HSD Metrics® understands that employees make up the heart of any organization, and it is important to check in on your employees’ state of mind. An employee satisfaction survey is an effective way to create a periodic snapshot of engagement and happiness in the workplace. The results from our employee engagement survey typically relate to the following four buckets:

• Rewards, Recognition, Pay and Benefits
• Openness, Interaction, Feedback and Communication
• People Placed in Various Jobs in the Field with Insufficient Job Specific Training
• Company Direction and Leadership

All four of these topic “buckets” touch on subjects where it is often hard for management to get honest answers. The employee satisfaction survey allows employees to voice their opinions freely and, if given in an electric or mailed form, more time to consider and articulate their responses. Here are a few comments we have heard in the past. Listen to these direct responses and be aware that the same problems could be occurring in your work environment.

The following statement is from one of our SurveyRight™ programs in response to asking how the participant felt about compensation and pay:

“Compensation only came into play as I got more and more unhappy with my situation. I simply wasn’t being paid enough to work 80+ hours a week while colleagues, who did less work, got the same pay.”

• An employee satisfaction survey shows employees’ honest accounts of the work they are doing as well as how much time they are working in a week. This may not be something you are aware of, but that can change. Check in. Find out what your employees’ workloads look like week to week. Recognize and reward their hard work. Balance the scales, if possible, and compensate those who are working a little harder than others. You want the hard workers to stay, so find a way to acknowledge their efforts.

The following statement is from one of our SurveyRight programs in response to asking how the participant felt about their supervisor:

“Administration continually provided unwarranted negative feedback with no support. Culture of fear is amongst all employees. I felt I was targeted and the victim of intimidation.”

• It is one thing to give feedback, but you need to communicate why something was done incorrectly and how it should be corrected for next time. Providing support to achieve a solution motivates employees to change their approach and implement needed changes. Honesty and openness provide more grounds for correction and discussion. Also, the direct and negative approach this leader took during interaction can damage the relationship and work environment over time.

The following statement is from one of our SurveyRight programs in response to asking how the participant felt about their training, development, or continuous education required to perform the job:

“Weekly Professional Development and Staff Meetings were taking up too much time in the schedule to actually get my individual parts of the job done.”

• We often hear there is not enough training, but have you ever thought that too much time devoted to training can leave your employees without enough time to complete the tasks associated with their job? That was the case for this employee satisfaction survey participant. Are your training sessions run efficiently so they don’t drag on and hurt productivity? Too much time spent on training and meetings can send the message that you don’t have confidence in your employees. This can be time-consuming and discouraging for employees.

Finally, this last following statement that touches on the bucketed results from our employee satisfaction surveys is another result of asking how the participant felt about a supervisor:

“Not enough support.”

• How involved are you? This same account talked about how the supervisor checked in for the first time in five months after the employee was hired. The “check in” involved only negative feedback, and the employee felt that the manager knew little of their progress or work style. Efficiently checking in shows proactive leadership and company direction. A supervisor’s success is ensuring that employees have the tools and support to succeed. You shouldn’t only show support when it is asked of you. Make it an extension of your leadership role.

Still not convinced that employee satisfaction surveys are for you? Talk to one of the HSD Metrics representatives, and we can show you how a survey tailored specifically for your organization can uncover knowledge you were not aware of.

HSD Metrics offers new hire, stay, and exit interview platforms that can help your business improve employee engagement, as well as employee experience and retention. If you are interested in learning more, contact us today.