This blog post is a summary of a recent project completed by Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS).

Background: A community-based organization partnered with Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS) to conduct an employee satisfaction study. The client wanted to better understand how happy employees were with the workplace, as well as identify areas of excellence and opportunity. The market research objective was to gather the insights needed to guide organizational improvements in order to increase employee satisfaction.

Approach: The study consisted of a survey that was sent to all employees. An online survey was crafted and sent to employees who had email access, and a paper survey was sent to those who did not. The survey was comprised of 33 questions and included five-point rating questions that measured various aspects of employee satisfaction with their jobs and the organization as a whole.  Additionally, RMS utilized benchmarking data which provided the ability to evaluate the client’s scores against national industry standards. To encourage a high response rate, RMS worked with the client’s human resources department to create digital signage to alert employees of the study. RMS completed fieldwork in approximately four weeks.

Result highlights:

• Research revealed the highest and lowest rated factors among respondents which identified areas of excellence and opportunity. Respondents indicated the following factors as areas of excellence: willingness to work above and beyond, understanding of the organization’s goals, feeling that work was important, strongly identifying with the organization’s values, and that working at the organization was more than just a job. Areas of opportunities where the workplace could improve were: pay/benefits, availability of the tools/equipment needed, and overall communication.  These rankings are critical and allow the employer to develop initiatives that guide organizational improvement to create a more satisfied workforce.
• The client was also interested in assessing how overall satisfaction, as well as other factors, varied by department. Results showed that overall satisfaction is higher among employees working in the development (77%) and administration (70%) departments, but lower among employees working in the programs (60%) and social enterprises (52%) departments. Overall, 84% of respondents would recommend the organization as a good place to work, a figure much higher than the industry standard (67%).
• A correlation analysis revealed that several key factors correlated to overall employee satisfaction. This allowed the end-client to understand what factors have a strong relationship to employees’ overall satisfaction. The highest factors correlated to overall satisfaction were: overall communication, supervisor communication, and quality of work being a top priority among employees. Results demonstrated a need for improved overall communication and supervisor to employee communication. Additionally, the client should promote quality of work as a top priority among the organization as a whole.
• Respondents were also asked to describe the organization using one word or phrase. RMS summarized this data using a weighted word cloud which enabled the client to compare and contrast employee attitudes. The top six words used to describe the organization were: good, work, rewarding, fulfilling, challenging, and community.
• Employee satisfaction studies are a great tool to gauge how satisfied a workforce is at a moment in time. RMS recommended the client implement annual studies to track the progress of key metrics, engage employees, and provide a platform for anonymous employee feedback.

RMS is a full-service market research firm located in Syracuse, NY. If you are interested in learning more about our research capabilities, please contact Sandy Baker, our Senior Director of Business Development & Corporate Strategy at SandyB@RMSresults.com or by calling 1-866-567-5422. Visit our website at www.RMSresults.com.