Most of us spend our lives working either in companies or in their own business. Some of us work for eight hours or more. When it comes to today’s workplace trends, things are continuously changing.
The importance of employee satisfaction is undeniably a critical factor to consider. It is one of the main measures used in determining if the organization’s management is heading to overall success.
Without work, we cannot have the money to buy things that we need and want. It also helps us to develop ourselves into more responsible individuals.
With a job, we create self-recognition and find value in our skills and creativity. It serves as our avenue to showcase our knowledge, values, and abilities. That is why we must be given the security and satisfaction in the job we are in as employees.
Top Contributors to Employee Satisfaction
It’s not only the monetary value that makes employees satisfied when it comes to their job. Various essential factors contribute to their satisfaction:
- Different types of compensation, pay increase, and benefits.
- Proper treatment of employees with respect and recognition
- Other opportunities where they can showcase their skills and abilities in the workplace
- Job security
- Financial stability of the company
- Safety and security on their jobs
- Equal opportunities to share insights and ideas
- All the factors mentioned above must be considered by the employers.
Tips on How to Boost Employee Satisfaction
It can be a daunting task to measure and improve employee satisfaction effectively. Below are some tips for every organization to boost employee satisfaction:
#1 Promote active listening to your employees.
Listening may sound simple, but this is a crucial step to boost employees’ satisfaction. As an employer, how will you know why they are not satisfied if you will not listen? For you to address any issue, it’s a must to find the cause first.
A survey for your employees can be a great starting point. Its purpose is to know if they are learning and enjoying their job. A survey can also help employees understand whether they think their work brings a sense of purpose to their lives.
Aside from conducting a survey, it will also be helpful to organize a weekly meeting. . This is to know if there are any concerns, pending issues, new learnings, feedback, and staff suggestions that can be acted on.
#2 The health and wellness of employees must be a priority
Employers must ensure that employees benefit from a conducive working environment. Besides, they need to have insurance for their health and wellness. They must also be aware of the working hours and must get proper remuneration for their overtime work.
Usually, an employee is satisfied with their work when the company is looking after their welfare. For instance, helping them to avoid a sedentary work lifestyle can be a big help. As we all know, sitting for more extended hours can be very dangerous to health.
Engage them to stand from time to time so as not to keep themselves sitting all day. There are other cost-effective solutions, such as coming up with simple desk exercises to keep themselves active.
Also, using standing desks and ergonomic mice and accessories can bring considerable benefits to employees. They will work more efficiently and productively.
#3 Promote frequent and effective communication
Excellent communication is vital for every organization. Without it, task delegation and dissemination of tasks will not be effective. It’s a must for employee satisfaction.
As a manager, CEO, or owner of the company, you must keep employees updated with what is happening to the company. Effective communication is a two-way street. It includes both listening and disseminating. It’s not only the employers who can give their messages, but it’s also crucial that employees be allowed to voice their side.
#4 Be clear about your mission
Without a clear purpose, employees may feel being empty and no direction to follow. When that happens, they may seem to lack a sense of satisfaction. That’s why all employers and business owners must be keen on defining the company’s mission, purpose, and core values.
It’s vital to put in mind that it’s not always about the sales, KPIs, and profit that must be focused on the company. It can be more significant than that. The mission should be something that can make a difference.
#5 Set motivating goals
Set goals that can help employees to get aligned with the mission and purpose of the company. Goals should be specific, measurable, and motivating for them to achieve the company’s success effectively.
If there are goals that will serve as a guide to the employees, they will work smoothly and with direction. It’s also a satisfying experience when goals are achieved or exceeded.
#6 Concentrate on growth, innovation, and development
Employees can receive satisfaction from overcoming difficulties, challenges and keeping updated with the innovating trends. That is why employers must provide their people to grow and develop more ideas.
The company can have seminars, webinars, and other programs to help employees learn more and improve their skills and competencies. When companies fail to give growth and innovation opportunities, their employees may not be able to step a bit higher. When they feel that they are being stuck, they will become less motivated, leading to burnout.
#7 Change some of the company’s routines
Setting a routine can be helpful since you can be used to working on the same tasks. However, a method can limit the number of options we can make every day. In a workplace, employees can acquire the feeling of boredom and can result in dissatisfaction.
When that happens, it’s time to change something to break the routine. Why not set team building outside the office? Changing the environment for some of the companies’ activities will help employees refresh their minds for ideas. It will be an excellent experience for them to bond with the other team members as well.
#8 Let all the employees shine and showcase their capabilities
Anyone can feel positive when their efforts are recognized and valued. That’s why it’s essential to give the employees the chance to share their ideas and suggestions. Let them shine in their own ways. Allow them to showcase their skills and be part of the company’s success.
It will help them to boost their self-esteem and feel satisfied with their job. Let them demonstrate their passion and recognize their efforts to contribute to the company’s journey to success.
#9 Reward your employees
Some employers think that a paycheck is enough already to compensate for a job well done. However, that can be improved. You need to reward your employees, notably if they achieved a big win.
Motivate your employees to excel. Motivating them can help create goodwill and a sense of accountability and accomplishment. Celebrate when your team makes a goal or completed a project or hit a sales target.
#10 Encourage employees to get involved with every project
There should also ‘play’ in the workplace. All work makes the experience dull and stagnant. Employers must create an outlet for creativity. The company can create a program, contest, or conference where everyone can share their passions and talent. It will make them feel good and, for sure, will benefit the business in the long run.
#11 Celebrate milestones with your employees
Employees want to feel that they are appreciated. Let them know that they are being valued as well as their efforts. You can do that by celebrating anniversaries, foundations and holding parties for some recent achievements.
You can also reward your employees by giving them gift cards or a token for their job well done. Even simple things can make them happy because they are being recognized. The important thing is that they are allowed to feel that the years and time they spent in the company are all worth it.
#12 Challenge your team for them to unleash their potential
One way to make employees feel satisfied is when they are challenged. They love that their unique talents and abilities are being utilized in the company. Challenges can help them strive better and unleash their hidden potentials.
A person needs to be ‘challenged’ sometimes so he will know how to grow. As an employer, you need to know your employee’s aspirations as well as their unique abilities. With that, you will have the chance to know what kind of tasks and challenges can be given to them.
A company can make each challenge to be exciting by focusing on the tasks that will motivate them. Think of the difficulties that can be fun and serve as a learning experience for them.
Have a weekly team challenge and, of course, reward them every time they win the challenge. That will not only boost their self-esteem but will also create a stronger bond within the team.
#13 Set goals for your employees
Although you challenge your employees, you still don’t want them to be pressured too much or aim for failure. You need to set goals for them to achieve – however, make sure that these are achievable.
They can be tired or may not have the courage to take some risks in delivering what they need to accomplish. Do not demand results that are impossible to achieve. When employees feel that their effort in making the goals are being recognized, it will lead them to feel more satisfied.
#14 Build friendships
Employee satisfaction involves an emotional factor. They need to be supported, cared for, and feel appreciated. That’s the reason why creating friendships at work can be a significant contributor to employee satisfaction.
It helps amplify the emotional factor in the workplace and promote camaraderie. It’s imperative to build connections and friendships with their colleagues, so every day’s work will be enjoyable.
When friendships linger inside the company, there would be an understanding of both employees' and management’s environment.
#15 Have amazing managers
Managers can impact more on employee satisfaction since they are more often around in the workplace. A manager’s style and personality can have a high impact on the employees’ mood and behaviour.
A company may require excellent time management skills, emotional intelligence, communication skills, and empathy. Managers must be able to help the employees to feel satisfied and motivated in the workplace.
#16 Give back and be grateful
What would you give to employees who have worked hard for a particularly successful project? For some, sending them their usual paycheck is fine, but there’s more beyond that. It will be great if you can give proper recognition or reward to the employees such as incentives, awards, etc.
Do not forget to say ‘Thank You’; it will mean a lot to your employees. An email sent with greetings or a face-to-face conversation to commend an employee can make a big difference.
Your team or the entire company can be part of charity works and other services that will help society, such as coastal cleanup, community reach outs, medical missions, and more. Being part of such activities makes the employees feel worthy of working with such a fantastic company.
Working is not just a duty to perform. Behind the schedules and all the task assignments, other factors comprise to become an essential part of someone’s daily life.
An employee must not be confined in an office; he/she must also be given away to unleash and showcase the skills and other abilities that can be beneficial to the company.
Conclusion
It’s important to boost employee satisfaction to be able to make themselves love the job they have. So, management, employers, CEOs, and company owners need to consider the tips mentioned above to ensure that employees are having the work satisfaction they deserve as they contribute to the company’s success.
A good company has a mission for its employees and is very organized when it comes to promotions, bonuses, and other merits. Make sure that your company offers frequent bonuses of professional merit and stick to them consistently. If you do, employees will be more than willing to work extra hours and deliver the work to your satisfaction and on time.
If you see that certain employees do not perform as well as they should, they could be struggling with some personal issues. So, instead of making them feel worse by highlighting their inadequacies, the best thing you can is to motivate them through positivity.
Research has shown that people are more likely to change for the better if you talk about the positive side of things or take action through friendly competitions between employees. Some companies showcase a picture of the month’s employee or offer different bonuses for those who keep their game strong.
Finally, listening to your employees and looking for ways to solve problems together as their manager will go a long way.
