Employee attitude survey design for assessing job satisfaction

Human Resource Management: An Attitude Survey on Employee Satisfaction

The dynamic nature of the current business environment has made human resource management a complex task. Very often, companies of all types and sizes strive to attract and retain quality employees in order to outperform competitors in their respective industries. According to Guarav (2012), employee satisfaction is one of the most critical aspects in ensuring long-term association of the employees and the organization. Gregory (2011) also states that a high rate of employee satisfaction translates to a lower turnover rate. Thus, every employer should make use of effective performance management tools and procedures and at the same time create a good working environment in order to keep the employees satisfied. An employee attitude survey is one such tool, and it is an essential component of human resource management (Knapp and Mujtaba, 2009). It helps the HR managers determine some of the reasons employees can become discouraged and unmotivated. This text presents an attitude survey aimed at assessing the level of job satisfaction among employees. It explains the purpose of the survey, the preliminary design issues and the instructions for administering and interpreting the survey.

The purpose of the survey

Statistics show that American workers hold an average of eight jobs throughout their careers Gregory, 2011). The high turnover rate can be attributed to employee dissatisfaction, which as an added cost to any organization particularly because even in economic downturns, employers have to invest huge sums of money recruiting and training new employees. Thus the employee satisfaction survey will provide useful information on how to retain employees to avoid extra costs. The survey will assess how satisfied the employees are with their jobs in terms of appreciation and recognition, discrimination, reward systems, levels of stress, opportunities for growth and communication within the organization.

Knapp and Mujtaba (2009) explain that in today's global and competitive work environment, employers have to pay keen attention to employee attitudes, opinions and suggestions. The authors further explain that the more they know about the feelings of the employees, the easier it will be to monitor their behavior and improve their performance. Thus the survey intends to assess and interpret the overall attitudes and opinions of the employees regarding how satisfied they are with their jobs.

Instructions for administering, scoring, and interpreting the survey

The head of departments will first communicate the need and importance of the survey to the employees. The questionnaires will then be administered to employees who will be willing to take part in the survey. Knapp and Mujtaba (2009) assert that anonymity and confidentiality of the responses should be emphasized. Therefore, the respondents will answer the questionnaires in private rooms and they will not be required to provide their personal details.

After the survey has been completed, the results for each section will be summarized and a total score for each section provided. The results will also be presented based on the length of time the employee has been in the organization, their gender and the department in which they work. In agreement with Topolosky (2000), responses will be considered favorable if the respondents indicate that are satisfied, they strongly agree or agree with the statements; and unfavorable if they are dissatisfied, they strongly disagree or disagree with the statements. The responses will then be presented in the form of pie charts and interpreted in terms of the implication of the responses in each section. The feedback will be presented to the employees in the form of PowerPoint presentations. The results of the attitude survey will then be presented to the management of the company to help influence changes in company policies and improve performance management measures.

Conclusion

To reduce the employee turnover rate, it is imperative that all employers communicate with employees and understand their needs, attitudes, values and opinions in order to determine ways they can use to improve employee satisfaction. An attitude survey is a practical tool that will provide an understanding on how the employees perceive the benefits and compensation, involvement and communication, diversity and company culture, all of which have an impact on their job satisfaction. The results of the survey will be analyzed and interpreted, then used to improve company policies, promote better reward initiatives and create a better work environment for the employees.