee engagement are similar concepts on the surface, and many people use these terms interchangeably.

The importance of knowing the difference between satisfaction and engagement is critical for an organization to make strategic decisions to create a culture of engagement. Employee satisfaction covers the basic concerns and needs of employees.

It is a good starting point, but it usually stops short of what really matters.