8 Job Satisfaction Criteria

This year, a number of companies are aiming to improve their customer experience. Is that the case for you? However, many underestimate the importance of a good employee experience to achieve this. By developing a pleasant experience for your teams within your organization, you will be able to motivate them and offer the best possible customer service!

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To achieve a good employee experience, however, you need to have a good understanding of the various job satisfaction criteria. What issues directly impact the motivation and commitment of your employees? Find out the answer in the rest of our article!

The importance of job satisfaction

Your employees are at the heart of your organization. They pass on your values, services and products to your customers. In this sense, it is essential to understand the various job satisfaction criteria to make sure they are happy. A motivated and engaged team will do its best to meet your customers’ expectations!

Examples of the benefits of satisfied employees at work include:

An approximate increase of 37% in sales;
An average of 21% increase in profits;
Employees on average 20 times more productive;
Reduced employee turnover by approximately 59%;
50% less work-related accidents;
89% recommendation rate to relatives from staff;
Lower absenteeism rate;
Better opportunities to attract corporate talent.

These statistics illustrate the importance of job satisfaction. With an optimized employee experience strategy, you’ll have a motivated and engaged team, maximize employee retention, generate more revenue and improve your customer experience. Definitely, this is an essential sphere to ensure the success of your company!

What are the main job satisfaction criteria?

Now that you know the importance of job satisfaction, it is time to learn about its various issues. However, every human being is different, so make sure you understand the different facets of the employee experience to improve the well-being of your teams.

What are the factors of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction? And how can you meet these job satisfaction criteria? Without further ado, here are our 8 answers on the subject!

1. Adherence to the company’s mission, vision and values

Did you know that vision and values are among the highest job satisfaction criteria? According to a study conducted by Glassdoor, 79% of employees consider the mission of a company before applying for a position. This reiterates the importance of adhering to an organization’s vision and values before being hired!

To this end, be sure to clearly define your corporate mission, vision and values and promote them on your corporate website and internally. In this way, your current and potential employees will be able to assess whether there is harmony between their personal values and those of your organization. To this end, it is recommended to have a Career and Culture page to better inform your potential talents!

With this careful attention, you will recruit talent with the same values and aspirations as your company. As a result, they will be much more motivated to complete the assigned tasks. This will maximize their commitment, motivation and job satisfaction.

Once you are recruited into your organization, it is important, if not essential, that the employee experience truly represents your employer brand, otherwise your new talent will quickly withdraw. Words without concrete actions are irrelevant!

In the same vein, an employee who is committed to your organization’s vision will be better prepared to perform at their best. This will certainly allow you to grow as a business and create a great customer experience. From this perspective, clearly sharing your company’s vision and values is important when it comes to job satisfaction criteria!

2. The recognition offered

Of course, recognition is one of the most significant criteria for job satisfaction. According to the study conducted by Zippia, employees recognized for their good work would be six times more engaged and work 80% harder. The conclusion is clear: the stronger the recognition, the more your employees will want to excel. In that sense, how can you recognize your teams?

Here are nine tips to improve workplace recognition:

Create posts on your social networks to highlight the good work of your employees;
Focus on the week’s successes during team meetings;
Regularly provide clear and accurate feedback related to the work performed;
Share positive feedback from satisfied customers with your teams;
Create an atmosphere of respect and recognition among colleagues;
Organize recognition activities;
Highlight special opportunities as a team, in the office;
Thank your co-workers by introducing little things like extra gifts or days off.
If the context allows and an employee has experienced a significant event in their personal life (marriage, relocation, birth, bereavement) please feel free to share your words to encourage them.

Remember these valuable tips in terms of job satisfaction criteria!

3. Working conditions, wages and benefits

With the competitive job market, it is increasingly crucial to provide excellent working conditions for your employees. This factor of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction plays a crucial role in the retention of your staff, but also in recruitment. A company renowned for its working conditions and its flexibility will attract many talents. On the contrary, an organization known for its lack of empathy and competitive advantages is highly likely to have a high turnover rate, in addition to discouraging potential talent from applying. In addition, according to SHRM, 61% of employees say that benefits give them greater job satisfaction. To that end, how can you improve these job satisfaction criteria to better retain your teams?

Here are 15 ideas to improve your company’s working conditions:

Offer flexible hours adapted to telework;
Offer an interesting number of holidays;
Balance the privacy and work of your employees;
Be sure to offer an advantageous salary relative to the market by doing a study of what is offered for the candidate’s type of position and experience;
Offer a better salary based on the number of years the employee has been with your company;
Offer a bonus accordingly with the overtime worked;
Implement a disconnect policy so your teams don’t feel overwhelmed in the evening;
Offer offices that are well located and up to date to make your teams want to go there;
Take note of recommendations and requests from your colleagues;
Contribute to your employees’ RRSPs;
Reimburse the necessary equipment during telework;
Pay the cellphone costs necessary for your employees’ work;
Implement a telemedicine program;
Give a paid holiday at birthday parties;
Implement a gym membership reimbursement program to ensure the health of your employees.

Remember, your employees are also human. Offer them excellent working conditions to thank them for their services. In return, they will be motivated and give the best of themselves to accomplish the tasks required. In this way, you will improve your customer experience while benefiting from professional, committed and efficient teams. This is a great example of job satisfaction!

4. Flexibility at work

Flexibility is more than a good working condition: it is a sign of empathy. Each person has a different situation and specific needs. That’s why, as an employer, it’s important to understand the preferences and issues that impact the lives of your employees.

According to the study conducted by LinkedIn, companies that obtained a high rating in terms of terms and conditions related to work flexibility:

More productive employees;
Better employee retention;
Lower absenteeism rate;
An average growth of 137% in their workforce.

Definitely, flexibility is an important element in terms of job satisfaction criteria!

When it comes to flexibility, think about hours of work, work-life balance, remote work and atypical vacation periods. As an example:

Provide employees with the opportunity to manage their hours according to the schedule that works best for them;
Be open-minded about atypical leave;
Give employees who live further away from the office the opportunity to work remotely;
Show understanding in the face of unexpected leave for employees with children;
Take the time to get to know your colleagues better to better understand the issues surrounding their work schedule and their privacy.

While it’s perfectly normal to set rules for everyone, make sure you’re open to conversation when needed. This great proof of empathy will allow you to establish a work environment based on trust, authenticity and respect: an asset of choice to improve your employee experience. Keep this in mind when thinking about job satisfaction criteria!

5. Feeling safe at work

Imagine: you love your position in your company. Yet, for some time now, you have noticed a decline in the quality of the employee experience.

You are required to work unexpected overtime and to be available at all times, or you will be fired. In addition, inconsistent and annoying rules are put in place without being explained to you. This situation stresses your employees and creates a tense atmosphere at work.

Your colleagues are less transparent and cohesive. For their part, managers do micro-management in the hope of keeping everything under control. In order to rectify the situation, you wish to express your concerns to one of your superiors, but fear reprisals.

You know that a system of favoritism seems to be slowly taking hold within your organization. In addition, employee satisfaction surveys don’t have the ability to be completed anonymously. What if you were fired simply because you dared criticize the system in place? Trapped, you finally decide to leave the company. This way, you can look for another job without the fear of a dispute or tarnishing your reputation as an employee.

Unfortunately, this situation occurs more often than we think. According to Benefits Canada, 70% of employees have experienced workplace harassment in the past two years. This is definitely a statistic not to be overlooked, especially in terms of job satisfaction criteria!

To ensure the physical and psychological integrity of your employees, take the time to hear their true opinion. Have open and authentic discussions with them to better understand their work-related anxieties and worries. You can also:

Be fair to all;
Make your employees aware of the importance of an organizational culture based on authenticity and respect;
Ensure the employee agrees if they are working overtime;
Offer training on the importance of psychological health at work;
Avoid contacting your employees several times a week outside of working hours;
Give the option to respond anonymously to employee satisfaction surveys to obtain more authentic results;
Set up a safe work environment by following the advice of the CNESST.

Remember that your employees are primarily human beings. To this end, establish defined safety rules and fair working conditions for all. Remember this valuable advice when thinking about the various job satisfaction criteria!

6. Harmonious relationships between colleagues

In relation to the job satisfaction criteria, did you know that the quality of the relations at work has a direct impact on the satisfaction of your employees? Indeed, according to the study conducted by Harvard Business Review, an employee’s satisfaction increases by an average of 50% when he develops meaningful relationships at work. In this sense, it is crucial for your employees to feel validated, listened to, and appreciated by their peers!

How can you improve these job satisfaction criteria? The answer is as easy as it is simple: give your colleagues better opportunities to get to know each other!

At work, encourage your employees to speak at team meetings. Build an organizational culture of respect and communication to build strong and authentic relationships. During breaks and dinners, share your hobbies, personal goals and the week’s best accomplishments. This proximity will allow you to relax the atmosphere and create meaningful connections to the office!

From time to time, why not organize activities to strengthen ties between your employees? Five to seven, team outings, group training, team-building activities: there are many ideas to help your employees get to know each other better. A relaxing moment to build mutual appreciation among colleagues is a great example of an idea to maximize job satisfaction!

Interpersonal relationships have a significant impact on the well-being of your employees. Remember these valuable tips when it comes to job satisfaction criteria!

7. The sense of fairness

In terms of organizational culture, fairness in the workplace is critically important. An employee who is abandoned and paid less because of age, gender, nationality, disability or simply because of favoritism is unacceptable. An employee experiencing such injustice will leave your organization. This goes without saying: equity is a must in terms of job satisfaction criteria.

To create a sense of fairness, treat all your employees with the respect they deserve. Set up an EDI program to show that no matter where they come from, every member of your staff is listened to and important to you. In the same vein, when making important decisions for your company, consider the opinions of all your departments. Finally, review your wages to ensure that no discrimination is made against your employees’ condition.

By improving these job satisfaction criteria, you will provide a sense of fairness and belonging to your teams. They will be much more attached to your company. Who knows: by being open, you may benefit from innovative ideas you’ve never thought of!

8. The sense of accomplishment

When considering job satisfaction criteria, the feeling of professional accomplishment of staff comes to mind. If they don’t feel fulfilled professionally or learn nothing new, it is highly likely that your employees will become demotivated and disengaged from your company’s daily routine.

Also, did you know that professional achievement is one of the main job satisfaction criteria? According to Make It, 94% of employees would stay longer with a company that contributes to their professional skills. This proves the direct impact of this issue on the satisfaction and commitment of your teams at work!

In order to shed light on the subject, here are 10 ideas to improve your employees’ sense of professional accomplishment:

Improve your onboarding processes for new employees;
Distribute tasks in harmony with the professional skills of each;
Offer free training to deepen the professional knowledge of your employees;
Ensure that each employee works effectively and productively;
Encourage autonomy and initiative;
Consider the innovative ideas of your employees;
Invite your employees to speak at company meetings;
Ensure that all employees can express and be recognized for their ideas in a fair and equitable manner;
In employee evaluation meetings, highlight the successes of the year and provide concrete and specific areas for improvement;
Recognize employees regularly for their good work.

If you ever feel your teams are demotivated, remember these ideas to improve your job satisfaction criteria!

Finally, what job satisfaction criteria can you meet to optimize your employee experience? Follow our valuable advice to maximize employee satisfaction!

Clearly explain your company’s vision and values to attract talent with similar ambitions. Similarly, offer working conditions, wages and competitive benefits to better attract and retain your employees.

Build an organizational culture within your company that is based on recognition, respect, flexibility and fairness. Ensure the physical and psychological integrity of your employees by encouraging quality interpersonal relationships and ensuring a safe work environment. Finally, provide your teams with relevant training and celebrate their successes this week to give them a sense of professional accomplishment. This will certainly allow you to meet your various job satisfaction criteria!

Now that you know the various job satisfaction criteria, do you need help to improve them? If so, we encourage you to schedule a free and customized demo of the InputKit Employee Experience Solution at your convenience. Our team of employee experience experts will be delighted to contribute to your success as an employer!