The modern workplace is a dynamic, ever-evolving environment, so much so that we must all take care to understand its intricacies to stay ahead of the curve. This is especially true when it comes to employee satisfaction. After all, the key to actualizing employee potential is recognizing and addressing their financial and emotional needs. A failure to do so will lead to plummeting employee satisfaction, which will inevitably spill over into the business’s relationships with its customers.
A couple months back, customer-experience expert Shep Hyken posted a great breakdown of what he terms the “Employee Hierarchy of Needs”, which he based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Hyken arranged his own pyramid with concepts like paycheck, culture, uniqueness, growth opportunity, and so on. Each of these levels is important and well worth considering, but let’s focus on three of them today: The Paycheck, Alignment with Beliefs and Vision (The Culture), and Fulfillment.
Compensation
The bottommost level of the pyramid is compensation, the very foundation for what motivates an employee to be employed at all. This is easiest to understand, as each of us has bills to pay. Even beyond the money, compensation extends beyond the simple dollars and cents: it means financial stability—that is, the ability to meet essential needs like housing, sustenance, healthcare, education, and all the rest without fear of falling behind or foregoing essentials just to get by. It may also include insurance, retirement benefits, and more. All of these provide employees with a strengthened sense of well-being, so businesses must make sure to offer fair and competitive compensation packages that go beyond the basic salary, if possible. A failure to do this will force your employees to see other job opportunities, even if they love working for you otherwise.
Values
One of the middle levels of the pyramid entails the company culture; this reflects on how well the employee’s values align with those of the organization. A strong and positive culture can be a powerful motivator, engaging employees well beyond the work itself. This culture is about creating an environment where employees feel motivated to excel and contribute beyond their basic job requirements because they believe in the work they’re doing. Businesses need to foster a culture that not only attracts top talent but also retains it, encouraging long-term commitment and dedication. Ask yourself, do your employees feel like what they’re doing is important? Are they helping making the world—or even just a small corner of it—better in some way. If the answer is no, how can you change that?
Fulfillment
At the top of the pyramid is fulfillment, the culmination of job satisfaction, where employees “love their job, who they work with, and even their boss.” Employee satisfaction stems from genuine connections within the workplace: relationships with coworkers, customers, and their superiors. Strong interpersonal connections contribute significantly to employee loyalty and job satisfaction. Businesses should invest in fostering positive relationships within their organization, as well as creating an atmosphere where employees feel valued and supported. Strong teamwork is essential for this to work, so all employees must contribute to the whole lest some start to resent their coworkers. Employees also need to feel empowered when it comes to dealing with customers, able to help without too much red tape. To feel fulfilled, you have to keep these work relationships strong and positive.
Prioritize Employees for Success
The employee hierarchy of needs creates an environment conducive to success. By addressing the financial, cultural, and interpersonal components, companies can ensure that their employees are not just satisfied but motivated, committed, and fulfilled in their roles. The imperative is upon ownership and management: you must actively pay attention to your employees’ emotional and material well-being, which you can do by employing tools like employee-feedback surveys and leadership training. These will help you understand how your employees really feel, and then make sure your managers know what to do with that information. By prioritizing these needs, businesses can pave the way for a positive employee experience, setting the stage for long-term employee loyalty and, by extension, long-term customer loyalty.
Need help getting your feedback surveys going? How about your leadership training? The Brandt Group specializes in these, as well as mystery shopping to help you improve your business from top-to-bottom. As your one-stop shop for developing both the employee and customer experiences, we’re ready to provide you with the tools you need to sustain success. Let’s get a conversation started about how we can do just that.
