Satisfaction. Engagement. Engagement.
Three important traits for a successful employee. Yet it is often not clear what exactly these traits mean. As a result, the terms employee satisfaction, involvement and engagement are still sometimes used interchangeably. And yet they are indeed different concepts. After all, a satisfied employee is not necessarily engaged. An involved employee is not necessarily engaged. And engagement does not always automatically go together with satisfaction.
Employee satisfaction
As the name suggests, it is about employee satisfaction to the level of satisfaction with the current work situation. This concept can be roughly divided into four facets:
Work content
When it comes to employee satisfaction, it is important that the content of the work is satisfactory. Is performing the work perceived as fun? Does the job offer enough variety and are capabilities utilised?
Working conditions
Secondly, it is essential that the physical and mental conditions under which work is done are in order. Is the workload not too high? Does the workplace meet all the requirements to perform the work safely and successfully?
Cooperation & Communication
The most important factor for employee satisfaction is the social climate in the workplace. Is there a nice atmosphere within the team? Is the right guidance provided? Are conflicts prevented and resolved?
Compensation & Reward
Also not unimportant are the rewards that come in return for the work. For example, is the salary right and in line with the market? Are sufficient advancement and training opportunities offered?
Measuring employee satisfaction
In the ideal situation, an employee is exclusively positive about each of these four facets. In practice, however, there is often plenty of room for improvement. The advantage of employee satisfaction is that it is relatively easy to make improvements. By means of an employee satisfaction survey, concrete points for improvement within the organisation can be identified. It is up to the employer to act on these and thus increase employee satisfaction.
Employee satisfaction is not only desirable for the employee himself. The organisation also benefits from a high level of satisfaction in the workplace. Indeed, research shows that employee satisfaction is associated with, among other things:
- Higher customer satisfaction (even in the absence of direct customer contact)1, 2
- Higher productivity1, 3
- More profitability1
- Lower staff turnover1
Employee engagement
Besides satisfaction, involvement a big role in the work experience. An engaged employee has heart for the organisation. He is proud to work for the organisation and willing to go the extra mile to help the organisation move forward. This is largely due to a similarity between the employee's personal values and the organisation's core values. This allows an engaged employee to identify with the organisation.
Engagement goes a step further than satisfaction. Imagine an organisation where you hold exactly the same position you hold now, and where exactly the same satisfaction factors are present. A high level of engagement ensures that you would not consider switching to the other organisation. An engaged employee has the connection with the organisation at heart.
Measuring employee engagement
Because the level of engagement depends largely on personal values, it may seem difficult for employers to increase engagement. Yet it is certainly possible to bring about improvement. An engagement survey can be used to identify areas for improvement. For example, suppose the results show that employees do not feel involved in decisions made within the organisation. The employer can then choose to facilitate more employee participation or communicate and manage changes more clearly.
As with employee satisfaction, employee engagement also has a positive impact on things like customer satisfaction, performance and staff retention4. In addition, research shows that engagement goes hand in hand with innovation. Not only that; uninvolved employees even act as a handbrake on both innovation and productivity. Conducting engagement research reveals what the engagement level of the organisation, department or team is. And in what way it can be increased. In this way, efforts to innovate can be prevented from being thwarted by a lack of engagement in the workplace.
Engagement
The term 'engagement' is often used as a direct translation of involvement. This is incorrect! Whereas engagement is about heart for the organisation, engagement is about heart for the work. An engaged employee experiences the following three characteristics:
Energy
When an engaged employee gets up in the morning, he feels like going to work. He feels strong and vital and does not let an occasional setback put him off.
Dedication
Someone who is dedicated feels a high level of enthusiasm and pride about his work. His work inspires him, which he then uses to develop further. He sees his work as useful and challenging.
Absorption
Absorption is the feeling of being completely absorbed in what you are doing. You experience strong concentration and forget about time and the world around you. A working day therefore flies by quickly.
So an engaged employee is someone who gets a lot of satisfaction from their work, is energetic and dedicated, and is captivated by the work. This is largely determined by personality. Is an employee naturally optimistic and energetic? Is it someone who can concentrate easily? Of course, as an employer, there is little you can do to change this. Yet there are plenty of external factors that influence the level of engagement. Factors that have a negative impact on engagement are called stressors or work demands. Factors with a positive effect on engagement are energy sources.
Stressors are things that come with the job but will not necessarily be labelled as fun. Think of the difficult task that has been on your to-do list for days, or the administrative work that comes with your job. These things take effort and energy. This correlates with psychological costs, such as fatigue and irritation. Not a bad thing, as long as there are sufficient energy sources in return5. Energy sources involve aspects of work that are perceived as pleasant. Examples of energy sources include a nice atmosphere within the team, space to plan your own time and performance feedback. Energy sources are motivating. When work gives more energy than it costs, employees will experience higher levels of engagement and be more willing to put in the effort to take their performance to the next level.
Measuring engagement
The level of engagement in the workplace can be determined with an engagement survey. This identifies areas where steps can be made. By combining engagement research with previously mentioned employee satisfaction survey stressors and energy sources can be identified.
Case study
In the ideal situation, an employee is satisfied, involved and engaged. The employee feels happy, relaxed and competent. The employer has a valuable asset to build on. All's well that ends well.
But what if one of the three parts is missing?
"This is Tim. Tim has an office job in a nice location in Amsterdam. He works in a friendly team and receives a nice salary in his bank account every month. He sees the personal values that are important to Tim reflected in the organisation. On birthdays, he proudly talks about the projects the organisation is committed to. Yet he also always adds that the work he does is not exactly what he was actually looking for and that it is somewhat below his level. Yet he is not bothered by this. He is fine with the fact that he does not have to put too much effort into his work and that it comes easily to him. In fact, he is already quite tired after a long day's work."
The situation outlined above is not necessarily problematic. Tim is doing a fine job and is satisfied with his situation. Yet one of the three ingredients for the optimal work experience is missing here: Engagement. Tim has no heart for his work. The risk of this is that Tim will quickly settle for the work he is delivering and will be reluctant to take steps to take his work to the next level and develop it. When the level of engagement is increased, Tim can fulfil his potential and be more valuable to the organisation.
A complete picture of work experience
Satisfaction, commitment and engagement are thus all important for employees' work experience. Employees who score high on all three factors are happy, willing to go the extra mile, perform optimally and are least likely to leave the organisation.
Not surprisingly, it is valuable for employers to gain insight into satisfaction, involvement and engagement. In this way, insight is provided into both the strengths within the organisation, and the areas that need some extra attention. These insights give the opportunity to optimise the work experience, and therefore things like customer satisfaction, profitability and staff retention. Moreover, higher levels of involvement and engagement are associated with innovation, leading to a competitive edge.
What is your take on the impact of employee satisfaction, involvement and engagement on organisational success? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Sources
1. Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Hayes, T. L. (2002). Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of applied psychology, 87(2), 268.
2. Wangenheim, F. V., Evanschitzky, H., & Wunderlich, M. (2007). Does the employee-customer satisfaction link hold for all employee groups?. Journal of Business research, 60(7), 690-697.
3. Halkos, G., & Bousinakis, D. (2010). The effect of stress and satisfaction on productivity. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 59(5), 415-431.
4. Hays (2019). Why engaged staff is important for your organisation. www.hayes.nl
5. Schaufeli, W. B. (2015). From burnout to engagement. Work and well-being in the Netherlands. M&O, 69, 15-31.
