Staff Satisfaction

A business cannot altogether claim success if the only basis it can boast of is profits. A company is truly successful when its employees are kept satisfied and are genuinely happily involved in the success of the company. It is in putting premiums on its staff that a company inspires excellence and decreases staff turnover and increases profits. It is important for business managers and owners to implement and foster employee satisfaction in a business  as this is a key feature in building the success of a business. Although it takes time and a lot of patience, nevertheless, investing in systems will result in your employees contributing more to their jobs.

Company management must be ready to fulfill its obligation to its staff. Employee management skills are needed to meet this end. The managers  of the business must be able to create tangible programs in order to ensure a credible employee-management relationship with the management based on trust and support. When that trust and support is present between the management and staff, it help create an environment where people feel empowered to optimize their capacity and ability. Management must also be willing to extend moral support, and foster autonomy and independence in the workplace as most employees dislike being watched, controlled and micromanaged.

Measuring Staff Satisfaction.

Employee satisfaction survey is the usual method  for measuring workplace satisfaction. The result to this survey gauges whether employees are happy, feeling appreciated at work and are contributing their thoughts and ideas.

The survey also helps determine how employee-centered the company is. This is usually done anonymously and conducted periodically to measure employees’ satisfaction in certain aspects of managerial and employee matters. Many employers find this survey very beneficial to get ideas on how to improve relationships between the employers and employees and in many ways job-related advancements. Some of the things important to employee satisfaction included the following:  job security, being able to contribute ideas, benefits (especially health care) with the importance of retirement, compensation/pay, opportunities to use skills and abilities, supportive work environment and feeling safe in the work environment.


But here’s the rub. New trends in employee satisfaction survey have redefined the meaning of employee satisfaction. The parameters are extended in such a way that “employee satisfaction could not be adequately associated with high performance" and that “fulfillment satisfaction” is the new order of the day.

Let's take a look at these evidences:

Different people define staff satisfaction differently. While it is normally believed that employee satisfaction is necessary for high performance, studies in the past have not supported this belief. Several years ago, Wilson Learning Worldwide began asking why, and concluded that the problem was in the definition of satisfaction.

The dictionary defines satisfaction as “gratification of an appetite and pleasure.” Satisfaction therefore is intertwined with happiness and comfort. It is likely that in most of the previous studies, people responded to the question “Are you satisfied?” by interpreting the question as “Are you comfortable in your work? Do you feel secure and content?” While this may not have been the intention of the question, this understanding of the question does suggest why organizational performance has not been linked statistically to employee satisfaction. Here, they often associate high performance with contentment, security, and comfort.

However, they do tend to associate high performance with enjoyment of the work, fulfillment in accomplishment, and effective work relationships. Therefore, the researchers at Wilson Learning Worldwide decided to explore a new definition of satisfaction and have identified a powerful tool for creating a high-performance, high-fulfillment work environment. They called it “Fulfillment Satisfaction” (or, just “fulfillment”) to differentiate it from the traditional definition of satisfaction (that is, satisfaction as being comfortable). Based fro this definition therefore the principal elements of fulfillment, empowerment, and engagement are as follows: 


• Satisfaction with the job: People need to value their day-to-day work activities. People need to have a sense of accomplishment or pleasure from the work itself. Their work needs to be something that they find fulfillment in.

• Satisfaction with relationships: A healthy and satisfying relationship among co-workers is imperative in a workplace. People have to value the relationships they have on the job to be fulfilled. People need to enjoy working with their colleagues Should disagreements arise, the focus should not  be on the interpersonal differences, but on task differences.

• Satisfaction with leadership: A leader's skill and integrity are essential to build satisfaction at work. If people do not think that they are being managed or led effectively, it is hard to have fulfillment in the workplace.

• Knowing that others are satisfied with their work: As people work together in group settings, they are likely to influence each other’s attitudes and beliefs. Because of the roles that teamwork and joint effort play in organizational success today, tapping into these elements is important. One might feel personally satisfied, but not feel appreciated from others. As a result, the overall sense of fulfillment that the employee feels will be diminished.

Staff Satisfaction Tips

1. A rotten apple can spoil the whole basket.Apply this principle to the workplace. Employ happy, go getter employees. Do not poison the work environment by employing negative employees. Also employ staff how have a high level of emotional intelligence.

2. Provide open and honest leadership

3. Be constantly supportive of your employees.

4. Thank staff for performing well. Be generous with compliments while minimizing on criticisms and reprimands

A satisfied staff will ultimately become your company's best asset and they will be the primary key to your business success - so keep them happy!