Expert Tips for Improving Employee Satisfaction: HR's Best Practices

Let's start with some numbers to set the scene. Zippia reports that while 65% of American workers are content with their jobs, just 20% are truly enthusiastic about them. 

"Higher meaning" and remuneration are the two key components of a high level of job satisfaction. In reality, work happiness is 42% impacted by corporate culture. That means that a lot can be done to retain top talent and raise the satisfaction of the staff – by changing the approach to recruitment, communication, and healthy work relationships.

When you try to measure employee satisfaction, it can be elusive and hard to assess objectively, but there are many ways to improve it and ensure happy, inspired, and loyal employees. In this article, you can count on interesting hr best practices on how to improve employee job satisfaction. 

Understanding Employee Satisfaction 

The success of any business depends on happier employees. It relates to how motivated and satisfied employees are in their jobs and can affect their drive, performance, and overall effectiveness. Employee satisfaction is based on how they approach their work, how they work independently, how they get on with their managers and colleagues, and how they feel about the company culture. 

A positive attitude towards these factors promotes employee engagement, loyalty, and commitment and enhances job satisfaction. 

What influences employee satisfaction?  

• Attitudes toward job responsibilities: It's important to consider how employees view their duties.  People are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and perform better if they consider their responsibilities interesting, stimulating, and relevant. 
• Personal performance: It has a major effect on job satisfaction. Negative comments and criticism can cause job discontent, whereas achieving individuals experience a sense of value and motivation. 
• Positive relationships with managers and coworkers: Employees who have good working connections with their supervisors and colleagues are more likely to work effectively, but low morale and job frustration can arise from conflict, stress, and poor communication. 
• A positive company culture: Trust, teamwork, and open communication aim to encourage employees to maintain a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives. This, in turn, drives employee engagement and enthusiasm.  Harmful workplace environments, such as passive-aggressive communication, micromanagement, or discrimination, have the opposite effect. 

Few Ideas to Improve Employee Satisfaction 

Tip: To improve something, you need to be able to evaluate it. Unfortunately, it is difficult to objectively examine all of the elements listed above. Each company looks at them a little differently, so it is not easy to measure employee satisfaction. However, there are some variables that are universal. 

When it comes to the non-obvious issues of organizational culture, the company's social responsibility is a key issue. People don't want to work for a company that is not environmentally friendly, inclusive, or focused only on corporate values. A lack of tolerance and a supportive environment will have a long-term impact on turnover.   

Working in a way that suits the employee's preferences and daily routine is also important in enhancing employee retention. A planned career path or the ability to work remotely are things that can boost employee satisfaction and commitment. So can the option to leave work during the day to run errands at the bank or office.

There are also a number of other variables, such as the issue of modern tools, level of digitalization, facilities, and paperwork in daily work, which we will look at in more detail to have driven and satisfied employees.

How can managers improve employee satisfaction with the feedback process? 

An employee feedback culture is the answer to many problems. The flow of feedback makes employees feel valued and wanted. How can managers improve employee satisfaction with the feedback process? Regular, open communication ensures that people are not put off and want to develop and add value to the organization. Employee feedback can be facilitated by practical tools such as gamification platforms, which automate the process and make it more enjoyable for both parties. 

It's simple - employees feel empowered and in control of their career development when they get honest feedback on what they did right or wrong after completing a task or achieving a point or level in a training course. On the GU platform, the manager can see this and schedule feedback sessions and one on one meetings more deliberately. 

HR Best Practices for Improving Employee Satisfaction  

HR best practices are vital to attracting and keeping skilled individuals in today's competitive workplace. They are a bridge between management and the working staff. Although managers can do a lot to boost productivity and employee satisfaction, HR can support them in communication, feedback, mental health, and managing expectations. Let’s explore some of the ways to improve employee satisfaction from the Human Resources Perspective.  

Long-term strategies that require resources 

1. Plans and objectives in HR activities: Let’s be realistic and remember the challenge of HR ideas put against organization and company resources. Not everything HR proposes will be accepted by management. However, through long-term, slow-moving changes and strategies, HR creates a vision of inclusion, a plan for implementation over several years. It is important to note that there will be no sudden changes but regular actions with a specific objective, small steps that will promote job satisfaction and retention. For example, offering incentives for outstanding performance or enabling a better work-life balance. 
2. Ensure team building and a healthy team spirit: In terms of long-term change, the most important thing is to create the conditions for people to organize their own meetings and get-togethers - for example, having a budget for local company meetings and team building or sporting events. Think about sponsored and team-building trips, such as canoeing, to the mountains, or whatever your employees like. This will, of course, depend on the company's resources, but employee surveys should be carried out on a regular basis. 
3. Take care of your employees' personal and career development:  No one wants to stand still. And if the company does not allow for the development of skills and positions, sooner or later, the employees will lose motivation, their daily satisfaction will decrease, and they will eventually leave the organization. So, as an HR department, you may want to negotiate with management about ideas such as a training budget for the year or subsidies for studies or qualification courses. This may cost a little, but it will ensure loyalty, satisfaction, and better team skills. 
4. Consider a pet-friendly office - Having a pet in the office is unusual, but it can add to many employees' daily enjoyment and satisfaction. Of course, you must consider that some people may have allergies or fears of pets - this does happen. But it all depends on what kind of space the pets would be allowed in and their limits.  This is a more complex issue that requires planning but will set your office apart from the rest of the competing workplaces.    

Low-cost, immediate changes 

1. Rethink your benefits: Now is the moment to discuss things you don't need to invest much in but can make a significant difference to working conditions. Firstly, think about the benefits you believe boost workplace satisfaction, and with the help of an employee satisfaction survey, question polls or interviews, see if people are actually using the gadgets that have been made available to them. See if they, in fact, play on that console or football table, or if these things are virtually forgotten as staff would rather have access to something completely different - such as snacks in the canteen or board games. 
2. Small things that work: Often a small, minor adjustment that affects many people and heals their frustration can completely change an employee's attitude to work and the workplace. In smaller companies or start-ups, putting an espresso machine in the kitchen, providing parking, or buying a fridge for the office can be a game changer. Look at what people need. In larger companies, it could be helping people get organized with car sharing to get to work or arranging for a caterer to come into the office every day so people can buy healthy lunches. Increasing employee satisfaction doesn't have to be difficult.
3. Support team-building exercises and events - this time, we are talking about simple, low-cost solutions that will strengthen team bonds and raise the quality of work and relationships in the workplace. This may include hosting frequent online coffee gatherings to discuss casual topics or weekly pub outings. What about shared board games, bikes, or karaoke?  What matters most is that people enjoy doing this and want to get involved. It doesn't have to be expensive; it must be creative and inclusive. Unfortunately, that's still neglected by many companies. 
4. Regular forms of feedback: Let employees be heard. Creating a perfect atmosphere and culture is impossible, but it is all about dialogue. Don't think you know everything because HR's approach may differ from that of a new employee. People are very different and have their own needs - find out through regular surveys, one-on-one meetings or some form of suggestion box for those anxious to give open feedback. Create a space where everyone feels free to express their concerns and ideas. Online training, for example, may frustrate employees, and your staff needs more face-to-face sessions.

Make Satisfied Employees Your Priority 

If you want to boost employee satisfaction, you need to look at the big picture, which includes company culture, the balance between work and family life, and opportunities for professional development. By prioritising employee satisfaction, HR professionals can help their organisations attract and retain top talent and succeed in the long term. 

Implementing a recognition and reward program is one way to keep satisfaction and employee engagement levels high. With Grow Uperion's gamification and motivation platform, the employee receives personalised feedback, different levels of virtuous rewards and the opportunity to move up the ranks. 

Let immersive game mechanics recognize employees and boost employee morale, productivity and skills! To find out more, sign up for a free consultation.