Every quarter CNBC and SurveyMonkey poll over 8,000 professionals aiming to measure how Americans feel about their jobs. The survey measures five key categories – pay, opportunities for advancement, recognition, autonomy and meaning. The results of the survey found that as a whole, most American workers are happy with their jobs.
The survey found that 85% of participants were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their current job. However, there is always room for improvement! The survey also examined which factors could have a measurable impact on employee satisfaction.
Exclusive of a higher salary (because who doesn’t want to be paid more) there was one area that was a clear winner in terms of what one change could most improve job satisfaction: personal development at work through more training and learning opportunities.
What is unique about this answer is that cut across various ages, so improving the training or learning opportunities within your company could have a large impact on improving employee job satisfaction for a majority of your workers.
There are cost effective ways that you could look at improving the area of personal development for your employees. By taking a goal-driven and focused approach you are more likely to have specific topics that you can take a more tactical approach to addressing. A good start is asking your employees what kind of training or learning opportunities would be most interesting and valuable to them. You can find out this information through a survey of your own or by soliciting more informal feedback. Knowing this information will help target your approach to personal development into the areas that actually matter the most to your employees and that is likely to get the best response.
Whichever topic you focus on, you need to make personal development at work a priority for your organization. Don’t add an expectation to your employee’s plate without giving them the time that they would need to participate. Adding learning and training opportunities isn’t beneficial if employees don’t feel their attendance is being encouraged or if they are only expected to take advantage of it on their free time.
Once you have a personal development program in place at work don’t let it get stale. Ask attendees of any program how they feel and if the information is valuable. Changes with technology or within your industry make it likely that the top skill your employees want to learn today won’t be the same item on their radar next year.
For a full copy of the survey results please visit this website.
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