The title of today’s post is a question I hear all the time. “What do our employees want?”
The first answer that comes to mind is “If you don’t know, ask them.” But I do realize that’s easier said than done. It’s hard to survey employees. Organizations could be apprehensive to ask a direct question for fear of what employees might say. The last thing anyone wants to do is ask, “What would make you happier working here?” and then not be able to deliver.
So, sometimes we look to surveys as a starting point. And that’s okay. Surveys and reports can get conversations started.
I wanted to share with you a couple of new surveys that you can use to start the “what employees want” conversation in your organization. The first survey is a Harvard Business Review article titled, “The Most Desirable Employee Benefits”. What I like about the results is that the respondents were workers aged 18 – 81. It represents everyone in the workplace, not just a small cross-section of a generation.
The second survey was published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). It’s their 2017 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Survey. This survey shares how certain activities can contribute to job satisfaction. It has more than simply benefits, which is nice.
One of the things I look for in surveys is some sort of trend. That could be an indicator of where to start. I don’t believe you’ll find any surprises in these surveys. Employees want to be respected by their manager and co-workers. They want to be paid a fair wage for the work they do and traditional benefits like health insurance. Finally, employees want to have flexibility in their work schedules.
The good news for employers is that this shouldn’t be a surprise. What employees want isn’t some sort of wacky, out of the ordinary request. What employees want is a positive work environment, competitive compensation and benefits, and flexible work. But they want those things consistently and they want them executed well.
Carol Harnett says
Thank you for the post, Sharlyn. There is one thing I’d add to your post.
A recent Pew Research Center study found that paid leave and flexibility were the two benefits employees valued most highly.
The Pew study revealed that Americans largely support paid leave — and most supporters say employers, rather than the federal or state government, should cover the costs. Of the four types of paid leave that Pew surveyed people about (leave for own serious health conditions, maternity leave, caregiving leave, and paternity leave), leave for an employee’s own serious health condition was number one. Eighty-five percent of Americans say workers should receive paid leave to deal with their own serious health condition and 62 percent believe employers should pay for that.
As we survey our employees, we have to remember to ask questions about paid and unpaid leave.
Best regards,
Carol Harnett
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for adding, Carol. I agree that every employee wants to know that they can take time off when needed.