Is there a difference?
The satisfaction of employees and employee engagement, while they are related concepts, are regularly confused. These terms are used and measured interchangeably.
Employee satisfaction is ultimately how happy and satisfied your employees are. It’s about the employee looking to the organization and asking, “What can you do for me?”
Employee engagement is the extent to which employees feel passionate, committed and their willingness to put in discretionary effort at work. Employees feel a desire to do what they can for their organization because their organization supports them.
Why is Employee Satisfaction Important?
In addition to income, there are many documented benefits of work:
- Provides a sense of structure and purpose;
- A source of social support where people can get together and form friendships;
- Provides a sense of social identity and helps us define ourselves;
- Provides a sense of achievement and an outlet where we can portray our talents and skills; and
- Keeps us physically and mentally active.
Although there some who ‘want’ to work, most go to their jobs every day feeling they ‘have’ to work. In order to fully enjoy these benefits, it is important for individuals to feel a sense of job satisfaction. We spend a large percentage of our time at work and it is human nature to care about what we’re spending our time doing and the quality of the work we do.
So what is the impact employee satisfaction has on the organization? Studies have aligned employee satisfaction with:
- Improved productivity due to enhanced job performance;
- Reduced turnover and recruitment costs due to improved retention rates;
- Higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty;
- Improved teamwork; and
- Increased quality of products and services.
Satisfied employees tend to feel a sense of long-term satisfaction with the organization they work for. They care about the quality of their work and want to create and deliver value. Satisfied employees are more committed and more productive than those who are not.
How does this Affect Employee Engagement?
High employee satisfaction directly results in high levels of employee engagement. High employee engagement has the potential to drive significant improvements in productivity and the bottom line.
Business owners are striving for successful and productive organizations and are always looking for ways to do more with less. Ensuring employees are satisfied with their jobs and their working environment is one concrete strategy to work towards this goal.
We’d like to help you with that and at no cost to you.
We offer a survey that will uncover ongoing workplace problems. That way you can proactively build a more positive work culture. Take the Nexlevel Challenge today and close the gaps in your business!
Further reading: What exactly is the difference between Employee Satisfaction and Employee Engagement?
