Why Employee Satisfaction Is Also Your Business

To what degree does employee dissatisfaction hamper a company's ability to provide consistently good customer service? If labor statistics are accurate, half of all Americans are unhappy at their jobs, and many of them are actively seeking other employment. Of the 50% who are "content," only 14% are "very satisfied."

As I was waiting in line at a popular hardware store this weekend, one of the employees remarked to another employee, "Only 25 more minutes until I get to go home."

Then it struck me. We've all been there. Sometimes the scenarios flip flop between "I get to go home soon" (I'm here too much) and "There aren't enough days in a week" (I can't be here enough). Both are similar in the respect that the employee does not feel he controls his own destiny.

While there still is a correlation between job satisfaction and compensation (which is also, not coincidentally, correlated with age), employees typically list other factors as a cause of dissatisfaction. As it turns out, much it is simple, good old-fashioned appreciation, which I believe is best demonstrated when a company utilizes an employee's strengths.

Doing so shows that the employer has invested time in the employee to learn about those strengths and the foresight to put the employees in a position where they could be put to best use. It also couldn't hurt to invest resources to help develop employees as professionals and as people, as long as they are interested, so that they can also understand that while the employer must try to make it in this world, they are committed to helping their employees make it, too.

Depending on your business, you don't necessarily have to promise a rose garden. Nobody (credible) said making it is easy. In fact, 95% of small businesses fail in the first five years. But the happier your employees are, the better chance they have of making your customers happy. And the happier your customers are, the more they'll recommend you to others, and the more they'll come buy from you.

Invest some time in finding and developing your employees' strengths. Your customers will reward you. - Cam Beck

Comments

[Lewis Green]

Good post Cam. Having consulted internally with HR at every corporation I've worked with, I can confidently report that according to employee surveys most workers are relatively happy with their compensation and express verying degrees of happiness with their benefits.

Where businesses most often fail is in the human touchpoints arena; customer service as related to our employees. We don't serve their wants and needs well. And what are some of those wants and needs?

1: respect and dignity
2: ongoing communications that go in every direction
3. buy-in and engagement with strategic planning
4. knowledge about where the business is going, how it's getting there, and what workers' roles and responsibilities to get it there are and at least quarterly updates
5. processes for sharing innovation and process ideas
6. flexibility in scheduling

[Paul McEnany]

Crappy treatment of employees = bad customer service. Those two go hand in hand, for sure.

[Drew McLellan]

Cam,

Amen! I always see a red warning flag when a potential client tells me they had to cut their budget, so of course internal communications got the axe.

If they don't get the fact that their employees are their most important audience...we are not going to work well together.

Drew