Migrate From Employee Satisfaction To Employee Engagement

Happy employees are certainly good. We presume that employee satisfaction implies high productivity. To your surprise, the reality may be a little different: a happy employee is not necessarily productive. An employee can be satisfied with a job without being engaged. So, you need to aim for employee engagement rather than employee satisfaction.

Let us look at the difference between employee satisfaction and engagement and how to improve employee engagement.

Employee Satisfaction vs Employee Engagement

Employee satisfaction is the measure of happiness with the job. Good salary, generous benefits, promotion potential, job security and an accommodative working environment keep the employees contended. The contentment is driven by what employees get.

Employee engagement is about how the employee is engrossed, involved and immersed in the job. Employee engagement is characterised by the intensity of focus on the task and the decision to invest personal resources toward the tasks. Employee engagement focusses on performance and about doing what it takes to ensure superior performance.

Employee satisfaction is about the inputs and engagement is about employee output. That is why it is crucial to work towards improving employee engagement. You can make it happen in several ways.

1. Set transparent business goals and show each employee helps to achieve them

Set transparent business goals. Then cascade the goals to each job and show how the job is linked to the business goals. Opportunity to create a business impact would drive the employees to work harder and strive to do better and better.

2. Manage Employee Performance

Set ambitious yet achievable goals for each employee. Give the necessary work tools. Train employees to make sure that they have the skills to perform the job better. Monitor performance, give constructive feedback and hold employees accountable to the agreed performance targets. Offer performance linked rewards and recognition that motivate them to stay engaged in their work.

3. Cultivate a Positive Work Environment

A positive work environment is essential for employee engagement. Improved communication builds trust and allows you to find and discuss problems early on, helping keep a harmonious working environment. Set the right tone at the top. Live the company values, whether it is operational efficiency, innovation, customer orientation or integrity. Encourage employees to voice their ideas on improving the work methods, concerns, and grievances. Conduct 360 degree feedback to facilitate feedback on the working styles of team members. A healthy workplace culture will lead to happier employees who are likelier to stick around longer.

4. Reward Employees Competitively

Competitive and fair salary and benefits, work-life balance, promotion opportunities and job security can improve job satisfaction and employee engagement. Engaged employees are satisfied employees. You can conduct a salary and benefit survey to help you set up a competitive reward structure.

5. Create a Career Growth Roadmap

Create a career growth roadmap for employees. Employees aspire for career growth. Offer training and development opportunities to employees to enable them to not only perform better in their current jobs but also prepare them for bigger roles aligned with the company needs in future.

Conclusion

In today’s competitive environment, employee engagement is critical for company success. It is imperative that the companies must migrate from employee satisfaction to employee engagement.