|
|
|
|
I can't get no Employee Satisfaction
|
|
Author: Martin Day
Topic: Business
Viewed: 49 time(s)
[ Not Rated Yet ]
|
I'm not happy. The printer has still not been fixed and now
my chair is broken. The problem with this place is that it is
falling apart. My boss is okay but has no clue what is going on.
That new guy that started last week, who no one bothered to
introduce, has been given a job that he has no idea how to do;
why didn't they just ask me? I could have told them that a new
set of drawings have been issued so even if he did know what he
was doing the drawings he is using are obsolete anyway.
Sometimes I don't know why I bother turning up.
I went for a drink with some of the guys last night after work.
No one is happy and Sally from Accounts says that she has just
about had enough and is thinking of asking for a rise and if
they don't give it to her she is going to quit.
The management here just don't have a clue, we are haemorrhaging
money through our inefficiencies and they think that sending out
memo's telling us that they are introducing new procedures for
claiming expenses is going to make a difference - whoopee do.
I think I'll ask for a pay rise, if Sally from Accounts can get
one I can.
And so it goes on.
These are the sort of thoughts that start to play on the minds
of individuals when a company looses touch with their employees;
the broken chair, the lack of appreciation, the blaming of
'management', even questioning the futility of what they are
doing. Minor problems fester and a cynical and destructive
mindset develops. Can you be sure that it isn't going on right
now in your organisation?
Social events outside the office become nothing more than a
forum for complaints and negativity grows among people who feel
powerless to effect change. Dissatisfaction will often
synthesise into a demand for an increase in remuneration, as
though like a cheap fix more money will momentarily lessen the
pain.
Left by management, undiscovered and unaware, the concern's of
this employee will inevitable find solace with their colleagues
own individual concerns, where the only common demand will be
for an increase in remuneration, more paid holidays and a
reduction in working hours, all of which will not fix the broken
chair, ensure that new personnel are in future properly
introduced, trained and managed nor help management identify
areas of inefficiency.
Organisations have a habit of compartmentalising people, either
physically through offices, cubicles and workstations but also
in terms of responsibility. With effective and strong management
to support this structure it can be productive, but as an
organisation grows, and weak or inappropriate management
infiltrates the management chain, it is inevitable that cracks
will begin to appear.
From the top down all can appear rosy in the corporate garden as
the weak and inappropriate manager reports that all is well in
the engine room, oblivious to the fact that their coal stocks
might be dwindling.
Experience shows us that relying on a limited number of
indicators gives a skewed perspective just like a person with
only one eye has difficulty judging distance. Good management
will therefore establish procedures that sample the mood
throughout the organisation from different perspectives
providing a rounded picture.
The benefits of establishing good, frequent and extensive
communication channels are both direct and indirect.
A senior management team that is known to have their ear to the
ground will command great respect and will keep middle managers
from becoming complacent knowing that they can no longer dismiss
the senior managers searching "How is everything going?"
question with a glib "Fine"; In my book if someone says "fine"
you have to ask if they really know what is going on.
Most principals of organisation will not have the luxury of
spending time walking the floor and discussing the issues of
individuals but through online surveys they can achieve the same
benefits.
Online surveys are the perfect mechanism for establishing
effective employer/employee communications. Using a survey
hosting service like www.surveygalaxy.com they can now be
created and published with ease and speed.
Using the internet and intranet surveys can be deployed in
seconds, easily completed by employees and results can be
displayed in real time allowing 'problems' and common themes of
dissatisfaction to be identified early.
Online employee satisfaction surveys have the ability to get to
the heart of an organisation, confirm not only that the engine
room is working but that there is sufficient coal in the bunker.
The benefits that online surveys bring are considerable, not
only are the real issues identified, but employees feel that
their voices are being heard and that their views, right or
wrong, have a forum.
Online surveys won't in themselves resolve a problem but they
will give senior management the opportunity to address the
problems and concerns of their employees, at least if people
then leave the organisation they will be doing it for the right
and not wrong reasons.
The grass will always appear greener on the other side but the
underlying reasons for good people leaving an organisation are
rarely purely monetary (although it is often cited as the
reason) and more often to do with one or more of the following:-
the workplace environment; a lack of fulfilment; limited
training and feedback; lack of career growth; over work; lack of
trust and respect with their senior managers.
A well planned employer/employee communications programme that
can identify the individual and common concerns of employees
will give senior management the opportunity to address root
problems and not just the symptoms of employee dissatisfaction,
allowing them to demonstrate to their employees that they are
not viewed simply as interchangeable parts that can be used for
any job at hand.
Employee surveys need to be customised so they are relevant for
each individual organisation. I invite you to put yourself in
the place of an employee and complete the short Sample Employee
Satisfaction Survey so you will get a flavour for what is
possible;
href="http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1163
">Sample Employee Satisfaction Survey
Now view the summary results of the survey and think of the
benefits to management being able to measure the level of
employee satisfaction.
href="http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishResults.asp?survey_id
=1163">Online Summary Results of Sample Employee Satisfaction
Survey
About the author:
Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd a web site that
allows anyone to create, design and publish online surveys. For
more information please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com
|
|
|
