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Employee Satisfaction Surveys Serve As a Valuable Tool for Improving Companies' Workplace Productivity, Employee Retention Rates and Bottom-Line Profitability

Employee satisfaction surveys provide companies with a valuable tool for improving employee retention rates, workers' job satisfaction, and overall workplace productivity and profitability.

In a survey of 206 mid to large companies, William M. Mercer, Inc. found that in businesses with a low turnover, 40% of respondents cited workplace satisfaction and healthy interpersonal relationships with their managers and peers as two primary reasons for staying on their current job. Also, according to The Harvard Business Review, reducing employee turnover rates by just 5% lowers operational costs by 10% and improves worker productivity by a significant 65%.

"Conducting an employee satisfaction survey is one of the most important first steps companies can take to improve workplace productivity, employee retention, and overall profitability", says Executive Vice President of Innovative Employee Solutions® (IES) Elizabeth Rice, a specialist in human resources and employee relations.

"Employee satisfaction surveys help companies effectively gauge whether or not their employees feel motivated and content, and troubleshoot any areas that might negatively impact their bottom-line due to losses in workplace productivity and employee turnover."

To gauge its own workplace morale and satisfaction, IES recently conducted an employee satisfaction survey. Survey results reveal that IES is a happy and productive place to work, and that IES employees are overall satisfied with their career paths. According to the 96 respondents IES employees are almost always or often:

• Enjoy working as a contingent/contract employee (87%).
• Are satisfied with IES' level of communication with its employees (79%).
• Have a good understanding of all the aspects of working for IES (70%).
• Feel that IES is concerned about them as individuals (51%).

Tips and guidelines

To get the maximum results and success from an employee satisfaction survey, Rice offers the following tips and guidelines:

1) Ask the right questions to get to the important underlying issues - important areas to cover in the survey include employees' level of satisfaction with their benefits and compensation packages; relationships with managers and co-workers; employer policies and procedures; workplace morale and motivation; training and career development programs; and quality of the employer's communication with staff.

2) Automate the survey through a company's intranet or Internet - making participation in the survey as convenient as possible will ensure the best possible response rates from employees. An efficient way to conduct the survey and tabulate its results is by creating a simple web-based survey that employees can access and then see the results.

3) Develop an effective project plan and timeframe - ensure that the survey is completed according to specific guidelines and timeframes so that the project doesn't get off course or disrupt daily operations. Assign a team and delegate specific responsibilities, such as developing the survey questionnaire, conducting the survey, tabulating and reporting the results, and managing deadlines.

4) Use the survey's findings to promote employee morale and motivation - positive survey results will let employees know that their employer: cares about their well-being as individuals; is a healthy and productive place to work; is committed to further improvements in employee satisfaction.

5) Take positive steps toward improvements in employee satisfaction - use results from the survey to make improvements in workers' productivity and morale. By understanding specific areas that employees are concerned about in regard to their place of employment and satisfaction on the job, companies can take positive steps toward a more productive and profitable workplace.