Employee satisfaction surveys: Overview, importance and more

This article looks at employee satisfaction surveys, their importance, what to include in the survey and how to ensure people fill in the surveys.

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What are employee satisfaction surveys?

‍Employee satisfaction surveys measure an employee’s fulfilment and whether an employer is meeting their needs and expectations. The survey usually includes items such as career progression, teamwork, salary expectations, and more. Measurements may be made through rating scales, tick boxes, or options to write additional comments. 

HR and People Managers may use this tool to gauge how happy an employee is. The results of the survey can provide insights into company wins or possible areas of dissatisfaction. It allows companies to listen to their employees' needs and address them accordingly. 

Better employee satisfaction may help improve the overall employee experience, increase productivity and promote a healthier work culture. 

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Measuring engagement

Companies may also look to measure an employee’s engagement to provide an overview of their commitment to the company’s mission. Businesses can adopt a more holistic approach by understanding what factors influence both satisfaction and engagement.

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report showed that employee engagement affects stress levels more than their work setting. In other words, what people experience at work, such as feeling involved in company decisions or enthusiastic about projects, matters more in reducing stress than if they are working at home or in the office. 

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Importance of surveys

Employee satisfaction surveys are significant in the following areas:

Employees feel heard

By allowing employees to provide their feedback and opinions on certain aspects of their role, team, and wider views on the company can ensure they feel heard and represented. Surveys are usually run anonymously to allow people to share their thoughts freely. 

Insight into growth and areas of improvement

Surveys allow companies to understand their path of organisational growth and determine which areas they need to improve on. By gaining a clearer understanding of what is working and what needs improvement can ensure a company grows in the right direction.

Reduces employee turnover

By assessing how satisfied employees are can help address any of their concerns and reduce employee turnover. Assessing how satisfied employees are can help boost morale, strengthen the workforce, and increase financial performance.  

Understanding salary expectations and benchmarks

Meeting salary expectations tends to be one of the most important markers of job satisfaction. 

By benchmarking salaries to the specific industry will ensure that an employee feels valued in the role, and that their compensation is proportionate to their work and performance. Research from OfficeVibe, an employee engagement tool shows that only two-thirds of employees trust that they are paid fairly compared to similar roles in other organisations.

According to a LinkedIn poll Legislate conducted, 57% reported that salary is the term they are most likely to negotiate on their contract, followed by hybrid remote arrangements.

Improve company culture and prevent employee attrition 

Gaining an insight into employee behaviour is an important predictor of building a better company culture. 

This data can also help prevent attrition by working on possible weaknesses and building on strengths identified by the employees. These can vary from management issues, training and development opportunities, dissatisfaction surrounding the benefits, and incomplete training. 

Retain and attract talent

When employees feel heard and can see actionable steps are being made helps with employee retention. It will also benefit future hires if they can see a company actively aims to improve employee experience.

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Possible items to include in the survey

Employee satisfaction surveys may vary but generally may include aspects such as: 

• Specifics to job role and responsibilities
• Workload and meeting deadlines
• Team collaboration and opportunities
• Support from management and wider company
• Receiving and giving feedback
• Diversity, equity, inclusion and representation in the workplace
• Growth and personal development
• Transparency and communication 
• Company culture 
• Response to change
• Work-life balance
• Compensation and other statutory benefits 

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How can employers ensure everyone completes the surveys?

Companies can also measure which percentage of employees are filling in the surveys versus those who are not. By understanding the reasons behind those who are not completing the surveys can help businesses focus on improving response rate. An employer can use the following methods:

• Keep all surveys anonymous
• Structure the survey logically and clearly
• Emphasise the importance of the surveys with an internal campaign and provide incentives for completing
• To further boost engagement and simplify access, employers can include QR codes that link directly to the survey, making it easy for employees to participate using their smartphones.
• Provide opportunities for own thoughts and comments, but not to excess
• Ask for suggestions and provide examples of actionable steps employers can take

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Legislate

Legislate is a contract management platform that empowers scaling businesses to take control of their legal contracts. This allows HR departments to focus on the higher value aspects of their work, making the contracting process much more efficient and increasing their overall job satisfaction. Book a demo or sign up today.

The opinions on this page are for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice on which you should rely.