3:08 AM
SuperBlogger
As mangers and business leaders, we sometimes get out of sync with what is happening in the employee workforce. Because we are not one of "them", there are plenty of things we do not see or hear, and if left long enough, those things can create a very hostile and unproductive team environment. To combat this, it is important to check in with your team often and ask for candid feedback on daily operations and more. The benefits of an employee satisfaction survey are many, but here are the top five.
1. Gauge and Understand Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is more than just who shows up for work that day. It is about each member of a team understanding their part, why it is important, and taking pride in it. When employees are engaged, they are all working together to accomplish a larger goal. When they are not, they are showing up and doing as little as possible for a paycheck. This is obviously not something you want.
2. Define Leadership Weaknesses and Strengths
Employee satisfaction surveys are performed to discover issues and strengths in the workforce, but many times will actually bring weaknesses and strengths in the leadership as a byproduct. The truth is, an unhappy team is often a mis-managed team, and that means that some attention needs to be paid to honing leadership skills.
3. Change Negative Patterns and Create Positive Ones
If you are around a pattern all day every day, then most likely you are not seeing it for it is. An employee satisfaction survey gives you the opportunity to step back and see the bigger picture. Through this view, you can identify action or habits in the workforce that are negatively impacting the business, and change them to positive ones that help the business.
4. Increase Productivity and Profits
Simply conducting a survey shows the employees that you care about them and their happiness, which helps to boos morale. But, the real benefit for everyone is when you use the data collected in the survey to make changes for the better. This increases morale exponentially, which boosts employee engagement, productivity, and ultimately profits.
5. Find New Leaders in Your Team
Potential leaders may be hiding in every team, and will not surface if they feel unhappy and under-appreciated. You could be missing out on key people that can drive sales and productivity through the roof if you never take the chance to look closely and employee survey results.
These benefits alone should be enough to convince any savvy manager or leader that an employee satisfaction survey is a necessity for business growth. It's important that these surveys be conducted in a way that is clearly for the team's benefit. Make sure they know it is not only safe, but highly desired that they be completely honest with you if you are to make positive changes.
It is recommended that these kinds of surveys be conducted at least once a year, but once a quarter will provide the most benefit. Remember that your team can quickly stagnate if left to believe their leaders don't care for them -- so make it clear that you do! About the Author
Sam Moser is a freelance web content writer who graduated from the School of Journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto. After graduating, Sam decided to start a small business and knows too well the importance of Grapevine Surveys which makes it easier to conduct surveys.
