Employees are happy at their job when they feel valued, accomplished and recognized. The
key to a sustainable work environment can be found in this trifecta. Sadly, not many
employers and managements realize the importance of this.
Fostering an enjoyable and positive office culture is one way in which employee satisfaction
can be achieved. Quite often, employees can be paid handsomely, but leave due to poor
work culture that breeds negative feelings and attitudes with little to no support amongst
staff. In order to bring about a positive work culture, employees can focus on team building
activities, actively listen to employees’ concerns and even create an upbeat work space that
allows for better creativity and networking. In fact, Sri Lanka boasts of many co-working
office spaces that have been designed with just this in mind.
Poor management is another reason that employee satisfaction can suffer. When
managements refuse to empower employees who thrive on innovation, when they do not
make way for growth and stand in the way of employee recognition, employees feel
disheartened. This in turn, leads to low morale and a ‘stick to your job role’ culture which
stagnates company growth.
When managements lag in this manner, it also leads to poor co-worker relationships, which
aggravate an employee’s unhappiness on the job. This type of employee lays low while
scouting for other job opportunities, and thus, sees no point in working hard or innovating
as they gain no support from their co-workers. This is why many companies in modern times
opt for co-working spaces even if they are large offices, simply because they want to foster
good relationships and networking among colleagues. Many start-up spaces thrive in this
manner because their Bottom Lines are positively affected by a high-level of networking
amongst staff that increases overall Turnover.
Certainly, it is also no secret that employee satisfaction, to a large part, depends on
remuneration. The more people are valued in the work place, it should also be reflected in
their pay and benefits. The failure to recognize employee contribution through adequate
remuneration and promotions, ultimately affects the company as they have to train new
staff due to high staff turnover.
In averting all such negatives that affect working environments, open communication is
important. Communication between management and staff, between colleagues and
between support staff and the higher-level staff should be encouraged. A work culture of
constant feedback and constructive criticism should be the norm. Companies that have
realized this early on, have laid the groundwork for this type of work environment even with
the design of their office spaces by choosing to include large, furnished common areas with
less cubicles and more vibrant, open spaces.
The importance of employee satisfaction cannot be underestimated. Employees are the
strength of any organization. The top-performing companies in the world have chosen to
make their employees their focus. They know that once this is done, other rewards will
follow.
