If you are currently on the lookout for tools to measure employee satisfaction we assume you’re getting ready to ramp up engagement at your company in the year to come. Hurrah!
A recent survey by Universum SA revealed that South African citizens aren’t very happy in their jobs as a rule. In fact, the average level of satisfaction was at a rather meh 6/10. That’s not bad, but it’s not great either.
If someone had to tell you a prospective date was a 6/10 would you be giddy at the prospect of meeting them for dinner? Nah, not quite. Similarly, if someone told you that a company was a nice place to work 6 out of every 10 days, you probably would not be in too great a rush to get your application in when they had a job opening.
This begs the question – what exactly do South African employees need to be satisfied at work? Well, according to findings based on a survey by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), people are looking for job security, good opportunities for advancement, adequate income, interesting day-to-day tasks, as well as positions that would allow them to give back to their communities, work independently and be flexible enough to accommodate a healthy work-life balance.
Check out our YouTube channel for some great video content on everything from the science of employee recognition to training managers to promote employee engagement from within.
Fair enough, right?
So, how do you know if people are happy at your company? This is where tools to measure employee satisfaction come in. See our top three picks below:
3 tools you can use to measure employee satisfaction in 2021 and beyond:
1. Regular one-on-one meetings
Life is busy and there are a thousand things that need to get done each day, which means regular check-ins with employees often get pushed to the back burner until something goes amiss and someone gets ready to jump ship. By that time, it’s almost always too late to address the issues that inspired them to look elsewhere.
This is why continuous performance management is such a useful HR tool. Ideally, regular one-on-one meetings with employees should be factored into each manager’s list of monthly KPIs. The objective should be to see how well each person on their team is faring in their position and if they are satisfied with the way things are going.
These talks are normally more effective if they’re conducted in a less formal way, based on a few open-ended questions, such as:
- Do you feel comfortable with your current workload?
- Are there certain skills that you would like to learn that you believe would allow you to do a more effective job?
- Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
- Do you feel that the company offers you enough room for growth?
- Where do you think management could improve?
- Are there any tools or resources you need that have not been provided?
- Are you happy in your team at the moment? Is there any friction that makes it hard to do your job?
- What could we do to make your work more meaningful for you?
TOP TIP: Do not try to solve any issues in these meetings. Listen, take notes and only ask subsequent questions if clarification is required. Problem-solving should occur in a structured fashion afterwards.
Read more: 10 ways to improve employee satisfaction
2. Employee surveys
If there ever was an HR tool that has stood the test of time, it has to be the anonymous employee survey. After all, not everything you need to hear from your employees can be said in person. No matter how linear your company structure may be, there is always going to be a pecking order of sorts, and people are not always comfortable to speak their minds in front of the powers that be.
The great thing about living in the tech age is that surveys no longer have to cause reams of needless paperwork. These days, we have all sorts of awesome SaaS-based tools at our disposal that allow us to conduct surveys and make sense of the data without breaking a sweat. This includes:
- Pulse surveys that provide quick, regular feedback on specific topics enabling management to deal with any pain points as they become apparent.
- Engagement surveys that effectively measure your team’s level of ‘in the game’-ness and how well they connect with your corporate mission and vision.
- Alignment surveys that measure whether your organisation’s strategy and operations are aligned for optimal results.
- Culture surveys that determine whether your corporate culture is ticking all the boxes you need it to.
- Climate surveys that assess how well your team is doing in a more thorough way and how you can improve their experience at your company.
Read more: The lowdown on employee satisfaction surveys (and the questions you should be asking!)
3. A suggestion box
Yeah, we know, super old-school. At a time when we are using artificial intelligence to recruit top talent, and SaaS to keep our employees motivated, a suggestion box can seem as out of date as a VHS tape or those weird ashtrays in the arm rests of really old airplanes. However, unlike these remnants of the previous century, a suggestion box is still very much on point.
Surveys and regular employee check-ins will give you plenty of data to work with, but sometimes an employee might have an issue they want to bring under your attention without drawing attention to themselves, or having to wait for their next scheduled sit-down. In cases like these, it’s helpful to have access to a suggestion box that is (and we cannot stress this enough) checked on a regular basis.
While you may only get input on the small stuff (e.g. ‘coffee pods are an environmental hazard’, or ‘the A/C in the main office is consistently too cold’), responding to these requests shows your employees that you care about their experience, which will ultimately improve their satisfaction.
Using these three tools to measure employee engagement at your company will allow you to address cultural concerns before they turn into major engagement hurdles.
Check back soon for more insider info on keeping your employees happily productive in 2021 and beyond.
Check out our YouTube channel for some great video content on everything from the science of employee recognition to training managers to promote employee engagement from within.