A lot of business people think that if they invest in the best technology, have the best machines and put out to market the best products or services, then their business is set up to conquer the world and they can be rest assured of success. All too often, such people realize that the best business model and the loftiest of intentions come to naught if the all-important employee is ignored or is not a priority. That is why it is said and with good reason, that ‘if you take care of your employees, they will take care of your business’. After all, your business is as good as the employees who are a part of it. In any enterprise, the proprietor alone can not do much as at the end of the day, it’s all about team work and superlative leadership to channel that teamwork towards avowed ideals and cherished objectives.

As a CEO or HR-Head, one of the most effective tools to gauge your employees’ mood and perspective about the efficacy of your business is through an employee satisfaction survey. Employee satisfaction surveys cover a large gamut or areas of concerns that impact your employees. It includes job characteristics, superior-subordinate relations, work conditions, work life balance, reward and recognition mechanisms, leadership and teamwork, learning and development and career advancement opportunities to name just a few. You will be surprised by how much information you can garner from these surveys as simple percentage charts can clearly give you valid insights into where the employee experience is facing hiccups and problems.

Employee satisfaction surveys also give you valuable feedback as to what are the measures that are being appreciated by your workforce, which is an indicator of what you are doing right. There may also be times where you may have taken some initiatives for employee welfare, which in your perspective may be doing just fine, but viewed through the employee’s eyes and expressed through the satisfaction survey, you could know that the ground realities are different and there are gaps between intentions and the implementation. Just conducting an employee satisfaction survey sends out a powerful message to your employees that their views and suggestions are valued. If you follow up the survey with real and visible actions to address concerns, you will have a wining formula to boost employee participation and morale like nothing else.

Productivity, employee participation and teamwork, commitment and an upswing in morale and motivation are some of helpful by-products of conducting and acting upon an employee satisfaction survey.