How work life balance improves employee satisfaction
The majority of adults spend most of their day working – so, it comes as no surprise that employees have changed their attitudes towards their career and want more than to just go to work, complete tasks then go home. They instead want to reach the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, feel valued in their job position and become an integral part of the company’s culture.
Experts in and advocates of change management and employee engagement, Impact International discusses the latest research surrounding employee satisfaction in the workplace:
What influences employee satisfaction?
The Society for Human Resource Management conducted a survey in 2016 to explore employee satisfaction in the workplace was explored. Amongst the top ten contributors to job satisfaction were:
- Respectful treatment of employees, which was ranked first.
- Job security.
- Opportunities to use skills and abilities at work.
- Supervisor’s respect for your work.
- Compensation and pay.
They also discovered that career development opportunities, career advancement opportunities and job-specific training were highly valued by Millennials more than older employees.
How can you introduce these into the workplace?
As an employer, it can be easy to assume that all your employees are satisfied if you are receiving the results that you are after. However, productivity can increase with a happier workforce and it is worth implementing some of the following strategies to get the best out of your staff:
1. Respectful treatment of employees
Noted as the most motivating factor for employee satisfaction, this is something that shouldn’t be ignored in the workplace, and can be implemented without expense. One way to ensure that your employees are being treated with respect is to maintain an approachable attitude. As a boss, if employees feel that they can come to you with issues, it will be easy to find out if anyone is being disrespectful. Employers can introduce regular reviews with staff to demonstrate their concern for welfare and provide opportunity for problems to be raised.
2. Job security
Making sure your staff feel valued and secure in their role is a big influencing factor, because looking for a new job can be stressful and, at times, demotivating. Therefore, all employees hope to feel secure in their current job role – its means they can come to work feeling safe and happy. One way to implement this in the workplace is to keep staff informed of the financial situation of the business. Update members of the company with successes and profits to keep them in the loop.
3. Opportunities to use skills and abilities at work
It’s important that staff feel like they can work to their full potential in their role – feeling overqualified can be demotivating. As the research showed, Millennials are happy to undertake job-specific training too, to develop their skills further. Bosses should aim to ensure that members of staff are in the correct role for their skillset. This can also be discussed in regular review sessions – perhaps a member of staff has more to bring to the company than you know of.
4. Supervisor’s respect for your work
Appreciate what your staff do! Some employees may find it demotivating and upsetting when they spend time on a piece of work that goes unappreciated and sometimes ‘unnoticed’. The key here is the approach to staff that supervisors take. By providing relevant feedback to employees or taking time out to thank them for their time, you can make staff feel more valued. Approaching members of staff this way may also encourage them to work harder in the future.
5. Compensation and pay
Salaries and compensation will always be a key aspect in employee satisfaction. Staff want to feel like they are being paid fairly for the job they are doing, not undervalued. However, salary isn’t a sole factor of keeping staff happy and money isn’t everything to some staff. Compensation, or company benefit schemes, can come in the form of a reward system – perhaps the employee of the month may receive a prize or short trip somewhere. Offering trips and social events for employees can also encourage them to feel valued, as it is a treat that they would not have received if they did not work there.
Attitudes in the workplace can largely affect employee satisfaction, and as we have seen, it doesn’t need to cost you a large sum to keep your staff happy. This can be improved without massive investments or having to compromise any business activity. Through valuing your staff and encouraging employee engagement, in addition to a happy workforce, you may also see your productivity levels soar.
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