5 Key Factors for Ensuring Employee Happiness and Satisfaction

10 September 2024

With each passing day, the world is becoming competitive. This fierce competition has made employees lose touch with themselves, often experiencing burnout at work.

Around 77% of employees went through burnout at their respective workplaces, according to Zippia.

In another research, the American Psychological Association revealed nearly 3 out of 5 employees endured work-related stress.

It’s safe to say that the competition has unsettled them and affected their efficiency levels. Apart from competition, there are other contributing factors to employee dissatisfaction.

Let’s discuss those factors one by one.

Lack of Appreciation

Feeling appreciated gives us a sense of achievement. No employee goes the extra mile if the feeling of appreciation is not there.

Think about it – you’re undervalued despite working hard and grinding away. It rightfully falls to your manager and peers to appreciate your diligence. Failure to do so will only frustrate you.

Inadequate Compensation

Fair compensation is among the major aspects of the corporate world.

The population of underpaid employees continues to rise, and it doesn’t well with employees in the long run. They eventually start holding their firms accountable for financial meltdowns.

Poor Management

It’s up to the management to oversee employees and make sure they’re contented. We won’t be wrong to imply that the management is responsible for the prosperity of employees.

Managers either maximize or minimize employee morale. Since they lead the way, every decision is like the sword’s edge; one wrong call can break an employee.

Limited Career Growth

Thousands of employees aim for professional development. However, Statista shows that the absence of professional development/advancement is the top reason behind leaving office.

As a result of inadequate career prospects, employees become disheartened and run out of motivation to continue working.

For instance, employees in Switzerland can pursue various professional development programs, such as those offered by Benedict’s Language School, or explore business and management training. Additionally, specialized courses in IT and health are available and can help employees enhance their skill sets and broaden their career prospects.

As a result of inadequate career prospects, employees become disheartened and run out of motivation to continue working. By providing access to professional development resources, employers can retain talent and encourage career growth within the organization.

Work-Life Balance

Some companies are tedious when it comes to operations. Compulsive workers don’t regard it as a challenge. On the flip side, it’s not pleasant for most employees.

An individual’s personal life is not supposed to affect his or her professional life, and vice versa. Too much work deters employees from being together with friends and families.

5 Steps to Ensure Employee Happiness and Satisfaction

There are productive solutions to persistent problems. Employees must be aware of these problems and navigate them thoroughly.

As far as employers are concerned, they can take five steps to establish an atmosphere of happiness and satisfaction for employees.

Here they are:

Survey Your Team

Keeping tabs on your employees is actually a powerful instrument. It helps identify underlying issues and areas for improvement. Otherwise stated, conducting surveys is a structured and sophisticated means to gather feedback on several workplace elements, benefitting your employees at the end of the day.

Research on employee happiness proves that monitoring and supporting your employees enhances their satisfaction and engagement.

Factors such as heavy workload and toxicity impact employees, and a systematic survey enables you to pinpoint them effectively. Afterward, your employees will be alert to address the issues and pursue targeted measures.

Provide Resources

Nowadays, it’s indispensable for businesses to strengthen their online presence. In that case, employers should provide all the necessary resources to employees so they can amplify the business’s digital footprint.

For instance, visual tools are great for engagement. Several online tools make it easier to craft graphics that enable quick communication and branding.  If you provide premiums for such tools, your employees will have ample room for the smooth performance of tasks.

Research confirms that access to resources and tools leads employees to complete tasks efficiently.

Offer Fair Salary and Benefits

Following is the famous motto of the American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L):

“A fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.”

Without a doubt, a good salary along with essential benefits incentivizes employees. It encourages employees to broaden their horizons and unlock their full potential during work. They deem it a recognition that opens doors for additional opportunities.

Besides a good salary, employers should grant performance bonuses, health insurance, and casual and sick leave. The benefits are conducive to retaining employees and setting them up for success.

Build a Positive Work Environment

The definition of a positive work environment is different from company to company. The best definition revolves around an environment that allows employees to feel safe and at ease.

This positivity stems from openness and transparency, two vital driving forces behind collaboration and innovation. Because of increased teamwork, employees draw back from resigning.

Turnover rates, or the percentage of employees leaving a company, decrease drastically, given that a positive work environment is implemented.

Building a positive work environment isn’t just about creating a space where employees feel at ease; it also involves ensuring compliance with various regulatory standards to protect both employees and the organization. Utilizing tools like the OIG SAM can help employers stay up-to-date with important compliance requirements and prevent potential risks associated with hiring ineligible individuals.

Foster Autonomy

Empowering employees to get a grip on their work is fundamental for job fulfillment. If employees perceive signs of work autonomy, they’ll put in more effort and gain an immense understanding of how things function.

Employees need to relish in what they do, and fostering autonomy is helpful. Creative thinking generates new ideas – ideas that autonomous employees can certainly bring forth.

Work flexibility and enjoyment are the main grounds of workplace autonomy for a large chunk of employees.

In Summary

The competition is cutthroat, exerting a strain on employees’ mental health.

The barricades impeding the efficiency of employees are serious and must be tackled. It’s the responsibility of employers to follow the discussed steps to boost employee happiness and satisfaction. From surveying your team to fostering autonomy, boil the ocean and accommodate your employees to the utmost.

Elevate your business by fortifying your workforce. Make a killing soon after!