We all know that excessive stress is a health hazard, especially in the high-pressure environment of the workplace. Studies in the USA indicate that stress on the average employee causes them to be nearly three times as likely to leave their jobs, temporarily impair their strategic thinking, and dull their creative abilities followed by the biggest threat which is burnout.
Burnout is said to cost more than £230 billion a year in staff absence, turnover, diminished productivity and medical, legal and insurance costs.
We are all familiar with the saying “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” While this can be easier said than done, it encourages us to ask ourselves whether emotions like happiness, stress and anxiety play a vital role in employee job satisfaction.
What Is Employee Job Satisfaction?
There is no single answer to the question as it can mean many different things to different people. However, this generally refers to the degree of pleasure or happiness that a worker feels towards their employment and the specific role they do every day.
There are a variety of factors which can influence an employee’s job satisfaction such as the nature of the work, the culture of the business and the employee’s relationships with their co-workers. A person who is satisfied is more likely to be productive and motivated, and less likely to leave their position.
What causes dissatisfaction which leads to workplace stress?
We hope you won’t be familiar with these, but far too often, people push aside their concerns and work through a role until burnout. This may be to avoid the financial struggles that can come with leaving a job – or the fact that they don’t recognise the signs of stress.
- Workers are unsatisfied with the salary being offered or lack of monetary rewards
- Staff do not feel secure in the job itself which can cause a great deal of anxiety
- Dissatisfied with the lack of communication or management procedures
- There is a lack of recognition
- Do not feel their relationship with their immediate supervisor is positive
- An unmanageable workload
- No further opportunities or advancement within the company
- Absence of trust within the team
Aspects which can contribute to burnout can be workload, job security, personal pressure, managerial pressure and time pressures. But we may come across other things along the way that can inevitably lead to burnout.
10 proven ingredients to improve satisfaction in the workplace
1. Culture
Defining a company culture links to job satisfaction as it provides values and guidance about topics ranging from organisational goals to appropriate levels of synergy between employees.
2. Communication
Communication can be exceptionally important to retaining levels of satisfaction, on both a professional and personal level. It is exhibited in allowing employees to be open, collaborative, trustworthy, and even confrontational when needed.
3. Security
It’s very little surprise that once a culture is established in a workplace, satisfaction can then be enhanced by added feelings of security.
4. Opportunities
Employees can gain more satisfaction with their job when more challenging opportunities arise. This can lead to participation in interesting and diverse projects and get employees away from the repetition of their general roles.
5. Leadership
Staff want to feel someone is leading from the front and taking care of their needs and always on hand to help when things are difficult. Leadership has a crucial influence on job satisfaction.
6. Opportunities
Employees can gain more gratification with their job when more challenging opportunities arise. This can lead to participation in interesting and diverse projects and get employees away from the monotony of a role.
7. Career development
Employees can become more pleased with their job when they know there is an individualised plan for them. Beyond the formal nature of appraisals, if there is a path in place for growth, this can encourage employees to stay happier for longer.
8. Working conditions
Job satisfaction can be heightened if their place of employment is a cooperative environment to work in. This means a workplace with a respect for all employee opinions, creativity and freedom of ideas, constructive feedback, mentoring opportunities, and freedom from harassment.
9. Pay and benefits
Organisational success and job satisfaction are also linked to employees’ perceptions of fair and suitable pay and benefits.
While pay and benefits are not the only reason employees find satisfaction in their workplaces, many employees rank themselves high on pay and benefits in terms of job happiness.
10. Rewards and recognition
Beyond monetary gain and being paid fairly for the work they do, job satisfaction for employees means that promotional policies are unambiguous and in line with their expectations.
Some employees view satisfaction at a job as not exclusively linked to their pay, but to the perceived fairness of how one is recognised at work for their achievements.
What can these important principles bring to the organisation?
1. Higher productivity
Regardless of their job titles or salary, employees who are more satisfied with their job, whether they feel satisfied with the organisational working culture, with the rewards they are getting, or with recognition, can produce more and do it more efficiently.
2. Increased profits
Here is one any manager and/or employee might appreciate. Keeping employees satisfied can lead to higher sales, lower costs and a stronger bottom line which further down the line could lead to bonuses for the team.
3. Loyalty
When employees feel there is a path of development or growth for them, they are more satisfied. In turn, because they feel the organisation has their best interests at heart, they tend to support the organisational mission and objectives. When this happens, employees may tell their friends or relatives about the good nature of the organisation, which helps spread organisational goodwill.
4. Lower turnover
If employees are more satisfied with their job, they are less likely to leave. It also helps to recruit better quality talent as new talent sees staff retention as an extremely positive sign.
Why is this important?
Employee job satisfaction is important because it contributes to many of the main cogs of a business.
When employees are satisfied with their jobs, they are more likely to be motivated and engaged to get their best work done. Additionally, you’ll start to see higher levels of employee engagement, which can translate into better customer service and success for the organisation.
In order to create a satisfied workforce, it is important to assess what employees value in their jobs and work to provide those things. Additionally, organisations should strive to create a positive work environment where employees feel supported and appreciated.
Can your business get involved?
We hope this article has shed some light on the benefit of understanding what employee job satisfaction is contributing to workplace stress, and while you don’t have to be a seasoned academic to apply the principles – now is certainly the time to look into these strategies.
Get in touch today for more support, advice and information on where to begin!
You can reach us at enquiries@azimuth.eu.com or call 01483 24 33 81.
We will be more than happy to discuss how we can help you and with over 20 years of experience across a range of industries, we have the innovative, proven tools that can help you unlock the true potential of yourself – and your business. What are you waiting for? What Is Employee Job Satisfaction?
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