Seven Ways To Increase Employee Satisfaction Without Giving ARaiseComment NowFollow Comments

A few years ago when employees became dissatisfied with their organization they would quit and get another job. Today, with placement opportunities very low and unemployment extremely high, very few people opt to quit and leave. As a result something much worse is happening within organizations. Employees quit, but they stay. In the last year, overall job satisfaction in the U.S. has declined significantly. Employees feel stuck in their current jobs and their dissatisfaction with the organizations they work for increases.However, not all organizations are experiencing these dismal results. A recent assessment of employee satisfaction by one of our clients showed a significant improvement over past years, though this company was not immune to the effects of the recession. Examination of the data showed7 factorsthat created this positive increase in their satisfaction, even during the economys poorest times.1. Consistent Values.In some organizations, employees observe that core values appear to be abandoned when the economy is poor. Leadership values seemed to apply in good times, but to dwindle or even disappear during stress. This organization, however, held tightly to its core values as the economy turned. Employees began to more fully appreciate those values as well when they saw what was happening in other companies during difficult times.

2. Long Term Focus.This company clearly saw the recession as a temporary problem, and maintained its focus on the longterm objectives. The recession had a significant impact on the longterm objectives, but it created new opportunities as well. Employees dont mind going through difficult times when they believe there is a brighter future ahead.3.Local Leadership.company recognized that the major source of satisfaction or dissatisfaction came from what happen in each work group. Every manager and supervisor received a clear assessment of the satisfaction of their employees and was challenged to find opportunities to improve.4.Continuous Communication.People tend to communicate less during bad times, when in actuality, they need to communicate even more. This company increased its efforts to communicate and share important information. If there was no good news to share, they would share the reality of their current situation.5.Collaboration.Groups made significant improvements in their ability to share resources and work together. This reduced costs and increased efficiency.6.Opportunities for Development.Because the pace of work was slower, people had the opportunity to learn new skills and develop new capabilities. This organization took advantage of the slower time by challenging employees with stretch job assignments. They also increased formal training.7.Speed and Agility.With less budget, everyone saw the need to move quickly and take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace. Speed of decision was emphasized.Clearly, it is a fallacy to assume that bad times equate to lower job satisfaction. As our research illustrates, it is simply not true. The organization we described made significantgainsin satisfaction and commitment during one of the worst financial times in history by doing the right things, and doing them well. These improvements helped the company create substantial financial momentum during the challenging economy as well.The moral of the story is this: Many organizations wait for an economic and business turnaround to measure the satisfaction of their employees, but they are missing a great opportunity. By assessing now, they can build on the current opinions in any economy and can make the changes that will help them capitalize on better financial times. The activity also instills greater trust: By asking for opinions now, you are showing your employees that youre not just asking for what youwantto hear, but rather asking for what youneedto be hearing as well. So what are you waiting for? If you value your employees satisfaction, the time to be asking for their feedback is now.

HomeJob Satisfaction and New SkillsThe quality professionals surveyed said they are happy with their work and looking to improve their skills.ByMichelle BangertJuly 1, 2014

Quality professionals like what they do. According to respondents fromQualitys14th annual State of the Profession Survey, half of respondents said they are highly satisfied with their job and 44% said they are moderately satisfied.Along with being satisfied, respondents also are experiencedone-third said they had been in the industry for more than 25 years. The survey aims to discover trends in employee compensation, work hours, and job satisfaction, along with a profile of the quality demographic. Learn what quality professionals said about their company, industry, and career in this years survey.Industries and CompaniesFirst, lets look at the respondents industries and companies. Fabricated metal products is the most common industry for respondents, with 16%; followed by aerospace by 13%; plastics and rubber came in at 11% and so did miscellaneous manufacturing; and 10% with medical equipment and supplies. Other industries followed: machinery; motor vehicles, body, trailer and parts; electrical equipment and components; transportation; computers.More than a third of respondents work for companies that manufacture original equipment (OEMs), 34% at components and parts manufacturers, and 18% at job shops.In terms of revenue, more than half of respondents have revenues between one and $49 million. The mean was $837.8 million; while the median was $23.5 million.Two-thirds of respondents come from companies of less than 500 employees, with the mean company size coming in at 9,305 employees and a median of 150. For almost half (48%) of respondents, their companies remained the same size, and companies increased for 40%. Only 13% saw a decrease in company size.Shopping for New ProductsWhen considering purchases, the quality/product assurance group is most likely to be responsible for making purchase decisions. Over half (51%) of the respondents indicated the quality product and assurance control workers made purchasing decisions, but among all the groups who make purchasing decisions, their most common involvement is recommending or evaluating brands and models.In looking ahead to resources planned for next year, just over half (52%) dont expect to change the amount of their resources, but 42% said they do plan to increase their resources, primarily in gages. Gages topped the list at 55%, followed by measurement software at 33%, laser measurement equipment at 25%, coordinate measuring machines at 21%, form measurement and video measurement both at 20%, and surface finish measurement equipment at 18%. Other resources planned to be increased by 10% to 17% include white/structured light, measuring microscopes, and optical comparators.Forty-two percent of respondents indicated that they were more comfortable waiting for others to successfully adopt a technology before trying it themselves. Only 11% said they were willing to be on the leading edge of technology adoption, though 33% said they were willing to be one of the early leaders. Fourteen percent said they would likely be one of the last to use it.Quality Around the WorldJust about half of respondents (49%) have production in the United States only. China (30%) and Mexico (25%) were the next most-common locations, followed by Canada, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan, France, Italy, Taiwan, Australia and Russia. Respondents also indicated that they have production locations in other European countries, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa.But where do the respondents themselves work? Just under half (48%) work in the Midwest, followed by the South at 20%, the Northeast at 19%, and the West at 12%.A Quality ProfileThe average age of respondents is 52 years old. Forty-one percent have earned a bachelors degree, 20% a masters degree, 15% have an associates degree, and only 2% have received a Ph.D. Nine percent have taken certification programs and 12% have a high school education.A quarter of respondents have received an ASQ certification, and 28% have received a Six Sigma green belt, black belt, master black belt, and/or champion certification.As for their primary job function, the majority of respondents said they are in quality management (37%) or quality engineering (18%). Twelve percent are in corporate management, 8% were in manufacturing or supply chain management, 7% in engineering, 5% in manufacturing engineering, 3% in research and development, and 2% in purchasing.Most respondents had been at their current company for 15 or fewer years, with a mean of 13 years. Sixty-two percent have been in the industry for at least 16 years, with a mean of 21 years. Clearly, this is an experienced crowd.Two-thirds of respondents supervise others, with 46% supervising less thanfive people. The mean number of people under their supervision was 12.And how much do they work? Twenty percent indicated they work more than 50 hours a week, with the mean hours worked coming in at 47 hours. Most respondents said their hours worked have remained the same from last year, although a quarter said their hours worked had increased, by an average of 7 hours more.At work, the majority said they had quality related responsibilities, with 74% saying implementing solutions to problems is a responsibility. Time constraints were the top issue interfering with their work, cited by 56%. Three-quarters of respondents said they were a member of at least one quality team or committee.How Is It Going?Respondents said they are happy at work, with 51% saying they are highly satisfied, 44% saying moderately satisfied and only 5% saying not at all satisfied. One of the most important job attributes, cited by 64%, was a feeling of accomplishment, followed by a good relationship with colleagues at 50%, and salary by 41%. Other positive job attributes followed, including technical challenges, ability to try new or creative approaches, job security, a pleasant work environment, and a chance to be a team leader.One of the largest job concerns was economic conditions, cited by 48%, followed by management support at 41%, and a sufficient operating budget at 33%. They were also concerned about keeping current on technology, job security, keeping current on regulations, salary, and outsourcing and privatization.Salary and BenefitsIn terms of salary, the mean annual salary was $77,242. More than half of respondents receive an annual bonus, with a mean bonus of almost $11,000.Over half of respondents reported a salary increase during the past year, on average by about 5%. Fifty-eight percent of respondents expect their salary to increase at their next performance review.For those whose salary did not increase, economic conditions were cited as one of the top reasons. Overall company and personal performance were the top factors to lead to a change in salary.Along with salary, 91% of respondents received health care through their employer, 90% receive paid vacation, and 80% receive 401(k) matching.In addition, 62% received some type of training in the past year. ISO, FDA and other regulatory certifications were the most common type of training received, followed by training in methodologies such as Six Sigma, management, software or PC, and equipment operation or repair.And quality professionals are interested in learning. Certifications and problem-solving were cited by 41% and 40% of respondents, respectively. They were also interested in working on time management, teamwork, employee supervision, finance and accounting, public speaking, and writing reports and proposals.MethodologyThe survey was conducted by BNP Medias market research division, in association withQuality, from March 24 to April 7, 2014. Active, qualified subscribers were sent an email survey, with a response rate of 1.7%.Michelle Bangert is the managing editor of Quality Magazine.