Employee satisfaction = profits

By Leahcim Semaj, Ph.D. - Change Agent, Contributor

I AM sure that the title raised some eyebrows. But it is true; satisfied employees give good service to clients and satisfied clients translate to increased profits. I know that there are employers who think that it is impossible to satisfy workers and there are workers who do a good job of making this appear so. But even if employee satisfaction seems like an unattainable goal, employers/entrepreneurs should still implement procedures that can reliably measure the satisfaction of their staff.

THE EXTERNAL CUSTOMER COMES SECOND

David Maister, in his book Practice What You Preach demonstrates that "not only does employee commitment and dedication create positive financial repercussions, but companies with less employee morale and enthusiasm make less money". Maister points out that service firms should "excel at energising their people" as in effect service firms 'sell' their own people.

Maister conducted a worldwide survey of 139 offices in 29 service firms across 15 countries in 15 types of business. One major finding was that not only did employee commitment and dedication create positive financial repercussion, but companies with lower employee morale and enthusiasm made less money.

If you think about it, the quality of the customer service you have received can make a significant difference when you decide whether or not to return to a restaurant or a bill payment facility for example. What are employees thinking?

But how can you find out what your employees are thinking? How can you measure the level of satisfaction within your own organisation? In the Jamaican situation many workers when given an opportunity to speak in an open forum will not speak out. Many more will participate in a context where their views can be presented in anonymity.

JOB SATISFACTION SURVEY

This is where a Job Satisfaction Survey is useful. The information is collected in a context where people can freely give their opinion. In some work environments, workers are distrustful of management and in these circumstance it is beneficial for someone from outside of the organisation to collect and collate the information, and then present the findings to the management and staff of the organisation.

A Job Satisfaction Survey can be conducted with all members of the company or with a representative sample. The questions that are asked will determine how useful the information that is collected will be. The purpose of collecting the information should be to determine the areas of dissatisfaction with a view to improving them. Once the information has been gathered and analysed, the findings should be reviewed and shared, with management and employees alike.

Job Satisfaction Surveys can be used by organisations of all sizes and types. Unionized organisations have found them invaluable for identifying key issues or areas of concern prior to a negotiation period. Small organisations have used Job Satisfaction Surveys to determine how best to improve employee morale given limited available funds.

How satisfied are you with your job?

We Welcome New Travellers

If you are joining this weekly quest for the first time, you can easily catch up on the past instalments by logging on to www.jobbank-ja.com. On the Download Page, you will find all the back articles. You may also leave your comments or questions on the message board at the same site or E-mail me at lsemaj@jobbank-ja.com. You are also invited to join us on Mondays on Nationwide (HOT102FM) 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. to continue this discussion. Each week we will take you deeper into understanding your personality profile and how to use this knowledge to take charge of your personal and professional life.

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