The Secret Trick to Ensuring Employee Satisfaction

The key to a successful business is passionate employees. Yet, in the day to day hustle, creating an inspiring work environment might not be on your list of top priorities. It should be! Happy employees = Happy Customers = More Money for Your Business.

Consider the results of research conducted by psychological scientist James K. Harter of Gallup, who analyzed data from more than 2,000 business units (retail stores, factories, sales offices, etc…) of ten companies. Harter found that employee perception of their work environment has a big impact on the success of the organization as a whole. When employees have a positive perception of their workplace, the organization is able to retain its employees, increase customer loyalty, and perhaps most importantly, increase their financial profit. The data shows that employee perception of the workplace affects company success more than the company success affects employee perception.

So how can you increase employee satisfaction? One of the simplest things you can do is give employees control over their work space. In a series of psychology experiments, University of Exeter researcher Dr. Craig Knight found workers who had the most control over their work environment were happier and more motivated in their jobs that those who had no control over their space. Workers in these “empowered” work spaces were 32% more productive without any increase in errors than those who worked in corporate standardized office spaces. Employees who were able to dictate the design of their work space also felt physically more comfortable at work, identified more with their employers, and felt more positive about their jobs in general.

So let your employees choose which plants or pictures should be displayed in the office. Or, even better, consider allocating a small office decorating budget and let your employees have some fun with it. Also, if your business allows, trust your employees to work during hours that are most convenient for them instead of the traditional 9-5. Have you considered letting employees bring pets to work? These small concessions on your part will pay big returns to your business.

For more great ideas on great company culture, check out the infamous Netflix presentation on company culture.

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