You know your employees want to enjoy their work, connect with their peers, and feel valued. At the same time, you want those employees to work hard for the company’s goals, take on your values, and use their time productively. When an employee is happy at work, most — if not all — of these pieces become easier. When an employee is unhappy or isn’t engaged at work, you fight an uphill battle. To avoid the pitfalls of unhappy employees, start by finding out what drives employee engagement.
What Employees Want
When considering what an employee wants, it’s easy to take educated guesses. Among the most frequently cited ‘wants’ from employees are:
- More money
- Work/life balance
- Additional benefits
- To feel like they’re contributing to something that matters
- Job security
- Coworkers they like
- A manager who respects them
- Job security
But which of these factors ranks highest? And is this even a comprehensive list?
When you’re looking to determine what drives employee engagement, guessing is not a recommended strategy. Instead, follow the science, and rely on Amazing Workplace to help point you in the right direction.
The Science Behind Employee Engagement
Each company and each employee is different. This may sound cliche, but it’s essential when measuring how your employees feel. Just because one study says that employees want remote work or more money does not mean offering remote working opportunities or higher salaries is the #1 strategy for you. When you’re looking to drive your own employee engagement, you’ve got to figure out what makes your employees happy.
Measuring how employees feel is our specialty. We know what questions to ask and how to ask them so that you can learn everything you need to know about your employees’ current satisfaction levels.
Why Measuring Matters
Does spending time and money measuring employee happiness make sense if you know you’re willing to make changes to increase their happiness and engagement? Absolutely. Only when you know where you stand with employees can you work towards specific and measurable goals. Otherwise, your well-meaning attempt at improving employee engagement is little more than a shot in the dark.
The Process of Understanding Employee Engagement
You want to drive employee engagement. Now what? First, you’ve got to ask questions: Not just any questions, but the right ones at the right time. Once the data has been collected, ensure that you’re really listening to what your employees are saying. Comb through the data, then analyze it; look for trends and know when they aren’t as important as the individual answers. Next, take action. Use the data you’ve been given to make meaningful choices about spending money, choosing priorities, or working with your management teams to drive change.
Is this an initiative you can take on? Do you have the bandwidth to do this as well as you want to?
If this sounds daunting, you’re not alone. Many companies just do not have the time or resources to truly understand how their employees are feeling now and figure out what changes they should consider. Instead, turn to the expert.
Our cutting-edge survey platform takes survey results and automatically identifies action areas, suggests actions, and identifies the outcomes you can improve. Our Happiness Team can supercharge your improvements with hands-on assistance. Start with a demo and discover how Amazing Workplace can help you measure, understand, and drive employee engagement and happiness.