The motivation and retention of employees at work are two issues that have been talked about a lot in recent years. These are topics that are still relevant, especially in this labor shortage. To this end, according to the bdc, replacing employees who resign would cost up to 200% of the annual salary of the employee who leaves his job. Consequently, it is wise to implement strategies to ensure employee satisfaction at work, long before they want to leave. Too often, employers are surprised to see key employees leave, but nothing has been proactively done to accommodate them. In this article, we offer 9 tips on how to improve employee job satisfaction.
How to improve employee job satisfaction? Elements that can make a big difference in terms of employee satisfaction at work
Although the feeling of accomplishment at work, in other words the feeling of contributing to the success of the organization, is a crucial element in employee satisfaction at work, there are other complementary factors that can contribute to the well-being of your employees. Without further ado, here they are!
1.Ensure the well-being of your team by communicating with them
Our first tip on how to improve employee job satisfaction might be obvious, but it is a must have! To ensure employee satisfaction at work, it is important to take time with your employees to talk to them. After all, how can you ensure employee satisfaction at work if you don’t take the time to ask them questions and get to know them better? In the form of weekly meetings or daily interactions in your internal chat, all you have to do is find the formula that best suits your team. In addition, setting up employee satisfaction surveys can be an interesting way to obtain the opinion of your employees in a systematic way. Thus, through an employee satisfaction questionnaire, you will be able to assess their current job satisfaction. Questions can be asked more generally or more specifically. This will certainly be favorable in order to know how to improve employee job satisfaction according to the responses obtained.
How to improve employee job satisfaction? Here are some examples of questions that can be asked in a survey to measure employee job satisfaction:
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your current job satisfaction?
- Are there any training courses you would like to take to help you in your daily work?
- Would you recommend our company as an employer to members of your entourage?
- Are you satisfied with your progress within our organization?
- Does your current position match your career goals?
- Are you satisfied with the current frequency with which we group together as a team?
- Are there any initiatives you would like us to put in place to promote team spirit at work?
- In your opinion, are your current working conditions satisfactory? (salary, hours, benefits, vacation, etc.).
- Do you feel that your opinion is considered in the decisions our organization makes?
These are some sample questions for a survey about employee satisfaction at work. Asking these questions could help you if you wonder how to improve employee job satisfaction. Be aware, however, that there are several other questions that can be asked in an employee satisfaction survey depending on the aspects you want to assess! All in all, taking the time to question your staff and react to them will certainly be beneficial in terms of how to improve employee job satisfaction.
2. Take time to get together as a group and get to know each other
Many appreciate when a dynamic atmosphere is felt at work. To achieve this, it is important to set up contexts to create links between colleagues without necessarily talking about work. For example, games can be organized to promote enriching exchanges. We are thinking in particular of rallies or quizzes! Let your creativity run wild to determine what will be planned. Why not involve your employees in this process? We bet they will be happy to choose your next activity to get to know each other better. To this end, according to Culture IQ, a company with a positive culture could see a significant increase in revenue. This is not surprising considering that the greater the satisfaction of employees at work, the greater the motivation.
Motivated employees will want to go the extra mile to achieve company goals. In this sense, we must see the satisfaction of employees at work as an investment and not as an expense! The sense of belonging to your organization will be higher if your employees get to know each other better and form meaningful connections. This is an element to consider when you wonder about how to improve employee job satisfaction.
3. Offer training based on the interests and skills of your employees
Your employees want to improve and surpass themselves. How to improve employee job satisfaction? Training is a must to ensure your staff stay up to date with expertise. Providing training can definitely contribute to employee satisfaction at work! So, why not offer your employees the opportunity to follow a training course of their choice per quarter? Learning about novelties from various areas of expertise will definitely benefit your business. Even the best employees don’t know everything! If you want your team to benefit from it depending on the subject, you could even ask these employees to present the fruit of their learning in Lunch & learn, if this is relevant for the rest of the team. By offering your employees training, you show them that you care about their professional development and that you believe in them. As an employer, be sure to set aside an annual budget for employee training. Although some relevant training is free, it is interesting to offer your employees the chance to take training that has a certain cost if necessary!
4. Offer interesting benefits
Are you wondering how to improve employee job satisfaction? Nowadays, to ensure employee satisfaction at work, you have to make sure you remain competitive in the job market. In this labor shortage, it is likely that your employees will be solicited from one side and the other. Although the benefits are not all that matters, they will certainly be considered when a competing company approaches your employees. Therefore, why not be proactive and think of benefits ideas before your employees want to leave due to lack of job satisfaction? Once again, let us remember this famous statistic from the bdc which mentions that replacing employees who resign would cost up to 200% of the employee’s annual salary. Beyond the financial loss associated with the departure of an employee, we must also consider the damage to team mood and the need to invest time in training a new colleague. Having interesting benefits is an asset to position yourself as an employer of choice.
Here are some examples of interesting benefits ideas to position yourself in the job market:
- Collective insurance; Dental insurance
- Telemedicine program
- Paid leave for birthdays
- Health program to reimburse an amount of a gym membership
- Schedule flexibility
- High/Unlimited Holidays
- Payment of equipment for working from home
- Cell phone payment
- Contribution to the employee’s RRSP
- Mental health days off
Although there are many more out there, this is a good base of ideas for great benefits to offer! Do not hesitate to survey your employees to find out which benefits would be more valuable to them. This could help you out on how to improve employee job satisfaction.
5. Give feedback and recognition to your employees to motivate them
To maximize employee satisfaction at work, recognition and feedback are two essential aspects. Indeed, employees like to receive positive or constructive feedback related to the work done. It makes them feel like they are making a difference and that their efforts are being rewarded. Do you have processes in place within your company to provide frequent feedback to your employees? Keep in mind this is important if you wonder how to improve employee job satisfaction.
Implementing an employee evaluation solution that works directly with your customers can be effective in terms of how to improve employee job satisfaction. For example, if you work for a marketing agency and you want to evaluate your digital experts, the InputKit solution allows you to send automated questionnaires to the various clients of the agency based on defined times.
This makes it easier for the manager to provide concrete feedback, since customers will have given specific comments about your employees. Positive recognition is a key element that should not be overlooked. Lack of recognition can cause stress, which negatively affects employee well-being and productivity. By adopting a more positive attitude as an employer and recognizing the efforts of your team, everyone will benefit! Giving feedback to your employees is a must to know how to improve employee job satisfaction.
6. Offer an inspiring workplace
Although working from home has gained momentum with the pandemic, employees want to come to work in an inspiring environment when they have to come to the office. Despite the omnipresence of working from home, we must see the days at the office as key moments to regroup and create value as a team. In this sense, you have to know how to make your offices places conducive to creativity, meetings and enriching exchanges. Before choosing an employer, your potential candidates will certainly try to discover your offices, in particular by going to your website or by consulting the images visible on your Google Business page. If your offices don’t look inspiring, you could lose points against a competing employer who offers a stimulating and up-to-date work environment. After all, your offices are part of your culture and your employer brand! Make sure these reflect the image your business wants to share.
In this sense, it is suggested to set up collaborative workspaces with meeting rooms so that your different teams can come together and discuss without disturbing people who are not in meetings. This will help you with how to improve employee job satisfaction.
To optimize your current workplaces or choose new offices, here are some quick tips:
- Make sure to have a variety between open and closed spaces that promote concentration and collaboration according to the contextual needs of your employees. Although open spaces are in fashion, some face-to-face meetings must be done confidentially, in private.
- Ensure that workplaces have good light and natural light through multiple windows.
- Favor a location of choice: Proximity to public transport for people who do not have vehicles. Opt for an interesting neighborhood so that your employees can get some fresh air and walks during their breaks.
- The integration of plants: According to CIPHR, plants reduce the stress of employees and would be favorable for creativity.
- The integration of technologies: The presence of screens to make group presentations in the meeting rooms, high-performance computers to accomplish the work requested, noise-canceling headphones, etc.
- The implementation of an inspiring design: Pretty colors on the walls, the integration of fabrics and up-to-date furniture are elements that can impact your workspace, both for your employees and for the perception of your customers.
- Incorporate relaxation areas for breaks: Breaks are prime times to recharge your batteries at work. Make sure you have spaces away from the noise and bustle of work so that your employees can rest and then come back strong.
In summary, to make your environment more attractive, do not hesitate to ask yourself the right questions. Are the places spacious, warm, inspiring? Do your employees see added value in spending time there? Also put yourself in the shoes of potential candidates who have to select a company: is it a place where they would like to work? Like many elements in terms of how to improve employee job satisfaction, the work environment is an element to be perceived as an investment that must be focused on in order to face the competition of the job market. Creating an inspiring workplace will benefit you if you wonder how to improve employee job satisfaction.
7. Be flexible as an employer
To ensure employee satisfaction at work, flexibility is now an essential aspect. When we talk about flexibility, we think in particular of working hours, work-family balance, the authorization to work from home and to take vacations at atypical times. Being flexible as an employer means showing empathy and understanding for the preferences and issues that your employees are experiencing. While it’s okay to have some rules in place, make sure you’re open to exceptions and discussions with your employees. After all, your employees are human! Being flexible as an employer is a key step on how to improve employee job satisfaction.
Employees appreciate being aware of what is happening within companies. Keep this in mind if you are wondering how to improve employee job satisfaction. As much as possible, try to keep your employees informed of upcoming hirings and important changes. They will thus have the impression of being part of the company and even of having a certain feeling of belonging. Your employees will appreciate your transparency, even if sometimes less positive news is shared. Just as you expect your employees to be transparent to your organization, be transparent to them!
9. Keep the promises made to your employees
For an employee, it can be disappointing to be promised a promotion, new benefits or extra help if it never happens! Be sure to make promises that you can keep as an employer. In the event of an exception, explain to your employee why this cannot happen, but put in place a concrete and clear game plan to achieve this in the near future.
Repeated disappointments can create irritants that will be difficult to erase. These repressed irritants can generate departures within companies if they are not taken care of! Establishing good communication based on honesty is a key element of employee satisfaction at work.
