Dive Brief:
- According to the SHRM Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement survey, released this week at SHRM's talent management conference, respectful treatment of all employees ranked as the number one factor contributing to U.S. employee job satisfaction.
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After respect, employees favored (in order): overall compensation and pay and overall benefits and job security (job security ruled the roost for job satisfaction in the great recession years). Tied for fifth place were opportunities to use skills and abilities and trust between employees and senior management.
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In 2015, employees’ overall satisfaction level with their current job (88%) was the highest level on the SHRM survey in a decade. Within that large majority, 37% indicated they were “very satisfied” and 51% “somewhat satisfied” with their jobs, according to SHRM.
Dive Insight
SHRM reports that the employee satisfaction level has been trending upward since 2013. To keep the momentum going, SHRM's report advised that as employees have more opportunities, “organizations may need to tailor their retention and recruitment strategies around multiple elements, creating a total rewards program,” rather than relying only on compensation and benefits programs.
Showing appreciation for employee time and efforts creates a bond. Appreciating employee ideas is a major winner, as half of employees surveyed ranked their immediate supervisor’s respect for their ideas as “very important” to job satisfaction. SHRM advises a strategy of constant feedback and communication that emphasizes respect and collaboration with all employees.
As HR Dive has reported, employees tend to appreciate personal and organic approaches to appreciation. Empathy, also, is key – meaning a culture needs to be accepting of people of diverse backgrounds and ideas.
Regarding demographics, SHRM reports there was little difference among generations as to what factors contributed to job satisfaction and engagement, but some differences emerged. Perhaps the most notable was that millennials placed greater importance on career development and things like job-specific training, career development opportunities and career advancement opportunities.
