There is a hidden drain on workplace happiness: the tools that employees have to do their jobs.
Having the right tools is one of the cornerstones of workplace productivity and happiness. Research finds that not only do good tools and resources increase productivity, but they reduce employee stress, shrink turnover, and increase employee satisfaction (happiness). Giving employees tools the right tools is even associated with an overall advantage in company financial performance.
The big problem is that workplaces often aren't making all of the right tools available. A recent survey from Slingshot (a developer of productivity software) found that 96% of workers are dissatisfied with at least some of their tools and resources at work. The reasons for dissatisfaction range from tools being hard to use, to not being automated enough, to simply being inefficient or uncomfortable to use. Inadequate tools and resources are a major driver of turnover. Employees are much more likely to stay in their jobs if they are working with the right tools. In addition, working with poor tools and resources can lead to burnout, low-productivity, or even job-ending injury! That's why getting this right can increase job satisfaction and keep employees with the company for the long run.
It is hard to get employees all of the right tools and resources. Needs vary across positions and even from one employee to another. So the only way for workplaces to provide the right tools is to ask. This is why the Amazing Workplace Smart Survey® platform asks employees about their tools and resources. We want you to find and improve exactly where employees feel like they don't have what they need. Amazing Workplace's platform lets you:
- Analyze and act on data such as which subsets of employees are seeing issues.
For example, employees in the London office are showing particularly low happiness ratings with their tools and resources.
- Break out comments related to specific issues.
For example, there are 47 comments related to "network drive." You can tag them all and sort them instantly.
- Take actions on identified issues, coordinate your response, track the resolution, and communicate to employees that it is done.
For example, you can tag all of the comments about uncomfortable chairs, assign a particular leader an exact action to replace the chairs, track that issue until it is done, and generate a communication to employees about the new chairs.
Try the Amazing Workplace Smart Survey® platform for free by nominating your workplace today!