employee satisfaction survey
TRANSCRIPT
EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION SURVEY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Its my priviledge to great fully acknowledge “TATA COMMUNICATIONS Ltd.” for
providing me practical training for 8 weeks.
At the fore set, I’d like to express my heart-felt gratitude to my Project coordinator, Mr.
Yash Pal, and all others at TATA COMMUNICATIONS for helping me finish my
project successfully and more importantly, sparing me time to help learn various aspects
of this Human Resource.
I’d also like to thank them for giving me sufficient freedom in choosing my research
methodology, exploring different avenues, materials to learn the Practices prevalent in
TATA COMMUNICATIONS. This made me aware of my responsibilities and thus
helped me grow, particularly since this is my first work experience.
During the course of my training wherein I spoke to different people of different
departments, there were some in particular, who helped me immensely in understanding
the subject, in spite of their busy schedule. My most sincere thanks to them as their
practical knowledge helped me gain a foothold on the subject, considering that I’m a
novice to Human Resource Field.
Apart from above I would like mention a word of thanks to these employees of
different departments who have provided inputs, considering their busy schedule, to fill
out the questionnaires & interact with me.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Company profile
3. HR Practices
4. Employee Satisfaction Survey
a. The Concept
b. Dimensions of Employee Satisfaction
c. Methods for measuring Employee Satisfaction
d. How it is conducted?
e. Benefits of ESS
f. Factors influencing Job Satisfaction
5. Methodology
6. Analysis and Interpretation of Data
7. Conclusions and Recommendations
8. Learning’s from the Project
9. Annexure
a. Sample Questionnaire
b. Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
There is a fundamental truth in the cliché that “people are most important asset in an
organization”. It is but natural for an organization to invest a lot in this asset to
effectively utilize it to achieve the goals of the organization. After making huge
investment in human resources, it makes sense for an organization to assess the
impact of this investment. A systematic study of employee’s satisfaction with their
jobs is the most powerful tool in assessing the productivity of human resources. This
also helps an organization to establish and uphold the principle of accountability as
per the responsibility at every organizational level. From an employee’s point of
view, proper feedback can have a profound effect on levels of employee motivation
and satisfaction and help him grow and develop in organizational settings.
Employee satisfaction survey can have tremendous strategic potential for governing
employee’s behavior. Ever since it’s inception, over a period, the scope of such
surveys has grown significantly. It’s traditional focus has been enlarged to include not
only the employee’s behavior on the job but also it’s functioning as an integral part of
the organization..
To date there is not just one such survey best suited for all organizations or for all
levels of an organization.
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The present study is an evaluative survey of employee’s satisfaction and assessment
system of engineers with special reference to TATA COMMUNICATIONS with
the objective to determine the following.
Degree of effectiveness of the present working environment.
Employee’s evaluation of the limitations influencing the growth of the organization.
Employee’s feeling of being motivated by their subordinates & the level of
cooperation achieved.
Employee’s suggestions regarding changes in the present working conditions in order
to get success.
APPROACH TO THE STUDY
This study will relate to the amount of satisfaction achieved by the engineers at work
with special reference to TATA COMMUNICATIONS and will be limited to
engineers at different levels. Therefore, to start with, it is obvious to involve the
engineers of TATA COMMUNICATIONS from different departments.
Engineers will be put through a questionnaire and personal discussion for data
collection. A detailed questionnaire will be drawn with a view to collect comments
and suggestions of the engineers as to how they perceive their present job. The
questionnaire will be designed after the review of the background of knowledge and
experience and the time people will like to devote to give reasonable and correct
views. The questions will be arranged in sequence in order to avoid confusion and
misunderstanding.
Other considerations will be: -
To make questions as concise as possible.
To use simple and familiar words.
However, in order to build a proper atmosphere for free and frank views it will be
clarified that information and discussion will be used only for academic purpose. This
will be an attempt to test the satisfaction of the employees in their present job, the
adequacy of the existing working conditions etc. From the point of view of academic
study only, an attempt will be made to get as much reaction as possible with the
object of making the study more authentic and bring out the view point of employees.
In order to ascertain the correctness of the information given by the employees they
can also be personally interviewed.
A common questionnaire will be designed for all the employees keeping in mind the
different aspects of employee satisfaction. A sample size of engineers from each level
will be taken for study and the response received from the respondents will be
analyzed by study of percentage.
EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION FROM THE STUDY
This study, based on the suggestion of the employees, will help in evolving an
improved way for performing the tasks in the organizations. This study will
contribute to growth of the organization by pointing out the limitations and the
problems faced by the employees during work which would in turn lead to increase
the efficiency and output of the organization with same manpower.
Company Profile
Tata Communication Ltd.
Tata Communications has an ISO 20000 and 27001 certifications for managed services and data cent and the company has renewed ISO 14001 certificate. This achievement is a key milestone in securing a leadership position in the managed hosting and storage and hosted messaging services provider space.
Vision
”We will strive to be the preferred partner to our customers by providing appropriate
and cost-effective communication solutions”
Values
Customer Delight
Trust
Competitive
Employer of choice
Excellence
Team Work
Commitment
Invest in building long-lasting relationships with customers and partners and lead the industry in responsiveness and flexibility.
Strategy
Build leading-edge IP-leveraged solutions advanced by our unmatched global infrastructure and leadership in emerging markets
Board of Directors
Srinath Narasimhan
Chairman, Tata Communications Transformation Services Limited Managing Director & CEO, Tata Communications LimitedDirectors
Satish Ranade
Rajiv Dhar
Vinod Kumar
Srinivasa Addepalli
Global leaders
Vinod Kumar President, Global Data and Mobility Solutions, Tata
Communications
.
Rajiv Dhar Chief Financial Officer, Tata Communications
Michel Guyot
President, Global Voice Solutions, Tata Communica
.
Organization Structure
Tata Communications Ltd. Unites the industry and market expertise of VSNL, VSNL international, Teleglobe, Tata Indicom, Enterprise business unit, VGSL and CIPRIS to become the leading integrated provider of telecommunications solutions. Fortune 1000 and mid-size enterprises, service providers and consumers rely on our Global Network, encompassing one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a tier-1 IP network, and connectivity to more then 200 countries across 300 PoPs.
Tata Communications comprehensive portfolio includes
Transmission
IP
converged voice
mobility
managed network connectivity
data centers
communications solutions
business transformation services for global and Indian interprises
service providers as well as broadband and content services to Indian consumers.
Tata Communication serves its customers from offices in 80 cities across 40 countries, reflecting the reflecting the diversity of the customers and markets we live in and serve.
Our unique market
Industry expertise enable us to deploy a comprehensive portfolio of communications solution to customers in existing and emerging market worldwide .With a strategic investment in the south African operator Neotel , Tata Communications possesses a strong anchor to built an African footprint. Tata Communications Ltd is part of the $ 29 billion Tata group; it is listed on the Bombay stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India and its ADR’s are listed on the New York Stock exchange( NYSE: TCL).
TATA Communications Offerings
We want access to integrated IT, telecom and BPO capabilities through industry-leading domain expertise across all communication segments.
We offer business transformation solutions to leverage next-generation technologies, enhance profitability and drive value creation.
Comprehensive experience in telecom domain operations
Innovative solutions for revenue and customer experience enhancement
Best-in-class managed network, application and infrastructure solutions
Truly global scalability options
Core market strengths in emerging BPO countries
Network Related
Network Engineering
Network Implementation
Network Operations
- Planning- Design
- Installation- Commissioning
- Network Operations Centers- Capacity Planning- Access Mgmt
Service Related
Service Planning & Deployment
Service Fulfillment Service Assurance
- Enterprise - Retail (Consumer)- Testing
- Order Mgmt- Provisioning
- Complaint Mgmt- Service Mgmt- Technical Account Mgmt
Communications unique capabilities and partnership with TCS enable it to deliver at every stage of telecom outsourcing. It offers the full spectrum of global, end-to-end business transformation solutions for worldwide carrier customers through identified
practice areas. It is uniquely positioned to be a partner of choice for telecom companies around the world looking to improve business results.
Recent Achievements -: Tata Communications features among the top five national long distance (NLD)
players in India with a revenue of Rs692 crore, a 37 per cent growth over last fiscals revenue of Rs505 crore. Other players such as BSNL, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications and Vodafone feature along with Tata Communications in the NLD Market.
Tata Communications (NYSE: TCL) announced the launch of its Telepresence services, the first ever offering to deliver both private and public Cisco Telepresence rooms to businesses across the world. Telepresence provides life-like, high definition conferencing facilities with superior audio, video and environmental qualities to provide a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face meetings.
Manpower planning
HR department in VSNL has come into its full swing after the takeover by TATAs. So in
its PSU days the planning for manpower requirement & deployment was done annually.
Annual meeting of section/functional heads are conducted wherein the need for
manpower was discussed & put into a proper format i.e; the requisite qualifications,
experience etc are recorded & then the recruitment used to take place centrally for all the
circles in the corporate office based on the results of the written exams & interviews
conducted.
After the takeover, though the HR department has grown & initiated many process for
employee development yet the restructuring after the takeover will take its time for the
company to get stabilized. Thus the manpower requirement is purely on the need basis, &
to account for the vacancies created.
There is no formal process of planning the manpower as of now on a periodic basis but
the functional head who is in need of people has to put up an application along with the
details of the profile of the person for the post, to the corporate functional head, whose
approval will further the direction to the corporate HR who inturn checks for the validity
of the requirement & then gives a permission for the hire.
Recruitment & Selection Practices
Process
Requisition from the Departments/ Line Managers
Prepare the Job Description/ Person specification
Decide the compensation
Call for CVs from the placement agencies/ place the requirement on a few
job sites
Screen the applications
Call for interviews
Preliminary interview by HR followed by the 2nd interview by Line
Managers & HR.
For hiring MTs/ GETs VSNL goes for Campus recruitment. Apart from that, many
reputed Placement agencies are also given the task of doing the initial screening process
by conducting GDs, written tests etc on turn key basis. However, the final interview takes
place at VSNL and it is conducted by HR and specialized personnel.
Induction Process
Whenever new employees join, they are taken through an Induction Programme to help
them in getting acquainted with the overall work culture of the organization, various
“Rules & Regulations” & “Policies & Procedures” of the company at the regional level.
Employees joining at senior level are also taken through an orientation programme
wherein they meet the various functional/departmental heads. This is usually done by HR
in the shape of Single window i.e one HR person is attached to some departments and he/
she is made responsible for taking care of the entire orientation process of the new joinee.
And after a substantial number of employees joins the office they are given Formal
induction program at the training center in Pune wherein they are made aware of the
products/services VSNL offers, the tariffs applied & the rate in the market etc. the
Functional head of different departments also make presentation on their departments .
People Development
Since the takeover of TATAs emphasis on training & people development initiatives has
tremendously increased & following it a slew of training programs has been conducted to
benefit people
Over the past 2 years several new functions were created where none existed, or
where they were buried as part of some other department in the organization. Areas
that were weak were strengthened and supplemented by sales and marketing people
brought in from other Tata Group companies. These areas included carrier relations
to work with domestic and international telecom carriers or outside plant to
implement the countrywide fibre optic backbone for NLD, and customer services.
Having evolved, these areas continue to change with the needs of customers.
The changes in structure and the creation of new roles within the company presented the
need for developing new skills within the system. Traditionally, the company had been
very strong in technical areas, but the increased market competition created a greater
need to be more customers focused, commercially more flexible and operationally very
efficient. In order to build these skills, training programmes were organized on functional
areas
To supplement the management skills of the team, the company also developed a
management development programme. This programme focused on critical commercial
skills like business management, people and performance management, negotiating skills,
and planning and budgeting skills. A key part of this exercise was that Tata Group
executives, who are operating managers, were invited to share their experiences as
managers with the VSNL teams.
Learning & Growth
TATA COMMUNICATIONS views training as an integral part of HR process, which
gives enough opportunities to learn, develop & keep one self updated with the latest
trends in their respective area of work. They believe in providing an ambience conducive
to learning & growth. For a technology driven company like VSNL, up-gradation of skills
is a continues process.
The various activities that go in this process are:
Identification of Training needs & on the basis of PMS, one to one
Dialogue with individuals, interaction with the Line managers.
Preparation of Training calendar
Identify / Groom Internal Trainers
Identify Quality External Trainers for all levels, Design Customized
programmes in consultation with them, negotiate for the budget
Actual Conduct of Training Programmes
Measuring the effectiveness of the training programme & take corrective
action.
These activities help the HR in understanding the areas for improvement as well as areas
of strength, which can be leveraged upon. The needs identified is being attended by
sending people to Various in-house Training as well as by nominating the people to
programme organized by the external agencies.
TATA COMMUNICATIONS is a full time member of Commonwealth Telecom
Organization (CTO), which conducts various training & development programs from
which all member-countries benefit. TATA COMMUNICATIONS sends its employees in
various programs conducted by CTO at domestic as well as international level. In
addition to this, they also send people to various seminars, which help keeping the
employees updated on the latest trends in their area of work and Industry as a whole.
Culture at TATA COMMUNICATIONS formerly known as
VSNL
VSNL was first under the GOVT.; has been transformed into a PSU and now been
privatized & taken over by TATA.. The culture of VSNL has gone into metamorphoses
from pure Govt. to PSU to a Private Organization & hence is a blend of old & new style
of thoughts & practices. One can find people who vary widely in their capabilities,
expectations, & concerns. People of both stature are seen; an expert in their functional
area who has expedited him/her-self to the process of adopting to the fast & competitive
pace of the Private company & still others who are slow in adopting to the change. This
transformation thrusts a greater responsibility into the hands of HR department &
provides an impetus to manage change more than anything else. But certainly the feel
good factor of taken over by TATAs is certainly there. It will take some time to build a
culture of its own as massive restructuring is in the process. But there has been many
initiatives of developing & orienting people in the organization, which has helped in
charting ways to first, build back the confidence in the organization & then continuously
improving the performance of the employees.
Over the year’s repeated time-based promotions, transfers and rotations contributed to
diffused roles, ownership and accountability within the system. But with the advent of
TATA the Roles have been redefined & people are oriented to give them a boost to
perform better & identify with the companies vision, mission & policies and work
towards it.
The work culture in VSNL is that of a people Friendly one where the people in any
department, due to a long time bonding perhaps, share good vibes with each other & are
utmost cooperative to each other.
Some of the highlights of the culture of PSU set up that were, are: -
Job Security
Less accountability at all levels
Procedure oriented Working rather than Result oriented
Bureaucracy
Lack of ownership
Lack of Customer Focus
A sense of Complacency
Well there are positive aspects of the PSU set up which encompasses
Easy Going Culture
No cut throat competition
But this culture could not have sustained the fast paced, competitive telecom industry
whose hallmark can be stated as Speed & Quality.
Though the privatization has brought in many changes for the better, to tackle some
of the problems & bring in reforms to forego the lack of efficiency & accountability
prevalent in the PSU set, but it brings with it a sea change in terms of Processes,
evaluation procedures, job profile, simply it brings about change in the way things are
done & builds up an atmosphere of competitiveness across the organization which will
take time to sink in the minds of people working with VSNL. But people in VSNL are
quick to adapt to the new culture, as they are already a witness to the transition from
GOVT. to PSU. Though reservations are there for few people who are taking a long time
to adopt to the new culture of one that of competitiveness, one that keeps one always on
their toes to constantly improve.
But TATAs are making sure that the company is catapulted to success by way of many
initiatives creating a value driven company. Following the initiatives the company has
gone through many transformations, both in its business as well as people-related
policies.
On the people front, the first thing that the company did was involving its employees at
every level of change. Tata strives to help align individual goals with the company’s
objectives. Tata believes, that focus should be on creating a high performance
environment, which is conducive to innovation, risk-taking, teamwork, recognition,
competence, accountability and speed.
To encourage a performance-driven culture, Tata Telecom has adopted a performance
management system to align individual objectives with the company’s goal, identify and
reward good performers and provide feedback to all employees
Some of the other people excellence initiatives are–competitive compensation,
opportunities for personal and professional development, quality of work life, concept of
pay-for-performance, rewards and family engaging activities and one of the crucial is
giving a direction to the people of VSNL by making them imbibe the TATA code of
conduct, making them establish their process as per the Quality mandate-TBEM which is
constantly pushing them to the path of EXCELLENCE.
Why TATA COMMUNICATIONS?
• Leader in Telecommunication
TATA COMMUNICATIONS has been a pioneer in the area of international
telecommunications for over a century. It has developed a very strong presence in the
area of Enterprise Business Solutions and Retail business. TATA COMMUNICATIONS
has now diversified its business operations internationally in Asia, America and Europe.
It has offices in Singapore, Srilanka , USA and UK. Going forth there are scorching
growth plans with TATA COMMUNICATIONS planning to be the biggest player in
each of these segments.
• Cutting edge Technology in Telecom
TATA COMMUNICATIONS has a long tradition of Technical excellence. It has always
managed advanced technologies in the telecom arena. Employees working at TATA
COMMUNICATIONS have the opportunity to master advanced and cutting edge
technologies.
• TATA work ethics and culture
TATA COMMUNICATIONS embodies the well known TATA ethics and culture as
given below-
Integrity: We must conduct our business fairly, with honesty and transparency.
Everything we do must stand the test of public scrutiny.
Understanding: We must be caring, show respect, compassion and humanity for our
colleagues and customers around the world, and always work for the benefit of India.
Excellence: We must constantly strive to achieve the highest possible standards in our
day-to-day work and in the quality of the goods and services we provide.
Unity: We must work cohesively with our colleagues across the Group and with our
customers and partners around the world, building strong relationships based on
tolerance, understanding and mutual cooperation.
Responsibility: We must continue to be responsible, sensitive to the countries,
communities and environments in which we work, always ensuring that what comes from
the people goes back to the people many times over.
What TATA COMMUNICATIONS offers?
TATA COMMUNICATIONS offers its employees careers and not jobs. The large
numbers of employees with life tenure at TATA COMMUNICATIONS testify to that.
The secret to this loyalty lies in the following:
• Performance Based Culture
TATA COMMUNICATIONS has a strong performance based culture wherein the
performance and potential of the employee determines their sustenance and growth.
• Growth
Due to the scorching pace of growth TATA COMMUNICATIONS provides its
achievers a fast paced growth path. Those who show potential are soon given higher
responsibilities. Employees grow into higher roles within the multiple business units of
as well TATA COMMUNICATIONS as group companies in the telecom space and
outside it.
• Competency and skill up gradation
TATA COMMUNICATIONS believes in upgrading the competency and skill level of
the organization through upgrading the competency and skill levels of its employees. The
two initiatives through which this is sought to be achieved is –
Resource Planning – Through which employees are identified and moved across
business units and functions.
Training - We provide extensive training inputs in technical and managerial
areas. Employees are expected to maintain their technical excellence and develop
managerial skills through the process of training.
• Good HR Practices
Fair and transparent Performance Evaluations
TATA COMMUNICATIONS has an online appraisal system based on the
Balanced Score Card. The system is completely transparent and is used to drive
performance through the organization. The system defines expectations from the
employee, monitors his/her performance and finally helps in the evaluation.
Compensation linked to achievement
At TATA COMMUNICATIONS your compensation is strongly linked to your
performance. All employees have the opportunity to perform exceptionally and
get paid exceptionally.
EMPLOYEES AT TATA COMMUNICATIONS
Following are the important prerequisites present in employees working at TATA
COMMUNICATIONS
High achievement profile –employees have high achievement profile.
Domain expertise – Employees have in depth knowledge of their areas of
expertise.
Team player – TATA COMMUNICATIONS possesses individuals who
contribute strongly towards team goals and have the interpersonal skills that help
to forge strong relationships within a team.
Integrity – Integrity is a very basic requirement from any employee in TATA
COMMUNICATIONS . The employees have the ability to discern wrong from
right and take a stand against it. They have the ability to say no to shortcuts which
compromise his/her and/or the company’s integrity.
HUMAN RESOURCE TEAM OF TATA COMMUNICATIONS
The function is very important in the existing and future scheme of things for the
company, as this team would be the driving force behind bringing about a cultural
revolution in the company. They are working towards creation of various system and
processes wherein the best people are inducted, they are nurtured, they are measured on
their performance and potential, suitably rewarded and their personal and career growth
are properly managed.
HR PRACTICES
NATURE OF WORK
Attracting the most qualified employees and matching them to the jobs for which they are
best suited is important for the success of any organization. However, many enterprises
are too large to permit close contact between top management and employees. Human
resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists provide this link. In the
past, these workers have been associated with performing the administrative function of
an organization, such as handling employee benefits questions or recruiting, interviewing,
and hiring new personnel in accordance with policies and requirements that have been
established in conjunction with top management.
Today’s human resources workers juggle these tasks and, increasingly, consult top
executives regarding strategic planning. They have moved from behind-the-scenes staff
work to leading the company in suggesting and changing policies. Senior management is
recognizing the importance of the human resources department to their financial success.
In an effort to improve morale and productivity and to limit job turnover, they also help
their firms effectively use employee skills, provide training opportunities to enhance
those skills, and boost employees’ satisfaction with their jobs and working conditions.
Although some jobs in the human resources field require only limited contact with people
outside the office, dealing with people is an essential part of the job.
In a small organization, a human resources generalist may handle all aspects of human
resources work, and thus require a broad range of knowledge. The responsibilities of
human resources generalists can vary widely, depending on their employer’s needs. In a
large corporation, the top human resources executive usually develops and coordinates
personnel programs and policies. A director or manager of human resources and, in some
cases, a director of industrial relations, usually implements these policies.
The director of human resources may oversee several departments, each headed by an
experienced manager who most likely specializes in one personnel activity, such as
employment, compensation, benefits, training and development, or employee relations.
Employment and placement managers oversee the hiring and separation of employees
and supervise various workers, including equal employment opportunity specialists and
recruitment specialists. Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists recruit and
place workers.
Recruiters maintain contacts within the community and may travel extensively, often to
college campuses, to search for promising job applicants. Recruiters screen, interview,
and sometimes test applicants. They also may check references and extend job offers.
These workers must be thoroughly familiar with the organization and its personnel
policies in order to discuss wages, working conditions, and promotional opportunities
with prospective employees. They also must keep informed about equal employment
opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans
with Disabilities Act.
EEO officers, representatives, or affirmative action coordinators handle EEO matters in
large organizations. They investigate and resolve EEO grievances, examine corporate
practices for possible violations, and compile and submit EEO statistical reports.
Employer relations representatives, who usually work in government agencies, maintain
working relationships with local employers and promote the use of public employment
programs and services. Similarly, employment interviewers—whose many job titles
include personnel consultants, personnel development specialists, and human resources
coordinators—help to match employers with qualified jobseekers.
Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists conduct programs for employers and
may specialize in specific areas such as position classifications or pensions. Job analysts,
sometimes called position classifiers, collect and examine detailed information about job
duties in order to prepare job descriptions. These descriptions explain the duties, training,
and skills that each job requires. Whenever a large organization introduces a new job or
reviews existing jobs, it calls upon the expert knowledge of the job analyst.
Occupational analysts conduct research, usually in large firms. They are concerned with
occupational classification systems and study the effects of industry and occupational
trends upon worker relationships. They may serve as technical liaison between the firm
and other firms, government, and labor unions.
Establishing and maintaining a firm’s pay system is the principal job of the compensation
manager. Assisted by staff specialists, compensation managers devise ways to ensure fair
and equitable pay rates. They may conduct surveys to see how their firm’s rates compare
with others and to see that the firm’s pay scale complies with changing laws and
regulations. In addition, compensation managers often oversee their firm’s performance
evaluation system, and they may design reward systems such as pay-for-performance
plans.
Employee benefits managers and specialists handle the company’s employee benefits
program, notably its health insurance and pension plans. Expertise in designing and
administering benefits programs continues to take on importance as employer-provided
benefits account for a growing proportion of overall compensation costs, and as benefit
plans increase in number and complexity. For example, pension benefits might include
savings and thrift, profit sharing, and stock ownership plans; health benefits might
include long-term catastrophic illness insurance and dental insurance. Familiarity with
health benefits is a top priority for employee benefits managers and specialists, as more
firms struggle to cope with the rising cost of healthcare for employees and retirees. In
addition to health insurance and pension coverage, some firms offer employees life and
accidental death and dismemberment insurance, disability insurance, and relatively new
benefits designed to meet the needs of a changing workforce, such as parental leave, child
and elder care, long-term nursing home care insurance, employee assistance and wellness
programs, and flexible benefits plans. Benefits managers must keep abreast of changing
Federal and State regulations and legislation that may affect employee benefits.
Employee assistance plan managers, also called employee welfare managers, are
responsible for a wide array of programs covering occupational safety and health
standards and practices; health promotion and physical fitness, medical examinations, and
minor health treatment, such as first aid; plant security; publications; food service and
recreation activities; carpooling and transportation programs, such as transit subsidies;
employee suggestion systems; childcare and elder care; and counseling services.
Childcare and elder care are increasingly important due to growth in the number of dual-
income households and the elderly population. Counseling may help employees deal with
emotional disorders, alcoholism, or marital, family, consumer, legal, and financial
problems. Some employers offer career counseling as well. In large firms, certain
programs, such as those dealing with security and safety, may be in separate departments
headed by other managers.
Training and development managers and specialists conduct and supervise training and
development programs for employees. Increasingly, management recognizes that training
offers a way of developing skills, enhancing productivity and quality of work, and
building worker loyalty to the firm. Training is widely accepted as a method of
improving employee morale, but this is only one of the reasons for its growing
importance. Other factors include the complexity of the work environment, the rapid pace
of organizational and technological change, and the growing number of jobs in fields that
constantly generate new knowledge. In addition, advances in learning theory have
provided insights into how adults learn, and how training can be organized most
effectively for them.
Training managers provide worker training either in the classroom or onsite. This
includes setting up teaching materials prior to the class, involving the class, and issuing
completion certificates at the end of the class.
Training specialists plan, organize, and direct a wide range of training activities.
Trainer’s respond to corporate and worker service requests. They consult with onsite
supervisors regarding available performance improvement services and conduct
orientation sessions and arrange on-the-job training for new employees. They help rank-
and-file workers maintain and improve their job skills, and possibly prepare for jobs
requiring greater skill. They help supervisors improve their interpersonal skills in order to
deal effectively with employees. They may set up individualized training plans to
strengthen an employee’s existing skills or teach new ones.
Training specialists in some companies set up leadership or executive development
programs among employees in lower level positions. These programs are designed to
develop potential executives to replace those leaving the organization. Trainers also lead
programs to assist employees with transitions due to mergers and acquisitions, as well as
technological changes. In government-supported training programs, training specialists
function as case managers. They first assess the training needs of clients, and then guide
them through the most appropriate training method. After training, clients may either be
referred to employer relations representatives or receive job placement assistance.
Planning and program development is an important part of the training specialist’s job. In
order to identify and assess training needs within the firm, trainers may confer with
managers and supervisors or conduct surveys. They also periodically evaluate training
effectiveness.
Depending on the size, goals, and nature of the organization, trainers may differ
considerably in their responsibilities and in the methods they use. Training methods
include on-the-job training; operating schools that duplicate shop conditions for trainees
prior to putting them on the shop floor; apprenticeship training; classroom training; and
electronic learning, which may involve interactive Internet-based training, multimedia
programs, distance learning, satellite training, other computer-aided instructional
technologies, videos, simulators, conferences, and workshops.
An organization’s director of industrial relations forms labor policy, oversees industrial
labor relations, negotiates collective bargaining agreements, and coordinates grievance
procedures to handle complaints resulting from management disputes with unionized
employees. The director of industrial relations also advises and collaborates with the
director of human resources, other managers, and members of their staff, because all
aspects of personnel policy—such as wages, benefits, pensions, and work practices—may
be involved in drawing up a new or revised union contract.
Labor relations managers and their staffs implement industrial labor relations programs.
When a collective bargaining agreement is up for negotiation, labor relations specialists
prepare information for management to use during negotiation, a process that requires the
specialist to be familiar with economic and wage data and to have extensive knowledge
of labor law and collective bargaining trends. The labor relation’s staff interprets and
administers the contract with respect to grievances, wages and salaries, employee
welfare, healthcare, pensions, union and management practices, and other contractual
stipulations. As union membership continues to decline in most industries, industrial
relations personnel are working more often with employees who are not members of a
labor union.
Dispute resolution—attaining tacit or contractual agreements—has become increasingly
important as parties to a dispute attempt to avoid costly litigation, strikes, or other
disruptions. Dispute resolution also has become more complex, involving employees,
management, unions, other firms, and government agencies. Specialists involved in
dispute resolution must be highly knowledgeable and experienced, and often report to the
director of industrial relations. Conciliators, or mediators, advise and counsel labor and
management to prevent and, when necessary, resolve disputes over labor agreements or
other labor relations issues. Arbitrators, sometimes called umpires or referees, decide
disputes that bind both labor and management to specific terms and conditions of labor
contracts. Labor relations specialists who work for unions perform many of the same
functions on behalf of the union and its members.
Employee Satisfaction Survey - The Concept
About this Survey
This Employee Satisfaction Survey asks questions which go to the heart of how an
employee feels about his or her company, job and work life. The result of the survey will
indicate if there is need to follow up.
This survey does not provide a complete list of the numerous issues that employees could
raise about management, work and work life. Even if there were a complete survey and if
the employer were to remedy all complaints, there would remain a serious flaw in that
approach. Aside from the cost & feasibility such an approach would be paternalistic and
not constructive because it would leave the employees out of the process.
This survey is brief, yet it exposes the core issues. If the need to follow up is indicated,
then the employees need to participate in person in the development of any follow up
action. This process would build trust, openness, communication & satisfaction-
ultimately improving the quality of work life and performance.
Employee Satisfaction Surveys allow an organization to understand employee
perceptions. Perception is reality. Because employees at every organization act on the
basis of their perceptions, management must be keenly aware of employee’s views.
Employee satisfaction surveys deliver a successful means of measuring, and acting upon,
employees' current beliefs on many job-related subjects
The Employee Satisfaction Survey consists of the following stages:
Design --> Administration --> Analysis
Effective employee surveys provide management with actionable items that:
Engage employees in their desire to meet individual and organizational goals.
Increase employee retention and development.
Lead to increased customer satisfaction.
Help management clarify "perception" vs. "reality" in understanding the things that
matter most to employees
Results
The information garnered from employee satisfaction surveys can give you the
management knowledge that directly impacts the bottom line and fosters positive
employee relations in any or all of the following ways:
Identifying cost-saving opportunities
Improving productivity
Reducing turnover
Curbing absenteeism
Strengthening supervision
Evaluating customer-service issues
Assessing training needs
Streamlining communication
Benchmarking the organization's progress in relation to the industry
Gauging employees understanding of, and agreement with, the company mission
Dimensions
Each item in our employee satisfaction surveys is combined with other related survey
items to produce dimensions. This survey solidly measure the following key aspects of
employee satisfaction:
Overall Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction with the Work
Coworker Performance/Cooperation
Pay Satisfaction
Benefits Satisfaction
Promotions/Career Advancement
Supervisory Consideration
Supervisory Promotion of Teamwork and Participation
Supervisory Instruction/Guidance
Communication
Human Resources/Personnel Policies
Concern for Employees
Productivity/Efficiency
Training & Development
Physical Working Conditions
Customer Service
Strategy/Mission
Job Stress
It also gives you the choice to create your own customized survey dimensions, which
accurately measure topics of particular importance to your organization.
EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION
Over the years researchers have studied and attempted to quantify employee
commitment, loyalty, morale and overall employee satisfaction. This gave rise to many
types of employee surveys whose purpose was to measure one or all of these
components. Extensive research in this area has been conducted. This research came to
the conclusion that overall employee satisfaction is manifest in the level of engagement
that employees have in their work. In other words, employee engagement was the
ultimate expression of employee commitment, loyalty, morale and overall employee
satisfaction. Therefore organizations needed to focus on employee engagement rather
than on these other components of employee satisfaction. This research clearly pointed
out the large gap in employee engagement and the magnitude of the challenge facing
most organizations.
Measuring satisfaction is measuring a passive employee state, while measuring
engagement is measuring an active state. For example, an employee that is not engaged at
work might very well indicate a high level of satisfaction with their organization. This
employee is getting everything they wish: a steady paycheck, benefits, sick leave and
paid vacation. Their actual contribution to the well being of the organization in terms of
innovation, creativity and productivity is negligible. But they are satisfied.
On the other hand, a fully engaged employee that is enthusiastic about their work is
creative, innovative and wants to contribute might indicate a lower level of satisfaction
with the same organization, as the disengaged employee. When a company measures
employee satisfaction are they getting data that provides them with meaningful
information that will allow them to improve their competitive advantage and
profitability? The simple answer is that they are not. This is why they need to focus on
employee engagement and understand the principle components of employee
engagement.
Employee satisfaction and retention have always been important issues for physicians.
After all, high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover can affect your bottom line, as
temps, recruitment and retraining take their toll. But few practices (in fact, few
organizations) have made job satisfaction a top priority, perhaps because they have failed
to understand the significant opportunity that lies in front of them. Satisfied employees
tend to be more productive, creative and committed to their employers, and recent studies
have shown a direct correlation between staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction.
Family physicians who can create work environments that attract, motivate and retain
hard-working individuals will be better positioned to succeed in a competitive health care
environment that demands quality and cost-efficiency. What's more, physicians may even
discover that by creating a positive workplace for their employees, they've increased their
own job satisfaction as well.
The Employee Satisfaction Survey measures employee satisfaction and helps to:
Foster commitment instead of compliance
Identify managers in need of leadership development
Determine your organizations readiness and its ability to accomplish its mission
Leverage best demonstrated practices
Create a rich working environment
Improve the performance of teams
Shape customer-centric behavior
Track progress over time
Two Dimensions of Employee Satisfaction
In the late 1950s, Frederick Herzberg, considered by many to be a pioneer in motivation
theory, interviewed a group of employees to find out what made them satisfied and
dissatisfied on the job. He asked the employees essentially two sets of questions:
1. Think of a time when you felt especially good about your job. Why did you feel
that way?
2. Think of a time when you felt especially bad about your job. Why did you feel
that way?
From these interviews Herzberg went on to develop his theory that there are two
dimensions to job satisfaction: motivation and "hygiene". Hygiene issues, according to
Herzberg, cannot motivate employees but can minimize dissatisfaction, if handled
properly. In other words, they can only dissatisfy if they are absent or mishandled.
Hygiene topics include company policies, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations and
working conditions. They are issues related to the employee's environment. Motivators,
on the other hand, create satisfaction by fulfilling individuals needs for meaning and
personal growth. They are issues such as achievement, recognition, the work itself,
responsibility and advancement. Once the hygiene areas are addressed, said Herzberg, the
motivators will promote job satisfaction and encourage production.
Employee satisfaction survey basically deals with the following factors:
Applying the theory
To apply Herzberg's theory to real-world practice, let's begin with the hygiene issues.
Although hygiene issues are not the source of satisfaction, these issues must be dealt with
first to create an environment in which employee satisfaction and motivation are even
possible.
Company and administrative policies. An organization's policies can be a great source
of frustration for employees if the policies are unclear or unnecessary or if not everyone
is required to follow them. Although employees will never feel a great sense of
motivation or satisfaction due to your policies, you can decrease dissatisfaction in this
area by making sure your policies are fair and apply equally to all. Also, make printed
copies of your policies-and-procedures manual easily accessible to all members of your
staff. If you do not have a written manual, create one, soliciting staff input along the way.
If you already have a manual, consider updating it (again, with staff input). You might
also compare your policies to those of similar practices and ask yourself whether
particular policies are unreasonably strict or whether some penalties are too harsh.
Supervision. To decrease dissatisfaction in this area, you must begin by making wise
decisions when you appoint someone to the role of supervisor. Be aware that good
employees do not always make good supervisors. The role of supervisor is extremely
difficult. It requires leadership skills and the ability to treat all employees fairly. You
should teach your supervisors to use positive feedback whenever possible and should
establish a set means of employee evaluation and feedback so that no one feels singled
out
Think of a time when you felt especially good about your job. Why did
you feel that way?
Salary. The old adage "you get what you pay for" tends to be true when it comes to staff
members. Salary is not a motivator for employees, but they do want to be paid fairly. If
individuals believe they are not compensated well, they will be unhappy working for you.
Consult salary surveys or even your local help-wanted ads to see whether the salaries and
benefits you're offering are comparable to those of other offices in your area. In addition,
make sure you have clear policies related to salaries, raises and bonuses.
Interpersonal relations. Remember that part of the satisfaction of being employed is the
social contact it brings, so allow employees a reasonable amount of time for socialization
(e.g., over lunch, during breaks, between patients). This will help them develop a sense of
camaraderie and teamwork. At the same time, you should crack down on rudeness,
inappropriate behavior and offensive comments. If an individual continues to be
disruptive, take charge of the situation, perhaps by dismissing him or her from the
practice.
Even a nice chair can make a world of difference to an individual's
psyche.
Working conditions. The environment in which people work has a tremendous effect on
their level of pride for themselves and for the work they are doing. Do everything you
can to keep your equipment and facilities up to date. Even a nice chair can make a world
of difference to an individual's psyche. Also, if possible, avoid overcrowding and allow
each employee his or her own personal space, whether it be a desk, a locker, or even just
a drawer. If you've placed your employees in close quarters with little or no personal
space, don't be surprised that there is tension among them.
Before you move on to the motivators, remember that you cannot neglect the hygiene
factors discussed above. To do so would be asking for trouble in more than one way.
First, your employees would be generally unhappy, and this would be apparent to your
patients. Second, your hardworking employees, who can find jobs elsewhere, would
leave, while your mediocre employees would stay and compromise your practice's
success. So deal with hygiene issues first, then move on to the motivators.
Work itself. Perhaps most important to employee motivation is helping individuals
believe that the work they are doing is important and that their tasks are meaningful.
Emphasize that their contributions to the practice result in positive outcomes and good
health care for your patients. Share stories of success about how an employee's actions
made a real difference in the life of a patient, or in making a process better. Make a big
deal out of meaningful tasks that may have become ordinary, such as new-baby visits. Of
course employees may not find all their tasks interesting or rewarding, but you should
show the employee how those tasks are essential to the overall processes that make the
practice succeed. You may find certain tasks that are truly unnecessary and can be
eliminated or streamlined, resulting in greater efficiency and satisfaction.
Achievement. One premise inherent in Herzberg's theory is that most individuals
sincerely want to do a good job. To help them, make sure you've placed them in positions
that use their talents and are not set up for failure. Set clear, achievable goals and
standards for each position, and make sure employees know what those goals and
standards are. Individuals should also receive regular, timely feedback on how they are
doing and should feel they are being adequately challenged in their jobs. Be careful,
however, not to overload individuals with challenges that are too difficult or impossible,
as that can be paralyzing.
Recognition. Individuals at all levels of the organization want to be recognized for their
achievements on the job. Their successes don't have to be monumental before they
deserve recognition, but your praise should be sincere. If you notice employees doing
something well, take the time to acknowledge their good work immediately. Publicly
thank them for handling a situation particularly well. Write them a kind note of praise. Or
give them a bonus, if appropriate. You may even want to establish a formal recognition
program, such as "employee of the month."
Responsibility. Employees will be more motivated to do their jobs well if they have
ownership of their work. This requires giving employees enough freedom and power to
carry out their tasks so that they feel they "own" the result. As individuals mature in their
jobs, provide opportunities for added responsibility. Be careful, however, that you do not
simply add more work. Instead, find ways to add challenging and meaningful work,
perhaps giving the employee greater freedom and authority as well
Employees will be more motivated to do their jobs well if they have
ownership of their work.
Advancement. Reward loyalty and performance with advancement. If you do not have
an open position to which to promote a valuable employee, consider giving him or her a
new title that reflects the level of work he or she has achieved. When feasible, support
employees by allowing them to pursue further education, which will make them more
valuable to your practice and more fulfilled professionally.
Two dimensions of employee satisfaction
Frederick Herzberg theorized that employee satisfaction depends on two sets of issues:
"hygiene" issues and motivators. Once the hygiene issues have been addressed, he said,
the motivators create satisfaction among employees.
Hygiene issues
(Dissatisfiers)
Company and administrative policies
Supervision
Salary
Interpersonal relations
Working conditions
Motivators
(Satisfiers)
Work itself
Achievement
Recognition
Responsibility
Advancement
KEY POINTS:
Employee satisfaction affects every aspect of a medical practice, from patient
satisfaction to overall productivity.
Frederick Herzberg theorized that employee satisfaction has two dimensions:
"hygiene" and motivation.
Hygiene issues, such as salary and supervision, decrease employees’ dissatisfaction
with the work environment.
Motivators, such as recognition and achievement, make workers more productive,
creative and committed.
Key Facts:
» Job satisfaction is good not only for employees but employers, too; it increases
productivity and decreases staff turnover.
» Employee satisfaction is also correlated with patient satisfaction.
» Research from motivation theorist Frederick Herzberg suggests that employee
satisfaction has two components: "hygiene" and motivation.
» Hygiene issues can only dissatisfy if they are absent or handled improperly by
employers.
» An organization's policies, if unclear or unfair, can stand in the way of employee
satisfaction.
» Although employees do want to be paid fairly for their work, money is not an
effective way to motivate individuals.
» Employees need a reasonable amount of social interaction on the job.
» Employees also need some degree of personal space, which diffuses tension and
improves working conditions.
» Practices should address the hygiene issues before attempting to tackle the
motivators.
» If hygiene issues are ignored, excellent employees will seek jobs elsewhere while
mediocre employees will stay behind.
» To begin motivating employees, help them believe that their work is meaningful.
» If you discover a task that is truly unnecessary, eliminate it so that your employees
can focus on tasks that matter.
» To help employees achieve on the job, provide them with ongoing feedback and
adequate challenges.
» When your employees do good work, recognize them for it immediately.
» To increase an employee's sense of responsibility, do not simply give them more
work; give them freedom and authority as well.
» You can help employees advance in their professional lives by promoting them,
when appropriate, or encouraging continuing education.
Methods for measuring Employee Satisfaction
We can measure employee satisfaction using a number of different methods, including:
Paper questionnaire distributed internally and returned to us directly,
Internet survey
Mixed methodology, combining the above. This enables all employees to respond,
regardless of Internet access or comfort levels.
Paper questionnaires are a proven methodology for this type of research, and continue to
be used with success. However, if everyone in your organization has Internet access (and
actually uses it), you may want to consider utilizing a web-based methodology to conduct
your research. We'll work with you to help you determine the most appropriate
methodology for your particular circumstance.
Optimizing employee satisfaction is key to the success of any business. And sound,
insightful employee satisfaction research is key to understanding how to achieve that
optimization. The Business Research Lab offers an experienced professional team to help
you understand and optimize your employee satisfaction programs.
Employees with higher job satisfaction:
Believe that the organization will be satisfying in the long run
Care about the quality of their work
Are more committed to the organization
Have higher retention rates, and
Are more productive.
Uses for Employee Satisfaction Surveys include:
Focusing of Employee Development Programs
Enhancing Management/Employee Relations
Training Needs Assessment
Evaluation of Training
Organizational Climate Survey
Customer Satisfaction Survey
This process can also be a motivator of performance since it shows the employee that
their opinions and views are considered important.
How it is conducted?
Checklist of what to do when conducting an employee survey.
1. Needs Analysis Why is the survey being conducted? Meetings are held to
determine the goals and objectives, as well as the content of the project. Whether
implemented through individual interview or focus group this needs analysis will
ensure that the critical information is gathered in the manner that best fits the
customer need and will assist in determining the best method of collecting the
data.
2. Focus Groups Structured meetings to gather qualitative information relevant to
the survey development. Our staff will handle all the details, including
recruitment of focus group members, moderation of the actual meeting in any
city, and report generation on information gathered.
3. Survey Design Develop survey instrument by synthesizing the information
gathered from needs analysis, focus groups and other documents available.
Determine the rating scale to be used:
1. Strongly agree | agree | (neither agree nor disagree) | disagree | strongly
disagree.
2. Excellent | good | fair | poor
3. All of the time | most of the time | some of the time | hardly ever | never
4. To a very great extent | to a great extent | to some extent | to a very little
extent | to no extent at all
5. Very satisfied | satisfied | (neither satisfied nor dissatisfied) | dissatisfied |
very dissatisfied
4. Develop questionnaire A questionnaire used for Employee Attitude/Opinion
Surveys typically contains items that are rated on a 5-point scale. These items
may be developed to measure different dimensions of the organization (e.g.,
communication, teamwork, leadership, initiative, management, compensation,...).
Questionnaires also typically include one or more open-ended questions to solicit
written feedback.
Questionnaires typically include from 50 to 100 items. When estimating the
amount of time to complete the questionnaire you should estimate about 1 minute
per questionnaire item.
If using a printed questionnaire form, you should consider using forms that can be
scanned into a computer.
It should be noted that the design of a questionnaire is usually an iterative process
-- questions are formulated, tested, reformulated, tested, and so on.
5. Questionnaire Review Examine and critique of an existing survey. The review is
conducted to improve the quality of the survey, and to increase the likelihood the
customer receives actionable information. Critiques are also performed to increase
the probability of high response rates.
6. Instrument Pre-Test Conduct an instrument pre-test, which is an examination of
the data collection instrument by potential respondents. It can be completed for
paper-based, as well as electronic and phone based data capture. This may include
a series of telephone interviews or focus groups designed to gather feedback on
the content, clarity, readability, relevance, length, and comprehensiveness of the
item set, as well as the overall experience of completing the instrument.
Pre-testing can show:
1. Poor question wording or sequencing, as well as errors in layout
2. Problems caused by the length of the questionnaire or the respondents'
inability or unwillingness to answer the questions
3. Additional questions or response categories that can be pre-coded on the
questionnaire
4. Non-response problems
5. Any negative repercussions the survey may have on employees
7. Ensure confidentiality of participants Steps must be taken to ensure the
confidentiality of the feedback results. For example, the feedback ratings from
several employees should be combined (averaged) to mask the identity of an
individual employee. Comments or written answers to questions may be
summarized in the results to mask the identity of the author. The confidentiality
helps ensure that the results are genuine.
8. Administer the questionnaire Distribute questionnaire forms (if using printed
copies) with instructions. May want to prepare answers to common questions if
other employees will be assisting in the administration. If possible, post the
questions and answers to your website for easy access.
Administer it to everyone? Or, just a sample?
1. Advantages of it to everyone:
All employees are given the opportunity to express their opinions
2. Advantages of it only to a sample:
Reduced time to collect and process the data
Less data to collect
9. Analyze the data Basic data analysis would include averages of ratings. More
complicated analyses may include item-analysis and/or factor-analysis. Types of
analyses include: Performance Dimension Summary; Summary-Performance vs.
Expected; Individual Item Ratings; Item Ratings-Performance vs. Expected
(normed); Highest- or Lowest-Rated Items (shows individual's strengths and
weaknesses); Group & Organizational Ranking, and Recommendations for
Development.
You may want to analyse the data by organizational division or department to
assess group and organizational strengths and weaknesses. This can be used to
support or promote training and organizational development.
10. Written Interpretive Reports Examine data through written interpretive reports,
which summarize the results of your study. We can provide reports that identify
themes in the data, and provide conclusions and recommendations.
11. Presentation of Survey Results The analysis of data in report format, or on a
variety of other media, such as CD-ROM, diskette, or Internet. Our research
analysts can present the results in person, via videoconference, or on video. These
presentations can be done at all levels of the organization with the content tailored
to the needs and interest of each constituent group. A typical presentation contains
two major elements, summarizing the result of the survey and of focused
discussion of how to proceed with the information.
12. Develop and Distribute Results Feedback results should be shared with the
employees.
You may want to provide individual review sessions or group workshops
conducted by a facilitator to help individuals review and understand the results
and develop appropriate goals and objectives.
Employee Satisfaction Survey Solution Driving Employee
Loyalty
Research shows that satisfied, motivated employees will create higher customer
satisfaction and in turn positively influence organizational performance. Noticing this
trend, many organizations are investing in measuring and quantifying employee opinions
and attitudes by incorporating Employee Satisfaction Surveys into their existing HR and
organizational processes.
The following are just a few benefits of an Employee Satisfaction Survey:
More Accurate Perspective
Organizations achieve a more accurate view of current policies and a more clear
perspective of issues that are of higher priority to employees than others, such as benefits
versus career development, versus compensation
Increased Employee Loyalty
By quantifying and analyzing employee attitudes and opinions, enterprises can identify
problem areas and solutions to create a supportive work environment encouraging a
motivated and loyal workforce.
Training Needs Assessment
Employee Satisfaction Surveys aid in developing individual goals and career potential.
With more insight into their opinions and attitudes, management can establish
professional development initiatives.
Improved Customer Service
Because motivated employees are critical to improved organizational initiatives, such as
increasing customer satisfaction, enterprises that value and strive for greater employee
satisfaction ultimately create higher customer satisfaction.
Accurate & Personalized Surveys
By fully integrating into current HR systems and utilizing existing employee information,
we have more relevant and personalized surveys. Companies are able to turn responses
into actionable results to facilitate organizational changes, improve management and to
increase employee loyalty.
Faster Turnaround
It reduces the speed to create and deploy surveys, collect data and prepare personalized
individual reports, thus reducing response time and increasing overall satisfaction.
Follow-up & Reporting Capabilities
Companies can follow-up with employees who have not completed their survey,
maximizing the response rate and value of employee satisfaction feedback.
Instead of creating hundreds or thousands of results reports manually, they can all be
automated providing a single platform for report viewing and analysis furthering
consistency across global organizations, reducing lead time from months to days or hours
Flexibility
Global organizations can utilize the full multi-lingual survey and reporting capabilities
enabling a single platform throughout an enterprise. It is fully customizable around the
organization in which it's being used and can gather, process and act upon feedback from
thousands to millions of customers.
A comprehensive Employee Satisfaction process, can be key to a more a motivated and
loyal workforce leading to increased customer satisfaction and overall profitability for an
enterprise.
What are the statistically significant factors that affect job satisfaction?
Six factors that influenced job satisfaction are as follows:
Opportunity.
Employees are more satisfied when they have challenging opportunities at work. This
includes chances to participate in interesting projects, jobs with a satisfying degree of
challenge and opportunities for increased responsibility. Important: this is not simply
"promotional opportunity." As organizations have become flatter, promotions can be
rare. People have found challenge through projects, team leadership, special
assignments-as well as promotions.
Actions:
Promote from within when possible.
Reward promising employees with roles on interesting projects.
Divide jobs into levels of increasing leadership and responsibility.
It may be possible to create job titles that demonstrate increasing levels of expertise,
which are not limited by availability of positions. They simply demonstrate
achievement.
Stress.
When negative stress is continuously high, job satisfaction is low. Jobs are more
stressful if they interfere with employees' personal lives or are a continuing source of
worry or concern.
Actions:
Promote a balance of work and personal lives. Make sure that senior managers model
this behavior.
Distribute work evenly (fairly) within work teams.
Review work procedures to remove unnecessary "red tape" or bureaucracy.
Manage the number of interruptions employees have to endure while trying to do
their jobs.
Some organizations utilize exercise or "fun" breaks at work.
Leadership.
Employees are more satisfied when their managers are good leaders. This includes
motivating employees to do a good job, striving for excellence or just taking action.
Actions:
Make sure your managers are well trained. Leadership combines attitudes and
behavior. It can be learned.
People respond to managers that they can trust and who inspire them to achieve
meaningful goals.
Work Standards.
Employees are more satisfied when their entire workgroup takes pride in the quality
of its work.
Actions:
Encourage communication between employees and customers. Quality gains
importance when employees see its impact on customers.
Develop meaningful measures of quality. Celebrate achievements in quality.
Fair Rewards.
Employees are more satisfied when they feel they are rewarded fairly for the work
they do. Consider employee responsibilities, the effort they have put forth, the work
they have done well and the demands of their jobs.
Actions:
Make sure rewards are for genuine contributions to the organization.
Be consistent in your reward policies.
If your wages are competitive, make sure employees know this.
Rewards can include a variety of benefits and perks other than money.
As an added benefit, employees who are rewarded fairly, experience less stress.
Adequate Authority.
Employees are more satisfied when they have adequate freedom and authority to do
their jobs.
Actions:
When reasonable:
Let employees make decisions.
Allow employees to have input on decisions that will affect them.
Establish work goals but let employees determine how they will achieve those goals.
Later reviews may identify innovative "best practices."
Ask, "If there were just one or two decisions that you could make, which ones would
make the biggest difference in your job?"
The key to Employee Relations…
Is finding out what they really think.
Where does your company stand on each of the critical "4Cs" of employee satisfaction?
Commitment
Culture
Communications
Compensation
Commitment to assess employee engagement, Culture to gauge leadership and
accountability, Communications to identify roadblocks to effective management and
Compensation to measure employee perceptions of pay and benefits.
Core benefits of the Employee Satisfaction analysis using
Employee Response
Access to a comprehensive survey which can be adapted to meet your needs
Holistic analysis of employee satisfaction as the basis for entrepreneurial and
customer-oriented employees
Consideration of significant of the organisation's power fields which influence
employee satisfaction Concrete ideas for improving employee satisfaction
Generation of core and steering sizes (e.g. for Balanced Scorecard, ISO-certification)
Independence and the related cost-savings in conducting the analysis.
Employee satisfaction - fundamental to company success
The willingness of employees to be customer-oriented as well as the interaction between
customer and employee determine to a significant degree the customer's perception of
performance. Employees are often claimed by management, entrepreneurs and
researchers to be the most important resource of the company. In practice, the proclaimed
importance of employees is, however, often only lip service. The related potential for
increasing company success is only used half-heartedly.
Employee satisfaction - an important steering size
Employee satisfaction is a significant determinant for employee motivation. On this
basis, a holistic measurement of employee satisfaction is necessary on several levels
Goals
Process
Work Group
Individual Person
Communication & Information
METHODOLOGY
Engineers/officials will be put through a questionnaire and personal discussion for
data collection. A detailed questionnaire will be drawn with a view to collect
comments and suggestions of the engineers/officials as to how they perceive their
jobs & their working conditions. The questionnaire will be designed after the review
of the background of knowledge and experience and the time people will like to
devote to give reasonable and correct views. The questions will be arranged in
sequence in order to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.
Other considerations will be:-
To make questions as concise as possible.
To use simple and familiar words.
However, in order to build a proper atmosphere for free and frank views it will be
clarified that information and discussion will be used only for academic purpose. This
will be an attempt to test the satisfaction of the employees in their present job, the
adequacy of the existing working conditions etc. From the point of view of academic
study only, an attempt will be made to get as much reaction as possible with the
object of making the study more authentic and bring out the view point of employees.
In order to ascertain the correctness of the information given by the employees they
can also be personally interviewed.
A common questionnaire will be designed for all the employees keeping in mind the
different aspects of employee satisfaction.
A sample size of engineers from each level will be taken for study and the response
received from the respondents will be analyzed by study of percentage.
SAMPLE:
The target group of study consists of executive engineers of Videsh Sanchar Nigam
Limited, at different levels. The sample consists of 20 executives of Videsh Sanchar
Nigam Limited.
QUESTIONNAIRE:
A questionnaire was developed that consisted of particulars of the employees &
questions relating to the satisfaction acquired by the employees in accordance with
there
Job
Skills
Work culture
Other Factors
It was intended to study the employee’s satisfaction in Videsh Sanchar Nigam
Limited for six categories of Respondents. Those categories are :
Engineers
Assistant Managers
Sr. Managers
Executives
General managers
Managers
The questionnaire is enclosed at Annexure .
Job Related Satisfaction
It is a diverse term, which in reference to an employee in the organization refers to
the satisfaction that he gets from the job conducive to an employee’s development.
Some of the critical dimensions that were considered in the questionnaire were:
o Nature of job
o Motivation
o Flexibility
o Growth
o Work load
o Security
Skills Related Satisfaction
This refers to the system of assessment of the satisfaction among the employees
based on their skills that the management decides about the fulfillment of the
particular needs of the employee. Some of the parameters considered in the
questionnaire are as follows:
o Innovation & Changes
o Training & Development
o Performance Appraisal
o Promotion & Transfers
o Skill’s Utilization
Work Culture Related Satisfaction
It is closely related to the Organizational climate and relations between the
employees of the organization. Some of the parameters, which have been
considered in the questionnaire, are as follows:
o Communication
o Relationship with Peers
o Relationship with superiors
o Supervision
o Conflict Management
o Organizational Structure
o Value for Work
o Working Conditions
Other Factors Related Satisfaction
This refers to the satisfaction, which the employees get based on some other factors.
The parameters considered in the questionnaire under this are:
o Wages & Salaries
o Other Benefits & Allowances
ANALYSIS METHOD
Various responses to objective type questions were ranked from 1 to 4 whereby
point 1 was given to very much satisfied response and point 4 marked for very
much dissatisfied response. The responses were evaluated under four categories:
Very much satisfied (VMS)
Moderately satisfied (MS)
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied (NSND)
Very much dissatisfied (VMD)
The responses to various questions were placed in these four categories and
percentage was taken out for the four categories for various dimensions. It is shown
in the form of table as follows:
Job Related Satisfaction
This consists of following sub dimensions:
VMS MS NSND VMD
Nature of the Job 55% 45% 0 0
Degree of Motivation 45% 40% 15% 0
Flexibility 40% 50% 5% 5%
Growth 30% 50% 20% 0
Workload 60% 30% 5% 5%
Job Security 45% 50% 5% 0
Skill’s Related Satisfaction
VMS MS NSND VMD
Innovations & Changes 40% 35% 20% 5%
Training & development 0 60% 30% 10%
Performance Appraisal 10% 40% 50% 10%
Promotions & Transfers 0 45% 50% 5%
Skill Utilization 0 70% 0 30%
Work Culture Related Satisfaction
VMS MS NSND VMD
Communication 20% 45% 20% 15%
Relationship (peers) 45% 55% 0 0
Relationship (superiors) 55% 45% 0 0
Supervision 50% 30% 10% 10%
Conflict management 20% 40% 30% 10%
Organizational Structure 20% 45% 35% 0
Value for Work 40% 50% 10% 0
Working conditions 50% 30% 15% 5%
Participation encouragement 50% 30% 20% 0
Other Factors Related Satisfaction
VMS MS NSND VMD
Wages & Salaries 10% 60% 25% 5%
Other Benefits & Allowances 35% 40% 20% 5%
ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION OF DATA
After the data has been collected, classified, the next step is to analyze and interpret
the data. In order to make the analysis and interpretation part simple, pie charts &
tabular formats were constructed for each dimension, same are enclosed here:
Job Related Satisfaction:
Majority of the respondents were very much satisfied with the nature of the job
(55%), where as 45% of other respondents were moderately satisfied.
45% of respondents were very much satisfied by the degree of motivation for
their job, 40% were moderately satisfied with the meager 15% were neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied.
50% of respondents were moderately satisfied with the flexibility in their job,
40% were very much satisfied with the meager 5% neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied and the remaining 5% were very much dissatisfied.
50% of respondents were moderately satisfied with the growth, whereas 30%
were very much satisfied and 20% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.
Majority of the respondents (60%) were very much satisfied with the amount of
workload given to them whereas 30% were moderately satisfied, 5% were neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied and 5% were very much dissatisfied.
50% of respondents felt that their jobs were moderately secured, whereas 45% felt
that their jobs are very much secured and rest of 5% respondents were neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied with the job security factor.
Parameter Very Much Satisfied(VMS)
Moderately Satisfied
(MS)
Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied
(NSND)
Very Much Dissatisfied
(VMD)
Nature of job 11 9 0 0
Motivation 9 8 3 0
Flexibility 8 10 1 1
Growth 6 10 4 0
Work Load 12 6 1 1
Job Security 9 10 1 0
Skill’s Related Satisfaction:
40% of the respondents were VMS with the innovations and changes, which
are implemented in their job, 35%, were MS whereas 20% were NSND and
5% of the respondents were VMD.
Majority of the respondents i.e. 60% were MS with the training and
development programs whereas 30% were NSND and 10% of them were
VMD.
Out of the whole number of respondents 50% were NSND with the
performance appraisal system followed by the organization whereas 40%
were MS and out of rest of 10% of the respondents equal proportions were
VMS and VMD.
Concerned with the promotion and transfers 50% of the respondents were
NSND, 45% were MS and rest of 5% were VMD.
Majority of the respondents (70%) were MS with the degree to which they use
their skill’s to accomplish the given task and 30% were VMD.
Parameter VMS MS NSND VMD
Innovation & changes 8 7 4 1
Training & Development 0 12 6 2
Performance Appraisal 1 8 10 1
Promotion & Transfers 0 9 10 1
Skill’sUtilization 6 14 0 0
Work Culture Related Satisfaction:
45% of the respondents were MS with the way information flows within the
organization, 20% were VMS, 20% were NSND and 15% were VMD.
Majority (55%) of respondents were MS with the relationship with their peers
and rest 45% were VMS whereas relationship with the superiors majority
(55%) were VMS and 45% were MS.
Out of the total respondents 50% of them were VMS with the style of
supervision offered by the superiors, 30% were MS, 10% were NSND and
10% were VMD.
In the opinion of the total respondents about the conflict management in the
organization 40% said that they are MS, 30% said they are NSND, 20% were
VMS and rest 10% were VMD.
45% of the total respondents were MS with the organizational structure
whereas 35% were NSND and 20% were VMS.
Regarding the value and importance given to the employees’ work 50% of the
respondents were MS, 40% were VMS and 10% were NSND.
50% of the respondents were VMS with the working conditions provided to
them, 30% were MS, 15% were NSND and 5% were VMD.
With the amount of encouragement given in decision-making , 50% of the
respondents were VMS, 30% were MS and rest 20% were NSND.
Parameter VMS MS NSND VMD
Communication 4 9 4 3
Relationship(Peers) 9 11 0 0
Relationship(Superior) 11 9 0 0
Supervision 10 6 2 2
Conflict Management 4 8 6 2
Organizational Structure 4 9 7 0
Value for work 8 10 2 0
Working conditions 10 6 3 1
Participation encouragement 10 6 4 0
Other Factors Related Satisfaction:
Majority (60%) of the respondents were MS satisfied with the Salaries paid to
them, 25% were NSND, 10 % were VMS and 5% were VMD.
Regarding other benefits and allowances provided by the organization 40% were
MS, 35% were VMS, 20% were NSND and 5% of the respondents were VMD.
Parameter VMS MS NSND VMD
Wages & Salaries 2 12 5 1
Other benefits & allowances 7 8 4 1
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The preceding details present the satisfaction acquired by the employees working in
TATA COMMUNICATIONS. The questionnaire put up to a sample of employees,
records their views & as to what level of satisfaction they get while working under
various departments in the organization. Based on the feedback given by this
sample group of employees, the conclusion regarding the Employee Satisfaction
Survey undertaken in the organization are as follows.
CONCLUSIONS:
There is a feeling that the Performance Appraisal system is not open to the
employees. It does not help the employees in their improvement; moreover the
Self-Appraisal seems to be a formality.
The flow of information between different departments is not adequate. Generally
the employees do not come to know of the remarks regarding the information put
up by their superior.
Regarding the assessment of the training & development needs, there is no proper
procedure followed. The decision regarding who should be imparted the training,
is more based on the management’s discretion and less on the genuine
requirement.
There is a general feeling that at the time of entry in the organization, the
employees are not briefed about their career growth in the organization. They
also have a feeling that their senior officers are not supervising them properly.
Many people have the feeling that their workload should be reduced to a certain
extent & proper working conditions should be provided to them.
Employees share in the risk and rewards of company performance.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Based on the feedback & as per the interaction with the people, I endeavor
certain recommendations as a remedy to the problems faced by the employees
working in the organization:
There has to be a proper work distribution among the staff. It should not happen
that some are sitting idle and some are slogging under the pressure of work.
Emphasis should be to build a strong ‘pay for performance’ work culture.
Compensation that is “real-time equitable”.
Benefits that meet the individual’s needs and ensuring that they are
communicated and understood.
At the time of their entry in the organization , the employees should be made
aware of the career opportunities in the organization. The superiors should
continuously update their subordinate about the various opportunities and how to
exploit them.
Decision making power must be handed down to the employees. In return
employees should be made more responsible and accountable for the job than
before. This will fetch a new culture in the organization.
It is necessary that job rotation be practiced in the organization. Time to Time
new opportunities should be given to the individuals, so as to sustain their interest
and enthusiasm. It is necessary that every employees be given a chance to go for
training & development programs as suitable for him. This privilege should not
be limited to a few people.
Giving employees access to the latest technology and tools.Providing work/life
programs that allow employees to balance work with family, education, hobbies,
etc.
There should be improvement in the relationship between management and the
employees. It is management’s responsibility to make each employee feel his/her
importance in the organization and treat the organization as his or her own. If it
happens, every employee would try to give his best to the organization and
organization performance would automatically improve.
LEARNINGS FROM THE PROJECT
As my project involved visiting various departments at VSNL, it gave me an opportunity
to know about their infrastructure, resources, working environment & its
workforce. Thereby it
Gave me wide exposure into the HR field.
Gave me an opportunity to study different HR practices prevalent in VSNL in
detail.
Gave me a real time experience of dealing with different people.
Above all I learnt to be patient & the persuasive skill to get people to interact with me
despite their busy schedule
Annexure
BIBLIOGRAPHY
______________________________________________ S.No Title Author ______________________________________________ 1. Human Resource Management Subha Rao
& Industrial Relations
2. Personnel Management C.B.Mamorria
3. Personnel Management Flippo
4. Human Resource Management Wendall, French
________________________________________________________
Website referred:
www.employeesatisfactions.com www.confirmit.com www.insightlink.com www.imptools.com www.hrsolutionsinc.com www.hr-survey.com