Measuring Employee Satisfaction with Surveys: How to Do It

In Germany, around 4.5 million people work at least 33 percent more hours per week than stipulated in their employment contracts – and sometimes without pay. Looking at the latest 2021 data report from the German Federal Statistical Office on work quality, it is hardly surprising that the hotly debated phenomenon of Quiet Quitting or "internal resignation" has also gone viral in Germany in a very short time.

After all, employee satisfaction is directly linked to a company's success. Only those who feel recognized by managers and receive adequate compensation will commit themselves to the company's goals in the long term and with motivation. However, many companies only realize their employees are dissatisfied with working conditions after they have already found another job.

Continuous employee satisfaction surveys can counteract this problem and are therefore essential in modern business practice.

 

In this article, we show you how employee satisfaction can be easily measured and what benefits or potential risks are associated with such a survey.

Surveying employees about their satisfaction: How to achieve the best results

To find out the opinions of their employees, many companies primarily use personal feedback discussions with the respective team leader. While such qualitative individual or group interviews are certainly important for discussing individual assessments or potential team problems, they are not meaningful with regard to employee satisfaction.

Due to the lack of anonymity and fear of sanctions, very few employees dare to express their opinion on potential problems honestly.

For assessing employee satisfaction, systematic, written and quantitative employee surveys with a standardized questionnaire (e.g., with an online survey) are better suited. Such a survey can not only show the degree of general satisfaction in a company, but is also a diagnostic tool for necessary changes.

Of course, companies cannot increase satisfaction with employee surveys alone; they must also actually address the problems discovered!

 

Survey content: What questions are used to determine employee satisfaction?

The specific content of an employee satisfaction survey can vary. Usually, these thematic fields, whether considered together or individually, form the content focus of the Mitarbeiterbefragung:

• Communication in the company
  Example question: We are informed adequately and in a timely manner about important decisions in our department.
• Team collaboration
  Example question: I am not afraid to express my opinion freely to my supervisor.
• Career development
  Example question: In the future, I see good advancement opportunities for me.
• Working conditions
  Example question: I find work processes in my department effective.

 

In practice, closed-ended rating questions that can be answered on a 5- or 6-point scale provide the most clear-cut results.

Example 1:
My supervisor always remains objective in conflict situations. (Please select how strongly you agree with this statement.)
1) strongly agree
2) agree
3) somewhat
4) disagree
5) strongly disagree
6) cannot assess
 

Example 2:
Our work meetings are effective and goal-oriented. (Please select the applicable answer.)
a) strongly agree
b) agree
c) somewhat agree
d) disagree
e) strongly disagree

 

However, some thematic areas can also be supplemented with some open or qualitative questions. This makes sense especially when new ideas or suggestions from employees are sought. In this case, however, it must be expected that open questions are not always unambiguous to evaluate.

Example:
I suggest the following concrete measures to improve my workplace: __________

Sinnvolle Ziele & mögliche Risiken verstehen: Eine Mitarbeiterumfrage ohne Enttäuschung

Well-thought-out employee surveys can not only boost the motivation and satisfaction of the entire team, but also improve many processes in daily work. However, when planning, companies must also consider possible risks or disadvantages so they are not disappointed by the results of the survey conducted.

 

Benefits of an employee survey: What can companies actually achieve with it?

In addition to determining general employee job satisfaction, the results of an employee survey can pursue several other goals:

• Identify problems:
  Above all, it can be detected in time how well the cooperation between supervisors and employees, between different departments, or between employees and customers actually works.
• Promote open communication between all hierarchies within the company:
  Employees are involved in company processes and have the feeling that they are heard by their supervisors, which generally leads to a better work climate.
• Recognize necessary innovations in the company:
  Not only can needed technical or digital updates be recognized faster, but also necessary measures for work restructuring, such as in the upcoming project planning.
• Check business processes for efficiency and reliability:
  Usually, employees are much closer to work processes than their supervisors and can better assess when specific processes or procedures are not yet mature.

 

Disadvantages of an employee survey: What should companies watch out for?

However, before conducting an employee survey, managers must be aware that the results may also have some weaknesses:

• Difficulty in measurement because too few employees participate in the survey:
  The main problem is when employees don't believe their participation can actually change anything. Therefore, it is especially important that actual measures follow each survey.
• Employee motivation or engagement is not easy to measure:
  Therefore, general questions about personal satisfaction (e.g., "How do you like your current job?") can be used, but don't necessarily give a clear picture. Instead, specific questions are better suited (e.g., "Are you satisfied with your salary?" or "How effective do you rate the software used for sending emails?").
• Connection between satisfaction and performance:
  According to scientist William Kahn, who significantly shaped the concept of "work engagement" or employee satisfaction in the 1990s, employee engagement can only be measured to a certain degree. The survey is evaluated according to previously defined criteria and then discussed with participants from all levels (managers, team leaders, and employees) either jointly or in stages. Nevertheless, current cognitive research, such as by Basinska/Daderman, shows that employees suffer from burnout more frequently when they feel psychologically and emotionally oppressed by their work. Employee surveys have proven to be very effective for assessing employees' mental health.

 

Conclusion: Employee satisfaction survey – and what then?

Overall, we can conclude that it has never been more important for companies to address the needs of their employees. Especially in economically unstable times, internal feedback on processes and workflows is extremely valuable so that needed improvements can be identified as quickly as possible. However, an employee satisfaction survey is only the starting point for performance and work optimization and can only be considered successful if it actually brings about changes afterward!