Job satisfaction: Why is it important not only for employees but for employer too

A job provides people with a sense of fulfillment, productivity, and purpose. We are created to be active and productive people. Having a job that depends on a person to complete a task or role also conveys a sense of responsibility to the employee.

For the first time in several years, the number of employees who say they are satisfied with their current job took a big jump, rising from 81 per cent in 2014 to 88 per cent in 2018, according to the Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Job satisfaction of employees has a cascading effect on the future hires of any organisation, a satisfied employee would be a great brand ambassador for the organisation, this creates a brand pull which is more stronger for any organisation.

A satisfied employee is not just a retained employee but an ambassador for the brand, internally and externally. They are the ones who are extremely loyal towards their organization and stick to it even in the worst scenario. They do not work out of any compulsion but because they dream of taking their organization to a new level. If a person is dissatisfied with their work, this could lead to dissatisfaction in other areas of their life.

Why employee satisfaction matters?

Higher Productivity: Irrespective of job title and pay grade, employees who report high job satisfaction tend to achieve higher productivity. When someone is happy with their job, they focus well and they pay attention to their tasks.

Increased Clients Satisfaction: Keeping employees safe and satisfied can lead to higher sales and lower costs. If the employees are satisfied with their job then they can give better client service and we know that customer retention and loyalty are dependent on the basis of the given service of the employees. If customers’ loyalty is increased, automatically it will lead to increase profit.

Earn Higher Revenues: No amount of training or motivation-would help, unless and until individuals develop a feeling of attachment and loyalty towards their organization. They do not come to office just for money but because they really feel for the organization and believe in its goals and objectives. They take pride in representing their respective organization and work hard to ensure higher revenues for the organization.

Employees are the ambassador of the Brand: If the employees are happy and satisfied, they will spread head the best out the organization. But a dissatisfied employee expresses their negative perceptions more in external forums than internal ones which can affect the equity of the organization. And when an existing employee bad mouth about the company, it reduces the prospects of the listener to join the company and the reputation of the organization is impacted.

Openness and transparency is the key

There should be an open and transparent system between an employer and employees. Leaders set the example by always being open and honest and infusing transparency into all aspects and all levels of the business. They can even share their own goals, progress, and failures to create a culture of open communication. Then employees feel emboldened to take risks, knowing that those risks will either pay-off or result in respectful and constructive criticism. When employees feel these strong bonds of trust, they will share issues openly instead of sweeping them under the rug. And when leaders create safe environments, employees will be far more likely to generate innovative ideas more often.

 If employee satisfaction is must then why not employer satisfaction?

In the same way employees need to do their bit to create a happy and enthusiastic work environment where they can work under the leadership of their employer in order to balance the cycle of job satisfaction.

Show Initiative: Sitting back waiting and for your employer to hand out assignments doesn't showcase your interest in career advancement. Speak up if you're interested in learning more about the business and the organization, and tell you boss if you want training to acquire new skills or update the ones you have.

Show Engagement: The more you enjoy what you're doing, the more engaged and enthusiastic you are about your job. Employees who are -- what HR experts call "fully engaged" -- take ownership of their role within the organization, and they perform their job duties to make their employers proud of them.

If there is a mismatch of your leadership style and your employee’s style and you do not recognize it, your relationship may never see success. One or both of you will be disappointed in the other person. This disappointment will cause friction over time if not addressed and eventually, something has to give. That’s why one of the key methods of improving employee relations involves nipping it in the bud as soon as possible.

Studies have shown that, only a few organizations believe that job satisfaction is a crucial element in their overall strategy and very little is being done to promote it. This can be due to the fact that many organizations fail to understand the link between job satisfaction and productivity. Organisations should focus on employee engagement in order to increase their satisfaction level. The question is — how to do this? It turns out that the best way to improve your worker’s engagement doesn’t involve pay or benefits – it’s about creating a workplace of respect. The bottom line: pay and benefits might convince a job seeker to sign on with your organization, but respect will keep them in the game and at your table.

The other side of the coin says that the cycle of job satisfaction will keep on moving if both employee and the employer will realize their parts of responsibilities and will together take it forward in order to gain company’s prosperity. 

By Rajesh Pundir, Managing Partner, Executive Access