Forget hefty salaries and extra vacation time — new research indicates making sure company core values resonate with workers may have more of an effect on employee satisfaction.
Feeling pride in your employer is, in fact, the No. 1 employee happiness driver, according to a recent study of more than 12,000 U.S. and Canadian workers.
Happy employees are often more productive ones. Analysis from office space solution provider Steelcase found workers who are highly satisfied with various aspects of their workplace demonstrate higher engagement levels — a plus, according to Gallup research, because engagement provides a number of positive effects, ranging from lower absenteeism and turnover to higher work quality.
Establishing a sense of involvement at all levels, however, can be difficult in large organizations — particularly if they employ a workforce comprised of varying ages that is spread across the globe.
If you aren’t sure how strongly your employees feel about your organization, the following suggestions can help you make company pride — and, by proxy, employee happiness — a priority:
Promote your Purpose
Employees having a clear understanding of how their job contributes to the company’s strategy, along with leadership frequently conveying updates about the organization’s business goals to the entire company, are two of the most successful ways to drive staff engagement, according to a 2013 Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report. Sixty-nine to 70 percent of executives identified the practices as top engagement drivers.
Regrettably, though, less than half of employees — 41 percent — know what their company stands for, according to separate research from Gallup. To inform your staff, regular communication is key. Get more tips on establishing frequent contact in our blog post on the topic and our post on communication mistakes to avoid.
Pair the Right Person with the Right Tasks
Workers who derive meaning from their job are more than two times more likely to stay with their organization, report 2.2 times higher employee satisfaction and are 93 percent more engaged, according to research from The Energy Project.
Discuss workers’ goals, preferences and overall contribution in regular performance reviews. You don’t have to wait to hold them once a year; quarterly or monthly conversations can help you assess whether the employee feels like his job responsibilities are relevant, challenging enough and are helping the company’s general intent.
Build Company Pride by Supporting Employee Interests
Sixty-three percent of millennials like their employers to contribute to social or ethical causes, according to research from the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy research organization. Roughly half of baby boomers and Gen X workers agree.
Operating responsibly in regard to the environment can also help you win favor with employees. A survey from consulting firm Bain & Company found for half of workers under age 40, a company’s approach to sustainable business practices was a factor in the worker’s decision to accept a job with the organization.
Reward Employees for Supporting the Company’s Guiding Principles
Sixty percent of organizations tie their employee recognition program into their company core values; and with good reason. Recognition programs positively influence staff engagement, company culture and retention — particularly when they tie into values, according to research from Globoforce and the Society for Human Resource Management.
Seventy percent of companies who connected their recognition program to their core values received a greater return on investment than companies that didn’t; for 80 percent, incorporating company core values helped strengthen their employer brand.
Workers who feel a sense of pride about their employers’ contribution to the world, workplace and their individual career may show some of the highest employee satisfaction levels in an organization.
If your company still could use a bit of an engagement boost, though, try enacting some of the additional tips from our blog posts on the three things your employee engagement program needs, disarming your most disengaged employees and improving your employee value proposition.