All managers have different personality traits, skills, and work methods. These can challenge the relationship, the work environment, and the well-being as well as the job satisfaction for certain employees and managers. A good manager can put themselves in the employee’s shoes and see the work and the company through their eyes, but that isn’t always so simple or easy.
As we know, management is an important component of job satisfaction and the employees’ well-being at work. But managers are people too, and they need feedback and guidance in order to develop themselves and lead the employees better.
Giving feedback to employees can be challenging, however. But it is important to lower the threshold for giving feedback, and it should be addressed via the use of modern technology and anonymity.
1. To be acknowledged
Support of employees is a crucial part of management, but it can also be a challenge in the management’s complex, responsible, and changing work environment.
Acknowledgement is a strong psychosocial factor in relation to the work environment, which influences the employees’ feeling of eligibility, well-being at the workplace, and their job satisfaction. Acknowledgement is often seen as praise, but it can be much more than that.
Acknowledgement can be:
- Work tasks. When an employee’s skills are acknowledged, he or she can be handed work that is more professionally challenging. When employees develop and enjoy their work, they also add more value to the company.
- Listening. We all want to be heard and seen as specialists in our field of work. It is therefore important to listen to the employees’ opinions, criticism, and ideas for improvement. Being attentive of these things is also good for your company, as you can discover things that you hadn’t thought of.
- Appreciation. When employees feel valued for their work and skills, it improves their motivation, efficiency, engagement, and the job satisfaction itself. And, as we know, employees who have these things are also exemplary seen from a business perspective.
2. Quality of leadership
Every leader is different. Managers need to handle intense pressure, and the expectations are high on an individual level as well as on company level. So it isn’t that surprising that the quality of leadership can sometimes fail. The quality of leadership is greatly influenced by personal characteristics and the ability to cooperate.
- Personal characteristics. Different personality types can create tension in work communities and hurt the job satisfaction and well-being. Quality management is based on processes and strategies. When the management act according to these instead of acting on impulse, it ensures uniform and quality leadership.
- Cooperation skills. An excellent leader exhibits good interpersonal skills, situational awareness, and empathy toward their employees in different situations. This ensures a seamless cooperation and an open work atmosphere, and this has a significant effect on the job satisfaction and well-being at the workplace.
Furthermore, gauging and monitoring the quality of the work, investment in well-being, awareness of problems, and acting on these things will improve the management and the trust.
3. Clarity regarding company goals
Clarity regarding company goals means that the employees understand what is expected of them. Goals and expectations should be established at both individual, team, and company levels.
Clarity regarding company goals plays an important role for the employees’ productivity, well-being, and job satisfaction. If the employees do not know what is expected of them, it can lead to stress, exhaustion, a lower quality, and even an increased level of absence. It is therefore important to invest in clarity and comprehension of the goals.
4. Support and feedback
Support, help, and constructive feedback at the right time are important parts of well-being and employee development. However, it is important to be attentive of the difference between a good and a bad moment to give feedback. “Good advice” is rarely good if it is unwanted, or if the receiving party feels that advice isn’t needed. In cases like these, it can be more damaging to give this “good piece of advice” than refraining from doing it.
If help and advice are constantly offered without any particular reason, the employee can perceive it as a negative experience. The effects of excessive support weaken the job satisfaction, efficiency, motivation, and engagement. On the other hand, too little support and help can result in unnecessary stress for the employee and increase passivity.
5. Ability to influence the work
Clothes, food, friends, accommodation – people need to be able to influence the things that affect them. And the same thing is relevant for the workplace. The employees often want to be involved in the decisions that influence them, in improving the work environment, and in solving ergonomic problems at the workplace.
Freedom at work gives the employees the opportunity to influence their work, and this also has a positive effect on the job satisfaction and well-being. Furthermore, employees who are empowered and trusted are better able to tackle potential challenges and problems.
Continuous surveys among employees to gather their opinions give you the opportunity to research management, engagement, and corporate culture effectively. This provides companies with the opportunity to tackle problems quickly, and thereby improve all aspects of their business.
Taking anonymity into consideration for all employee surveys is the key to successful job satisfaction and well-being at the workplace. Anonymous replies make it easier for employees to report problems both big and small, that might otherwise go unnoticed. Furthermore, modern technology can reveal problems and ask more questions about them by using algorithms.
Talentech’s continuous employee surveys give managers a clear overview of the team’s well-being, and it makes it possible to solve problems proactively. Managers receive tips and advice about how to strengthen the leadership and things that they should be aware of. You can also monitor which areas need further attention or what needs to be changed in your company and what already works well.
