Monday Funday! --  said nobody ever.

Are you chugging down cup after cup of coffee just to get through work every Monday?  We won’t deny it -- work can get really dreary on some days, and even the stats show it.

Some 52.3% of American employees are unhappy with their jobs. If anything, this trend is a ringing alarm bell for employers!

The good news is, there’s a lot more that we can do to take care of our employees’ well-being. And it starts with understanding what employee satisfaction really is. 

What is Employee Satisfaction?

Though the terms “employee satisfaction” and “employee engagement” are often conflated, these two concepts are very distinct from each other.

Employee engagement refers to commitment and performance. Employee satisfaction refers to the extent to which employees are content with their jobs and work environment.

Jumping straight into focusing on employee engagement can oftentimes be tempting. But, the basic concerns and needs of employees are equally key to understanding employees’ desires and fostering employee intimacy. 

How Do You Measure Employee Satisfaction?

There are multiple ways to measure it. Engagement levels and motivation are good indicators of this metric. One of the most accepted methods of measurement is the employee satisfaction index or ESI. An employee survey is another popular method of measurement.

Are your employees happy? If not, it might be time to reconsider your strategies as a manager and leader.

How Can Employees Improve Job Satisfaction?

There are a number of ways employers can increase job satisfaction, engagement in the workplace, and overall work life balance. Boost to satisfaction include:

• Employee and peer-to-peer recognition 
• Realistic project deadlines and expectations
• Long-term career path mapping
• Consistent discussion on pay, promotion, and performance
• Investment in employee health
• Option for “upskilling” or continued learning
• Open and honest employee feedback
• Engagement check-ins
• Concentration on value-added perks
• Maintaining various work relationships 
• Offering relocation services
• Empowerment

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to motivating employees and maintaining satisfaction levels. A quick way to measure these items is through employee satisfaction survey questions. A more qualitative approach to measurement is an online focus group.

Regardless of the method you choose, let’s look at a few of the metric-based strategies in-depth, below.

 
Guarantee Safety in the Work Environment

Emotional safety is incredibly important in the workplace and is derived from the employee's experience of belonging.

According to LinkedIn, employees can foster a sense of purpose by recognizing employee contributions in meetings. Taking care of this simple factor produces an astounding result. That is the ability of both groups and individuals to add value to the most challenging subjects.

The U.K.-based hardware company Screwfix sets an inspiring example of promoting the employee's experience of belonging. Every two weeks, employees have the option to provide feedback to managers, accompanied by ideas for improvement. The result? Multiple impactful initiatives quicken in-store purchases and greatly increase efficiency.

So the next time your employee steps up to make a suggestion, give them that shout-out she deserves!

Ensure Job Security

More than half of all employees are worried about their job security, a shocking majority that demands the need for action. Heightening job security is crucial in assuring employees that their employment in the company is valued. This is especially true in times of economic hardship.

To establish job security, encourage open lines of discussion with employees so that they feel comfortable raising concerns regarding their positions. In addition, it always helps to present employees with a projected timeline of company and personal performance goals. This will greatly aid employees in understanding your company’s potential, and the role they play in it moving forward.

Establishing job security immensely empowers employees’ well-being and drives employee satisfaction and intimacy!

Offer Fair Compensation and Benefits

While salary is not everything, fair compensation is one of the ways employers communicate that they recognize employees’ commendable job performance. In turn, this wins the hearts and minds of the workforce.

Companies should strive towards rewarding employees with competitive compensation by offering salaries that are “at market” or above. Researching and analyzing competitive salary ranges - based on both geographic location and industry type - is a good start. It’s also pertinent to review these salaries once in a while, to keep in touch with changes in the market!

Most interesting is that compensation is not the only factor in pay satisfaction. Discussion of compensation plays a part, too.

Compensation should be clearly communicated to the workforce. Truthful dialogue giving reasons for compensation allocation is strongly tied to employee pay satisfaction, rather than just the pay itself.

Clear, transparent discussion with employees regarding pay structure shows professionals that you recognize their value. This has great potential to keep staff both loyal and motivated.

Additional factors that determine what you can offer include:

• Determining what your employees value most
• Your company size
• The amount of available budget
• A competitive benefits package

But what’s most important? A benefits package that suits employees’ needs.

Health coverage continues to be paramount above all other types of benefits in America. More than half of U.S. adults say health coverage plays a deciding factor in whether they stay at their current job.

Rubicon, a waste and recycling solutions company, is excellent at offering this benefit. They satisfy their employees with a company health insurance plan that covers 100% of premiums. Talk about taking care of your employees!

But, work remains to ensure that health benefits paid for by employers continue to evolve to meet employee health care needs.

Consider working with experts to build on your compensation package to offer attractive packages. These can range from insurance upgrading to paid time off. This will attract and retain top talent in your company.

Tools For Improving Employee Satisfaction

Encouraging workplace satisfaction is never easy because each employee is unique, with distinct wants and needs. It always helps to research ways to satisfy, especially if that strategy can be partially automated.

Tools such as employee engagement platforms can help you tap into the collective insight of your employees and foster satisfaction. Other methods like employee satisfaction survey questions are speedy ways to find answers.

1. Polly
Author polls in seconds, and respond with a single click. These employee engagement surveys are built into Slack, allowing users to vote and comment right within the platforms. According to Polly, teams see on average a 30% increase in participation when switching from an email-based polling survey solution.

2. 15Five
15Five is a continuous performance management suite that allows managers to coach employees fast. This tool provides a research-driven, 360° performance management practice, where managers focus on growth and performance for each individual.

3. Officevibe
To build stronger connections between team members, managers need tools that help them understand how their people really feel. Using simple, visual data, Officevibe tells managers where to take action to boost employee morale and drive performance.

Summing up

Employees expect an increasing concentration on improving employee satisfaction. In fact, employees are most happy when they are engaged and challenged by their work. Give them what they want, just as you would serve customer needs.

In 2019, the two should rarely be treated differently.

Looking for even more ways to empower your employees? Check out our on-demand webinar about employees and artificial intelligence.

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