In order to truly understand what makes a company a great place to work, it’s important to explore, evaluate, and improve many different aspects of the employee experience. Our Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey measures eight distinct areas of employee experience, including how satisfied employees are in their roles. Job role satisfaction is one key component of a great workplace. Employees need to like the type of work they do, feel valued and make an impact.

The Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey

Our Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey is comprised of 78 questions, rated on a 5-point Likert scale, that measure attitudes in eight core focus areas. Additionally, there are two open-ended questions at the end of the survey in which respondents can share what they love about working for their employer as well as what they’d like to see improve.

We surveyed nearly one million employees in the last 12 months and we asked them each a standard set of eleven questions to measure role satisfaction at their roughly 6,000 respective organizations. Over the past 15 years, we’ve learned that when employees agree with the statements below, they maintain adequate role satisfaction.

1. I like the type of work that I do

Overall, this statement measures how well an employee relates to and embraces the responsibilities and tasks that go along with his or her job role. It’s notable that in some cases, an employee may feel strong loyalty to and satisfaction with their employer, but simply dislike the work assigned to them or the position they hold within the organization. Perhaps unsatisfied, yet skilled employees can be reassigned to roles that better suit them.

2. I am given enough authority to make decisions I need to make

ScienceDaily posted research from the University of Birmingham citing that employees with higher levels of autonomy in their work reported positive effects on their overall well-being and higher levels of job satisfaction. This statement reflects an employee’s perception of his or her own autonomy and authority as it relates to decision making. Not surprisingly, some leaders don’t feel comfortable doling out authority as often as employees may desire. The same study highlighted that despite the positive impact it brings, many managers remain unwilling to offer greater levels of autonomy to their team members.

3. I believe my job is secure

This statement can reflect an employee’s confidence in several different aspects: Will my company ever need to administer layoffs? Am I performing my job duties at the level of expectation of my supervisor? Is our industry stable? As one of the most concerning statements on the employee engagement satisfaction survey, negative responses to this statement should raise a red flag. Employees who feel their job security is at risk will often seek out other options for employment. 

4. Deadlines at this organization are realistic

The actual project and task timelines assigned by leadership within your company should be attainable. If they are not, over time, scrambling to meet them may wear on the employee’s confidence in their own skills, as well as have a negative effect on their ability to manage a satisfactory work-life balance. Setting unrealistic deadlines can also yield poor quality of work. 

5. I feel I am valued in this organization

Showing gratitude and appreciation for the work your staff contributes can help them to stay invested in you and your business. This statement is telling of how good of a job leadership within your organization is doing at expressing thanks.

6. I feel I am part of a team working toward a shared goal

Establishing relationships and bonds among team members can increase employee engagement. If employees disagree with this statement, you can make an attempt to remedy the problem through team-building activities and offering more collaborative assignments that allow individuals to bond and work together.

7. I am able to maintain a reasonable balance between work and my personal life

Maintaining a satisfactory work-life balance continues to be a hot topic among employers and employees alike. Everyone chases this elusive state of being, but how can you, the employer, truly provide it without hurting productivity? Be reasonable. Be fair. Be understanding. Offer enough flexibility and benefits, such as family care time, that your employees feel they can juggle their personal responsibilities along with their assigned work.

8. My job makes good use of my skills and abilities

Aligning job responsibilities with an individual’s strength and education can boost employee satisfaction. Having the opportunity to utilize skills and practices learned from formal education can feel validating. One example might be, the employee has obtained a degree in Fine Art and is able to contribute creative input to design projects the marketing team is working on. An interesting school of thought, “self-determination theory,” tells us that we are much less motivated to do things we don’t believe we are good at. So, when possible, make the most of those valuable and unique skills your employees possess by assigning them the type of work at which they are most adept.

9. I have a clear understanding of my job role 

Defining clear roles and objectives for teams and individuals helps ensure that efforts aren’t being duplicated, and that there is ownership of various areas of responsibility. This can help to alleviate contention caused when more than one employee feels they have authority over the same territory. Make a clear plan for who owns what. Assigning goals and responsibilities specific to an employee’s role will help him understand where to focus his efforts and what to assume ownership of.

10. I understand the importance of my role to the success of the organization

Does my contribution help the greater cause of the organization? This survey statement is indicative of how connected to the organization an employee feels and whether or not it’s evident how his day-to-day job functions are impacting the company and helping to achieve corporate goals.

11. Most days, I feel I have made progress at work

Maintaining a sense of accomplishment is one motivator that many employees value. Say an employee dedicates hours of effort and thought into a report that his or her supervisor, in turn glances at and tosses aside. The impact that simple action has on the employee’s engagement can be dramatic. It’s demotivating to think that your contribution isn’t being used or valued.

In closing, these eleven statements represent the overall satisfaction an employee has in their role and each uniquely affect employee engagement. Regularly monitoring how satisfied your employees are in their roles, through engagement and pulse surveys, will ensure you are well-equipped with the information you need to take action to improve areas of weakness.

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