Recent studies suggest that a significant portion of the workforce is disgruntled. While the unfortunate state of the economy in the last few years has made it less likely that employees will voluntarily leave their jobs, it hasn’t stopped them from longingly eyeing the exit sign.
What are your employees complaining about?
In an article and infographic from Inc., Matthew Wong quoted a recent report that suggests 86% of employees plan on looking for a new job in 2013, up from 60% in 2009. That means that the majority of your workforce may be thinking about leaving. Even if only a small portion successfully finds other employment, low employee morale negatively impacts productivity and commitment to everyday tasks.
To survive in a down economy, many companies have had to limit raises and reevaluate benefit packages. Additionally, employees have been asked to do more with less. While these measures often help employers avoid layoffs, workers are feeling the pinch. The top employee complaints are on-the-job stress, health benefits and salary.
Most employees surveyed were completely satisfied with some aspect of their jobs, with coworkers, vacation time and bosses being the big winners. When you consider that the top complaints are with areas controlled by the company and satisfaction lies with their comrades and escape, the news isn’t good.
Understand what your employees need.
Sometimes the novelty of perks can boost morale, e.g. coffee service in the break room, free massages once a quarter or a tablet for personal use. But for long-term impact on employee satisfaction, you need to understand what your employees need. And those needs can differ significantly based on a variety of contributing factors, including gender and age.
Studies indicate that while men are focused on money and promotions, women are a bit more likely to want a more flexibility. Employees ages 33 to 50 tend to want higher job titles and those 32 and younger feel they need more training. When you get to the root of what they want, you can see that employees need to feel as though they are valuable parts of the company. They need to know that they are working toward a goal and progressing in their careers.
Make them feel valued.
Chances are you’re not in a position to offer raises and promotions to everyone; the good news is that you may not have to. Harvard Business School professor Teresa M. Amabile said, “Of all the things that contribute to a happy workday, the one thing that stands out from my research is making progress on meaningful work. Feeling like you are able to move forward on a daily basis engenders real joy.”
There a number of ways you can make your employees feel valued and increase satisfaction. Make it clear to your employees that you understand their need to grow professionally and progress in their careers. There are variety ways to do this, such as creating career tracks, providing coaching opportunities, and giving employees access to job training and skill building assets. These measures can help redirect wandering eyes and give employees a goal to focus on—a bright future with your company.
Contact Information:
TRACK Learning Solution
Sharq, Ahmad Al Jabber Street Kuwait City, Kuwait
T: +965 223 22 591
F: +965 223 22 590
Website : www.trackls.com
Email: Consultant@trackls.com
