What makes a satisfied employee?

Anna Margaretha, Inspira Consultant, Jakarta

Job satisfaction is one of many aspects influencing employee motivation and productivity. But with changes in corporate culture, many organizations no longer see it as an important issue in human resources management.

Many of today's managers believe that the money is the main factor which contributes to employee satisfaction and commitment.

The result of surveys on this topic has often shown that the above understanding does not always hold true. There are factors other than money that contribute to employee satisfaction. Renumeration and benefits are only part of many aspects that motivate people to perform their best. Other factors such as reward and recognition, good management support and career opportunities also play an important role.

An employee who is satisfied with his or her job generally performs better than one who is dissatisfied. Satisfied employees translates into lower rates of absenteeism and turnover. While, dissatisfaction is associated with a high level of work grievances, which can affect company productivity or performance in general.

To know whether employees are satisfied with their current conditions, the management needs to conduct some exploration. In a small company, this exploration can be done through an informal conversation. But, this approach would not be effective in a large corporation. A direct approach does not guarantee an honest response because there is no anonymity. A more systematic and comprehensive approach is needed to gain more valid results.

Conducting a survey through a questionnaire might be the best method in a large company.

This kind of survey usually covers several aspects such as communication, management in general, working relations, working conditions, compensation and benefits, and growth and development. These points can be added or removed according to the needs of each company.

After some statistical calculations, the result will provide a picture of the differences between employee expectations and what they perceive they get. It also points out what employee's priorities are (in order of importance). It gives the management feedback on their policy/strategies in some issues and what needs to be done to improve the perceived current condition.

"Action based" follow-up after the survey is extremely important. Otherwise, this program will be considered a mere formality, which has no impact at all on the employees' work life.

The management also needs to assure employees that their responses are strictly confidential and will not jeopardize their career. The employees need to be sure that the process is objective and will not be used for any other purpose other than for what it was intended, to gain maximum benefit for the company.

Assistance from independent third parties in conducting a survey is also needed so that the result will be more objective and neutral. The human resources department can also conduct the survey themselves, as long as the fairness of the survey can be maintained.

For the human resources department, a regular survey will give them important inputs in considering strategies in employee development, recruitment and organizational development. It also provides feedback on the impact of previous programs.

Since satisfied people perform better, the company needs to ensure the working conditions and climate are conducive.