How To Improve Employee Satisfaction (With 11 Strategies)

Companies of all sizes can experience the benefits of identifying areas of improvement and implementing successful strategies. Employee satisfaction is a key component of a company's viability. With accurate research and thorough input, you can design programs that address employee concerns and improve how much employees enjoy their work. 

In this article, we discuss employee satisfaction, how to improve it, how you can measure it and why it's beneficial.

What is employee satisfaction?

Employee satisfaction is the level of contentment that employees feel toward their jobs. This includes attitudes toward job responsibilities, personal performance, relationships with managers and coworkers and company culture. Employee satisfaction includes the positive emotions an individual experiences because of their job, like pride, appreciation and motivation.

Employee satisfaction can result from proper training, which may allow employees to feel confident and capable of excelling at their job duties. It can also be helpful if employees understand exactly what supervisors expect of them and how managers measure their performance.

Read more: The Key to Employee Satisfaction and How To Achieve It

How to improve employee satisfaction

Here are ways to improve employee satisfaction in an organization:

1. Research what employees want

Learning what employees want can help you make changes to boost job satisfaction. Use surveys and interviews to ask employees what resources, tools and benefits matter most to them. Use this data to design programs and initiatives that exceed employee expectations.

Related: Employee Surveys: Your Modern Day Suggestion Box

2. Ensure employees get respect

Create a safe, healthy work environment that demands the fair treatment of all employees. Encourage employees to voice any concerns. It's also important to acknowledge and respect their feedback, then apply what you learn to make changes in the workplace.

Related: Respect in the Workplace: How To Show Respect and Promote It

3. Review pay and benefits packages

If employees express discontent with their pay and benefits packages, consider reviewing pay structures with executives and interested parties to determine how you can make these options more appealing. It's important to ensure you offer competitive pay and give employees opportunities to earn enough to support themselves, so research and revise your pay and benefits structures accordingly.

4. Enhance job security

Make sure employees know their jobs are stable. Job insecurity can lead to anxiety that may affect job performance. However, employees who feel confident and secure in their positions may be more eager to invest in the company.

Read more: The Importance of Job Security in the Workplace (With Tips)

5. Create opportunities for employees to use and develop relevant skills

Try to align employees' job duties with their skills and talents. Consider offering job training for employees to promote career development. You can also provide educational resources to encourage employees to gain new skills.

Read more: Q&A: What Is Job Enrichment?

6. Improve relationships with immediate supervisors

Encourage one-on-one meetings with employees and their direct supervisors. This may mean providing lunch or coffee for regular informal check-ins. These check-ins could also occur virtually, such as via video chat.

Related: What Are One-on-Ones and Why Are They Important? (With Tips)

7. Demonstrate organizational stability

Employees can become distracted by concerns about company difficulties. Make sure employees know that the business is financially stable. During periods of economic instability, try to highlight the company's resilience and find inexpensive ways to celebrate employees, like awards and extra time off.

Related: Macroeconomic Factors: Definition and 11 Types of Indicators

8. Recognize job performance

Small, informal recognition can motivate employees more than a formal affair. Incorporate regular ways to acknowledge small successes. This recognition can instill a sense of pride in employees and motivate them to continue meeting their goals.

Read more: 11 Ways To Recognize Your Employees

9. Prioritize corporate social responsibility

Many employees care deeply about how their employers engage in social issues. Create programs for employees to contribute to causes that matter to them. You can also investigate ways for the business to get involved in charitable initiatives.

Related: 4 Levels of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

10. Welcome ideas from all employees

Provide a forum for all employees to share ideas and feedback. Incorporate this feedback into policies and procedures, if possible. You can also make sure to recognize employees who submit useful suggestions.

11. Create an inviting workspace

Consider the following ways to enhance your office space:

• Playing instrumental music

• Providing snacks

• Offering relaxation areas

• Scheduling team-building activities

• Encouraging breaks

• Offering discounts on wellness services or providing on-site access

Related: How To Develop a Positive Work Environment in 6 Steps

How can you measure employee satisfaction?

You can evaluate employee satisfaction through:

Surveys

For a simple assessment of employee attitudes, ask employees to rate their job satisfaction on a scale from one to 10. You can also use programs designed to create, send and analyze surveys. You can receive reports based on survey results, saving you time compiling data. Consider questions such as:

• Do you enjoy our company culture?

• Do you have friends at work?

• Do you feel motivated by your direct supervisor?

• Do you feel like your opinions matter?

• Do you clearly understand your responsibilities?

• Do you feel like the management team is transparent?

Related: 36 Employee Engagement Survey Questions (With Importance)

Interviews

Schedule interviews with selected employees to help determine the general attitudes in the workplace. You might ask questions such as:

• Do you have all the necessary tools to meet your job's requirements? What resources would help you?

• Do you feel appreciated? What contributes to this feeling?

• Do you feel motivated to perform your best every day? What could motivate you?

Peer reviews

You can use peer reviews to allow employees to evaluate one another. These reviews can provide more insight into interpersonal relationships in the office. They can also reveal the pros and cons of management styles and employee perspectives on job performance.

Related: Best Practices for a Peer Review at Work

Informal discussions

Have informal conversations throughout the week to gauge employee engagement. These simple, brief interactions can keep you in touch with general employee sentiments and show employees you care about their thoughts and perspectives.

Once you identify general trends in the workplace through these discussions, you can create a plan to address the challenges. Work with department directors and managers to implement new programs and maintain successful initiatives. You may also consider hiring a consultant to observe team members in the organization and recommend strategies to increase employee engagement and satisfaction.

What are the benefits of high employee satisfaction?

The benefits of high rates of employee satisfaction include:

• Increased productivity and quality of work: Highly satisfied employees often achieve higher productivity levels and produce higher quality work than dissatisfied employees.

• Reduced employee turnover: When employees are happy with their role and company, they're typically less likely to leave for another job.

• Improved workplace morale: A company with high employee satisfaction creates a positive, supportive environment.

• Remaining competitive in the job market and field: Organizations with content, engaged employees can attract other motivated candidates and stay competitive in the marketplace.

• Enhanced employee motivation: Employees who feel valued and recognized might feel more eager to perform well.