Employees are the lifeblood of any company or organization. From c-suite executives to management to the mailroom, every employee at your company performs an essential function that contributes to your mission and the success of your organization. Each employee performing at their best will result in your company performing at its best. That’s why it is essential to find ways to improve job performance on an individual employee level—for every employee—if you want your business to succeed. A major indicator of job performance is employee satisfaction.
Happy employees are proud of the work they do. They are comfortable within the working environment and are more engaged, creative, and productive than dissatisfied employees. Employees who are satisfied with their jobs exceed in their performance. It is therefore necessary that company executives ensure that employees at every level are satisfied. As important as this is, unfortunately it is not always practiced.
According to a 2015 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, many employees do not feel that they are valued by their employer when they consider their value to the organization. Employees want to be able to engage and perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. In return, they wish to be valued and compensated for their contributions to the company – and to feel that their own time, needs, and opinions are respected. Not only is it likely that unhappy employees will underperform, but they are also much more likely to leave your company for an employer they believe will recognize their value. So, what can be done to improve employee satisfaction, retain talent, and reduce turnover?
- Keep the hiring process simple. Employee satisfaction begins even before they are hired, and prospective employees want a simple, positive hiring process. The job market can be brutal, and the process of applying for jobs can be arduous. The hiring and onboarding process can be daunting, complicated, and require a lot of work from your prospective employee before they even join your company. Making this process easy will attract top-tier talent and create an immediate, positive impression with new hires.
- Make your expectations clear. One of the most important indicators of employee happiness and productivity is the clarity of instructions. The extent to which employees understand what you expect—and feel they can provide excellent work that meets those expectations—will dramatically impact their performance. Providing clear expectations that are readily accessible, training to meet those expectations, and setting usable metrics for performance will make employees feel more valued.
- Communicate effectively. Effective communication is an important indicator of job satisfaction and can be the difference between an employee staying with your company and leaving for another. Provide an avenue by which employees can easily voice concerns and management can provide feedback. Make communication simple and more effective throughout your company to improve inter-departmental relationships.
Your employees are vital to the success of your organization. Recruiting and retaining the best talent in your industry is critical to achieving organizational goals and operating to your own high standards. Making employees feel valued with simple hiring processes, effective communication and clear expectations can keep productivity high by helping to improve employee satisfaction across the board.
