We all want to be satisfied with our work. None of us wants to hate what we do, get paid badly, get treated badly, or experience “Sunday scares” because we dread the work week so much.
But is satisfaction enough? Does having a workforce full of satisfied employees always lead to positive business results?
The terms “employee satisfaction” and “employee engagement” are often used interchangeably. But while you can assume that engaged employees are satisfied with their jobs, not all satisfied employees are engaged. (Hope for?)
To clear things up, let’s dive into what distinguishes employee satisfaction and engagement and learn about the main factors that influence engagement in an organization.
Understand the differences between satisfaction and commitment
For HR leaders, it’s crucial to understand the difference between job satisfaction and employee engagement. Let’s start with satisfaction.
What is employee satisfaction?
Having satisfied employees is not necessarily a bad thing. (The alternative is to have dissatisfied people, which can create a whole host of problems). But satisfaction alone is not enough for employees to do their best work.
Satisfaction is superficial. A satisfied employee may be glad or even “happy” to come to work every day and collect their paycheck. They usually do what is asked of them and follow the rules. They don’t ruffle feathers or cause interruptions.
That said, if an employee is simply satisfied but not engaged at work, they won’t go any further. They will do the bare minimum to stay employed and will not push themselves to meet or exceed stretch goals. These people are not your best interpreters.
What is employee engagement?
The ideal employee is satisfied and engaged. Engaged employees are enthusiastic and energized by their work. They are dedicated team members and helpful colleagues. They strive to perform their role at a high level and are passionate about the mission and vision of the company.
Certain factors contribute to an employee’s overall level of engagement. These engagement “drivers” include:
- Autonomy
- Ability
- coworker relationships
- Justice
- Comment
- goal support
- Leader Availability
- Leader Integrity
- Meaning
- Professional development
- psychological safety
- Aim
- Feature Clarity
- Relationship with manager
- Rest
- Shared values
- Utilization
At 15Five, we define engaged employees as “those who find work and life consistently energizing, inspiring and meaningful because they are tapping into their greatest strengths, values and passions.”
Highly engaged employees have a deep commitment and emotional connection to their work and are excited to learn and grow in their careers. (On the other hand, “disconnected” employees are less productive, at higher risk of turnover, and can even have a negative impact on their teams and company culture.)
Read more about each of the 17 Employee Engagement Drivers.
Employee engagement is a predictor of business success
According to an investigation of McKinsey70% of employees say their sense of purpose is defined by their work, and therefore when that work feels meaningful, they are more likely to perform better and engage with their work.
Research continues to show a strong connection between employee engagement and business success. When employees have what they need to do their best work, they consistently perform at a higher level. The more engaged employees you have, the more customers, stakeholders, and bottom line profit.
In a 2020 meta-analysis, gallup found a substantial relationship between commitment and performance in all organizations. In the study, employee engagement is strongly related to each of these 11 business outcomes:
- Customer loyalty/commitment
- Cost effectiveness
- Productivity
- Rotation
- security incidents
- Absenteeism
- Contraction
- patient safety incidents
- Quality (defects)
- Welfare
- organizational citizenship
Why Employee Engagement Is Important Today
We know that employee engagement translates into good things for an organization. But companies of all sizes in all industries are still struggling to crack the code on engagement. The “silent quitting” epidemic that we started talking about during the pandemic persists today all over the world.
According to Gallup 2023 State of the Global Workplace Report59% of employees are disengaged (i.e., they quit quietly) and 18% are actively disengaged, which Gallup calls “loud quitting.”
As Adam Weber, 15Five’s SVP of Community, recently said: “The ideology behind quietly quitting has become popular because workplaces have de-prioritized what’s important to so many employees when it comes to how, where and why they work… Workers are no longer willing to feel taken advantage of”.
learn more about why employee engagement matters in 2023
Measure employee engagement
By confidentially and incrementally measuring the presence (or absence) of engagement drivers, you can better understand what really engages your employees and create programs and initiatives that meet their needs.
A well-crafted employee engagement survey can provide a clearer picture of what is working well for your employees and help you uncover the obstacles that are standing in your way. It relies on the collection of reliable data and the ability to slice and dice knowledge to dig deeper into areas of engagement among different groups.
We recommend conducting organization-wide employee surveys 2-4 times per year, with more regular feedback opportunities throughout the year. Shorter, more frequent pulse surveys and weekly check-ins between employees and managers can provide real-time feedback and give employees the opportunity to share more about how things are going at any given time.
Take action on feedback
A study of Qualtrics found that while 92% of employees think it’s important for their company to listen to their feedback, only 7% say their company is acting really well based on feedback.
Employees will stop sharing honest feedback (or just skip surveys altogether) if they feel leadership won’t take any real action. It is important to show employees that their feedback is important and is taken into account when decisions are made.
Once you get your employee engagement survey results, create a timely action plan and stick to it. Creating and nurturing a more engaging employee experience is critical to retaining top talent and delivering better business results.
Find out how to increase employee engagement with 15Five
Employee engagement involves a person’s perception, feelings, and beliefs about the business, the people they work with, leadership, and the job itself. Drivers of employee engagement are highly personal, depend on company culture, and vary for each individual.
Find out what’s working in your organization (and what’s not) and discover practical strategies to improve employee satisfaction and engagement through psychometrically valid surveys and 15Five’s holistic suite of performance tools.
Learn more >
