The 3 smartest ways to improve employee satisfaction

We all know that keeping your employees happy is good for business. But there's a big difference between being happy and being engaged.

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Pizza parties and lunch-hour yoga classes may give your team a quick morale boost, but if you really want to create a lasting culture of employee satisfaction, you need to look beyond the surface.

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What science says about satisfaction at work

According to ongoing research from Glassdoor, three key drivers make or break employee satisfaction across the world:

1. Company culture and values 
2. Access to career development
3. Quality senior leadership

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Since research has determined that the team leader accounts for 70% of the variance in employee engagement, it's crucial that managers take an active role in promoting these three key drivers.

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Otherwise, even the most talented employees will eventually become dissatisfied and start looking for opportunities elsewhere.

How to improve employee satisfaction

Sporadic surveys will only get you so far. If you're committed to promoting employee satisfaction, you need to make it a part of your day-to-day operations. Here are a few things you can do to get the ball running.

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1. Remind employees of the bigger picture

It's so easy to get lost in the minutiae of daily tasks. As a manager, it's your job to help employees see how their work contributes to the company's culture and values—particularly, altruistic values that help make the world a better place.

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For example, DTE energy's CEO Gerry Anderson made a video showing all the different ways the energy the company generated impacted the local community. Watching it brought some members to tears and inspired other higher-ups to prioritize their mission of social responsibility. Not only did DTE go on to win Gallup's Great Workplace Award five years in a row, but its stock price more than tripled within a decade.

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Want to create a similar sense of collective values at your company? Try one of these ideas:

• Share stories of how your company has positively impacted customers, the community, or the world.
• Rewrite your mission statement to one that's more actionable and inspiring.
• Partner with charitable organizations that align with your company values and give employees time off to volunteer.

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2. Encourage ongoing learning

A company's greatest investment is its people. Research has shown that employees who feel like their career growth is prioritized are more likely to be engaged. As a manager, you can create this type of environment by:

• Encouraging employees to seek out learning opportunities, such as online courses, conferences, or networking events.
• Giving employees the opportunity to take on new assignments or responsibilities that will help them develop new skills.
• Partnering with HR to create development plans for each employee.
• Making time for one-on-one conversations to discuss each person's career goals.
• Prioritize purpose-driven team-building activities with platforms like Gomada.

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3. Create a compassionate leadership style

Another Gallup study found that when employees perceive their managers as caring, they are 69% less likely to actively hunt for another job. They're also three times more likely to be engaged at work and five times more likely to recommend their company to others.

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Caring leadership doesn't mean you have to be best friends. It means you prioritize your team's well-being. Start by:

• Expressing your appreciation for your team members' hard work and dedication. Gomada’s Appreciation Shower keeps your people motivated within 1:1 praise sessions with other employees. 
• Checking in with employees regularly, both about work assignments and how they're doing personally.
• Asking for input on decisions that will directly impact them.
• Providing the resources they need to be successful, both in terms of job-specific tools and support for their well-being.

Prioritize your people and increase employee satisfaction

When you make your employees a priority, they're more likely to be satisfied with their jobs—and less likely to look for greener pastures.

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Creating a positive work environment doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes, the simplest changes can make the biggest impact. By sharing stories of success, focusing on career growth, practicing compassionate leadership, and empowering employees to use their strengths, you can increase employee satisfaction and create a more engaged workforce. There are also plenty of software solutions that help boost satisfaction and engagement.