Monitoring Job Satisfaction

February 10 2012 - Employee satisfaction is a key indicator for defining staff rewards and benefits and over 70% of businesses have taken steps to monitor it.

The study was commissioned by healthcare specialists PMI Health Group, who described the findings as 'very encouraging' but still believe that more can be done.

Mike Blake, PMI Health Group Compliance Director, said:

"Clearly there is still a large number of companies who are not measuring employee satisfaction. However, it is essential for businesses to keep tabs on employees’ likes, dislikes, motivations and requirements, as these are key indicators when determining the nature of employee benefit programmes.

"With so many products available on the market, a one-size-fits-all approach to employee benefits is rarely appropriate and it is important to communicate effectively with staff in order to choose the most appropriate solution."

Other findings:

• More than 60% of businesses questioned conduct regular employee surveys
• A further 13% include questions regarding employee satisfaction within their formal performance appraisal process
• But 46% of respondents said that they did not communicate employee satisfaction findings back to staff
• Over a half of businesses said they also believedthat employee health and wellbeing benefits were ‘very important’ in promoting a happy workforce.

Mike Blake concluded:

"Communication is essential to the relationship between employer and staff, particularly in developing a strategy to improve employee retention. The CIPD claims employee benefits can be important factor in helping to attract, recruit, engage and motivate employees."

Job Satisfaction in the UK

Results from a 2006 survey of over 1000 workers for The Work Foundation revealed strikingly positive attitudes towards work but also confirms that work remains simply a way of making a living for many people. Commissioned as part of The Work Foundation's campaign for "good work" the study found most people feel their work has got better since the beginning of their working lives.

The survey found:

• 60 per cent said their satisfaction with work had increased, 31 per cent felt it had gone down, and 8 per cent said it had stayed the same.
• 78 per cent said they found their work 'stimulating and challenging' (55 per cent agreeing strongly with this statement) and 69 per cent said their work was a 'source of personal fulfilment'.
• 86 per cent did not agree with the statement 'I regard my work as meaningless' with only nine per cent saying they agreed (the remainder did not express a view).
• Just over half (51 per cent) said their work was 'a means to an end'. People with lower pay and lower skills tended to be less satisfied with their jobs.
• Over three-quarters of respondents describe themselves as 'very satisfied' (35 per cent) or 'quite satisfied' (43 per cent) with their current jobs; 10 per cent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied; 6 per cent were 'quite dissatisfied'; and 5 per cent very dissatisfied.

Will Hutton, chief executive of The Work Foundation, said:

"Traditionally, work has been seen as purely a grim economic necessity, which there is no getting out of, and little more to be said about. Our survey indicates that that view is no longer a fair reflection of how people feel. Today, work is increasingly thought of as a source of fulfilment, an important aspect of life that matters to people in a very personal way."

Other key findings in the survey included:

• Women are slightly more likely to be satisfied with their job compared to men
• The over-55s are more likely to be satisfied with their job compared to younger workers, especially those aged 16-34 years.
• Managers and professionals are more likely to be satisfied compared with other occupational groups.
• People earning over £50 000 per year are more likely to be satisfied than those who earn less.

Will Hutton said:

"Employers and organizations are going to have to think much harder about the jobs they offer. The wage packet still matters, but there are crucially important psychological, social, and personal dividends from work, too - it is about money and meaning. Well over two thirds of workers regard work as a source of personal fulfilment to them, but only a very few employers ever succeed in making the most of this huge personal appetite for work that more and more people have."

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