Employee satisfaction is an important factor in any organization – after all, the company’s employees are one of the biggest parts of what keeps the company growing and moving forward. Employee dissatisfaction could be linked to many things: monotonous work, long hours, unrealistic expectations on deliverables, low pay in contrast to the work expected of them, and the list goes on. What begins as frustration leads to eventual disengagement, which has a distinctly negative impact on the company as a whole.
Nowadays, there seems to be very few companies that are actively working to keep their employees challenged and content. Statistics show that:
- Only 58% of employees feel that they are able to properly balance their work and personal life
- 40% of employees have stated that their job causes them a lot of stress
- Almost half believe that the organization they work for values productivity & bottom lines more than its employees
Building a positive & productive work culture is paramount to keeping your employees content and fulfilled. People want to be treated like people, valued for who they are, and given ample time to lead their own personal life – unhindered by their work life or responsibilities. So what are some ways to make this happen?
Self -Evaluation
Evaluations and reviews should be conducted positively, with an emphasis on appreciation and recognition, and with the aim of self-evaluation. Employees that are encouraged to push themselves towards goals they have personally set are far more likely to be motivated to reach those goals, and will feel more personally satisfied when those goals are reached, even though they are company goals. Get the team together and ask for suggestions on new projects and their implementation – you’ll find that your employees will be much more engaged.
What’s Important?
Each individual will have things that are important to them and that, if fulfilled, could change the way they feel about their job. Take the time to find out what is important to your employees. This doesn’t have to be a time-consuming, one-on-one process. The same outcome can be achieved by circulating a questionnaire in which employees are able to express themselves in an open and honest way.
Provide Balance
Employees who are allowed to have a proper work-life balance will automatically be far more content than an employee who is so bogged down with work that they often have to work late into the night and on weekends. If it is unavoidable that an employee has to work long or extra hours, always find a way to compensate them for it; but in other cases, strive to provide your employees with a structure that allows them to enjoy their lives in all aspects and doesn’t keep them chained to their responsibilities.
Encourage Communication
If an employee is dissatisfied, they will often talk about it – usually to other employees. This is how dissatisfaction spreads, and it can often spread faster than the company is able to deal with it. The way to prevent this from happening is to provide your employees with a safe & honest way to communicate what they feel to their superiors. Always make it clear that their feelings are important and that they will not only be heard, but acknowledged; and that the organization will work to fix things that are causing their dissatisfaction.
Individual Needs
Your employees will have many needs – financial, physical, social & emotional, amongst others. A happy employee is one whose needs are being respected and fulfilled. As an employer, your job is to take their needs into consideration. While employees do consider their career to be a very important part of their life, it is not the only important part.
