What Really Matters to Your Employees and How Can You Deliver It For Them?

When it comes to tracking employee satisfaction, we often rely on data science. While output can serve as a good marker for productivity and profitability, it’s not able to dissect human nature and what drives a stable culture. It can’t tell you what really matters to your employees.

What Your Employees Want Based on Job Satisfaction Studies

Gallup, an American analytics and advisory company, released a series of studies that get to the heart of what matters to employees.

Here are the top 5 things employees want from employers.

1. An Increase in Benefits and/or Income

It’s a common talking point that employees want more than income and benefits when applying for a job, which is technically true. However, every single employee needs money to survive. With inflation skyrocketing and wages stagnating, money and benefits become more important.

Employers should start paying staff based on the cost of living, not the minimum wage. If you want to keep or attract top talent, up the base salary and actually include a salary range on job postings. Offer more than health coverage as a benefit if you can’t afford to offer raises.

2. A Better Work-Life Balance and Flexibility

Work-life balance is very important for employees, but the aggressive push away from remote work is taking away what little flexibility workers had during the pandemic. There are known instances where employers will offer remote work, only to take the option away shortly after.

It’s easier than ever to tell what the company is all about, thanks to employer review sites. If your employees say they’re overwhelmed, stressed out, or burnt out, you need to start offering a less rigid work schedule. Give them the chance to unplug during their evenings and weekends.

3. Jobs That are Exciting and Challenging

When your employees have the opportunity to do what they do best, they’re more engaged with their work and have a higher rate of job satisfaction. When your employees can’t use their skills, strengths, and training, they’re going to leave and find a job that excites and challenges them.

Some jobs are tedious, but that doesn’t make them boring. Recruiters should ask potential hires why they love what they do and what got them into their role in the first place. They should also provide a realistic job preview so new hires know their daily schedule and your expectations.

4. A Career That’s Stable and Secure

Unfortunately, a lack of job security is a common modern problem, and no one really expects their job to be around forever. Nonetheless, your employees still want greater stability and job security because it makes their life more predictable, manageable, and less stressful.

You can’t promise stability, but you can offer transparency, honesty, and respect. Your employees are more afraid of the unknown than they are of the truth, so if layoffs are imminent, tell your staff. This gives them the ability to plan their next steps before they lose their income.

5. An Inclusive and Diverse Workplace

Diversity in the workplace is necessary for social progress, but the pitfalls of inclusivity are invisible to employers. We all have unconscious biases that affect our decisions, from who we vote for to who we hire. Recognizing these biases can help us make positive cultural changes.

While creating a more equitable and inclusive workplace includes hiring minorities, it also means giving them a voice. You can do this by creating mentorship programs, more inclusive workplace policies, and educating managers on the benefits of a truly diverse workplace.