4 Ways to Improve Employee Satisfaction

Author: Andrew Dvirnyk

In honor of Labor Day here in the US, we are outlining four ways to improve employee satisfaction. Regardless of organization size, you can design ways to educate, train, and empower employees.

But that is just the start. Building a community for and with your employees inside the organization and in local areas where you work is key. Creating and sustaining a community with your employees helps to develop the kind of holistic experiences – and satisfaction – that makes employees proud to be part of your team. And invested in staying with you for the future.

Educate Employees

Truly successful individuals and organizations never stop learning. The never-stop-learning mentality is especially important in the IT field, where innovations and advancements happen at a fast pace.

One way to build employee satisfaction, individual employee confidence, and an overall stronger organization, is to offer ongoing opportunities for employee education. A great way to offer educational opportunities to your employees is to collaborate with colleges and universities. Connect your employees with relevant courses or certifications.

But do not stop with building the relationship with colleges and universities. Make sure you are doing all you can to make it possible for your employees to reach their educational goals. That may mean building more flexible schedules or offering tuition remission. Before you offer education opportunities to your employees, make sure you can offer what you want (and what they want) both from a cost perspective and a time perspective.

Of course, education, and the never-stop-learning mindset extend beyond individual employees. Brainstorm ways you can provide value to local colleges and universities. For our part, we cooperate with universities through R&D labs and training courses. We participate in conferences and workshops and support inter-university programming competitions.

We also look to those same local schools when we want to hire interns. When you have an established relationship with a school, you get stronger internship candidates. It becomes much easier to find the right fit for your organization. Then, those same interns may become long-term employees, who have felt like they are a vital part of your organization since they were in school. That is the kind of employee satisfaction – and employee loyalty – you can’t put a price on.

Train Employees

If employee satisfaction is a priority for your organization, make a commitment to help your employees do their best every day. This goes beyond motivation in the general sense. Make a commitment to provide your employees with the ongoing professional development and training that keep them at the top of their game.

The value to your organization speaks for itself. The better able your employees are to do their jobs, the better it is for you. But take a deeper look and see how training improves confidence, teamwork, quality, and efficiency across your organization. When you look at it this way, investments in training are an obvious choice for your overall organizational health.

Of course, not all training is equal. Be sure you are seeking the right opportunities for your employees, so you are not wasting their time or yours. Look at innovations in your industry. Think about the skill sets you most need on your team. For guidance in choosing the right training for your employees, start by looking at member associations in your field.

Empower Employees

Education and training lead to empowerment. And empowered employees are motivated, successful, loyal employees. In addition to training and education in IT skills, we offer foreign language training to our employees to help them connect with our clients across the globe, and to add value to their overall employee experience.

Think about ways you can empower your employees beyond the immediate skill requirements for their positions. Whether you have returned to office, or you are managing a remote workforce, you have a variety of ways to improve the daily working lives of your employees and to empower them. If employees are on-site, invest in fitness centers and outdoor space where employees can improve wellness and their sense of camaraderie. In remote work scenarios, consider partnering with local fitness centers for discounts for your employees, or providing vouchers. Design ways for remote employees to connect with each other to offer support and to collaborate on projects so they feel empowered as part of a team.

Create Community

Remember that your employees are people. The more supported they feel as individuals, and the more pride they take as productive members of a team, the more value they bring to your organization. Employee satisfaction improves when your employees notice that you recognize them as individuals, and valued members of your team.

Create community with that in mind. Our employees enjoy participating in sporting competitions, attending retreats, and going on tours together. Think about what resonates with your team – or better yet – ask your employees what they want to do together.

And finally, think about the world outside your business. Remind your employees (and your executive teams) that we are all part of a larger society; and we are stronger when we work to improve that society. Think about CSR not just as another organization goal, but as a way of connecting your employees with each other and with local and global communities. Then work together to make things better inside the office and out.