Often, managers will use their observations as one of the top ways to measure employee satisfaction. Sometimes, this will give you a portion of the data you want. In many other cases, the problem is that you cannot tell if an employee is satisfied or happy at work. Remote work can make it even more challenging to get an accurate pulse on how employees feel, and many companies want to ensure they retain their best talent. That’s why finding the best ways to measure employee satisfaction is essential.
Survey Your Employees
On one hand, the idea of surveying your employees to measure their satisfaction seems like a piece of cake. Just ask them if they’re happy or how they feel, and then you’ll know — right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Many HR departments, leaders, and executives miss critical data when they survey. Surveys are incredibly complex when you begin to look at the science of:
- What questions are asked
- How questions are asked (many specific questions, several open-ended questions, what wording is best?)
- How the answer choices are framed (Likert scale, free text, yes/no, multiple choices, etc)
- How much personalization different roles need
- How to encourage the most honest answers
- What to do with the answers once you get them
While companies may task someone in Human Resources with creating the surveys, more companies are turning to outside sources, like Amazing Workplace, that can provide true expertise. It’s okay that you’re not an expert in employee happiness; that’s (probably) not your job. This is an essential initiative worth bringing in a company whose sole focus is employee happiness.
Interpret the Results of Employee Surveys
Once you’ve surveyed your employees, it’s time for analysis and science. At this point, figuring out what standards you’re benchmarking your data against is important. Just having employees’ survey answers doesn’t tell you how your company is doing overall or in relation to other companies. The answers you get must be interpreted for your leadership to understand what they mean for you. This is another area where you can benefit from expertise. A company that is dedicated to the science of interpreting employee surveys will be able to give you the objective answers you’re looking for.
What Happens After You Measure Employee Satisfaction?
What happens after you’ve got a good handle on the current status of your employees’ happiness? First, celebrate if your employees are happy — you’re doing a great job! Then, think about what steps your company can take to improve or maintain those happiness levels. If the survey results are not as positive as you hoped, remember that you just took the most crucial step in fixing a less-than-ideal situation. Now that you have the knowledge and the details of how your employees are feeling, you can undertake initiatives to improve happiness if that’s what is warranted.
Employee satisfaction is critical for businesses that want to retain great team members, recruit new talent, and improve their reputation. This is not an area to leave to someone without experience. Instead, bring in the experts. We’ve got great resources for those wanting to measure employee happiness and satisfaction: it’s the entire focus of our business and our passion. Contact us to learn more about what we offer.