Why the strongest companies have the happiest employees

Happy employees make a company stronger. It is, therefore, no coincidence that the strongest companies have the happiest employees. This is why it is imperative that companies take the time to regularly gauge how happy their employees are.

With that being said, it’s not sufficient to poll employees annually. They’re people after all, and their needs, ambitions, enthusiasms, and more will change daily! So the process of measuring employee satisfaction should be done regularly enough to draw out these fluctuations. This will help detect any changes that can negatively impact the organisation’s bottom line.

The importance of employee survey findings cannot be underscored enough. They become even more important when they turn out to be less positive than expected. This is when any emerging issues should be addressed as quickly as possible, and to the satisfaction of everyone involved. The net result of this will be happier employees and more satisfied customers.

At Ombea, we understand the importance of measuring and improving employee engagement, and the positive impact this can have on company growth. We understand that when you act on insights from employees, you give them a sense of belonging and ownership. And they in turn will reward you with hard work and sacrifice.

But how is it that happier employees deliver performance improvements? Here are two reasons:

1. Satisfied employees handle pressure better Satisfied employees face challenges with a smile and don’t offer excuses or complain about the circumstances. They are open and willing to participate in different training programmes or learn new technologies to enhance their skills. Unsatisfied employees, on the other hand, will complain about everything and are too rigid to adjust to different circumstances.
2. Satisfied employees stay loyal Employee satisfaction leads to employee retention. For long-term growth and success, a company needs to retain its most talented employees. Employee retention is one of the factors that give an organisation an edge over its competitors.

So, how can employee satisfaction be improved? Let’s look at just three of many ideas:

1. Growth opportunities New roles and challenges help to make employees demand more of themselves. Always give employees new challenges without exerting too much pressure on them. This doesn’t mean that every employee needs a clear career path (although that helps). Even small challenges within their existing role will set them up for a more satisfying experience. Also, remember to give them credit when they deserve it!
2. Avoid overburdening employees Employees who feel more overburdened than others are likely to lose interest and start looking elsewhere for better opportunities. And the opposite is true too, since underworked employees can quickly become bored and disruptive.
3. Assign work according to individuals’ expertise Assigning employees assignments that are not in line with their area of specialisation can end up demotivating them. This isn’t to say you should only ever keep them within their comfort zone, but you should be aware of the skills within your team and play to their strengths. Where employees aren’t skilled enough, be sure to provide sufficient training. They’ll get the job done to a higher standard, more quickly, and they’ll enjoy it along the way.

It’s all well and good knowing why employees should be happy, and how to achieve it. The biggest problem we find is that people don’t know how to poll their employees about their happiness. It’s tricky after all, because (again) employees are people. And people, with their ever-changing interplay of personalities, motivations, politics, and circumstances, are hard to figure out. Some companies shy away from the task completely by never measuring employee satisfaction, or only measuring it annually.

The Bottom line

Many studies have shown that companies with high levels of employee satisfaction find it much easier to reach their goals. Satisfaction leads to motivation. For a motivated employee, the goals of the company are very important and he or she strives to achieve them as if they are their own. The only way to know the level of employee satisfaction is to keep measuring it regularly.

Where Ombea fits in

Ombea Insights is a feedback platform that helps companies measure employee satisfaction daily or even hourly. It cuts right through the logistical difficulties and makes the whole process a piece of cake. Companies can compare departments or offices and explore changing results over time. We won’t go into further details here but you should definitely check it out at www.ombea.com.

About Ombea

Ombea provides leading solutions for capturing and analyzing real-time feedback. Governments, Fortune 100 corporations and top-rated universities across the globe use our solutions to visualize feedback, generate insight, and make evidence-based decisions. This helps them make their students smarter, their customers happier and their employees more engaged. Please visit www.ombea.com for more information.