Employee Satisfaction is Tanking…Can HRO Help?

Per the results of the most recent Spherion Staffing Services Snapshot survey, released yesterday, employee satisfaction in the U.S. is bleak. In fact, the subhead of the press release stated only five percent of those surveyed – a sample of 896 full-time and part-time working adults aged 20 and older – enjoy what they’re doing and wouldn’t consider another job. More sobering survey stats:

• 62 percent feel less secure about their job compared to a year ago

• 56 percent did not take a vacation in the past year, and of the 44 percent who did, one-third indicated they did not completely disconnect from their job responsibilities

• 30 percent worked from home the last time they called in sick

• 57 percent said their company does not help/support their effort to have a good work/life balance

• 95 percent would consider looking for a new job in the future or are actively looking, regardless of whether or not they enjoy their job

• 53 percent have had to assume additional responsibilities or workload during the recession due to co-worker layoffs, and 93 percent of those who had to assume additional responsibilities did not receive additional compensation

• 57 percent who have taken on additional responsibilities feel burdened and overworked, and another 53 percent said their job or workload affects their health in a negative manner

With this, borrowing the famous and oh-so understated line, “Houston, we have a problem” from the movie Apollo 13, seems appropriate. In this case, “Houston” is employers, senior managers and first line supervisors. And the problem – as I’ve written about and as we all know – is that lacking an engaged, committed, compensated, rewarded, respected and energized workforce, morale decreases, productivity plummets and highly talented employees jump ship. This is all too obviously a losing proposition for companies.

So what should employers do, and how can outsourcing help? While there are many process areas to cite, I’ll touch on just two here.

First, I’m currently working on a learning BPO study, and was pleased to hear from several companies I’ve interviewed thus far that they are providing performance management training to managers and senior leaders to develop, reward and retain employees.

Second, the results of a Mercer study released yesterday found that 30 percent of the respondents – headquarters representatives of 114 multinational organizations from a wide range of industries – are increasing employee involvement in design of their organizations’ benefits plans. It’s a big move in the right direction – even though only 30 percent of respondents are currently doing so – to include employees in benefits-related decisions and options, whether for health insurance, health-related assistance options, defined benefits plans, defined contribution plans, etc.

Benefits outsourcing providers are not only able to help senior leaders determine the most advantageous benefits plans for their company and their employees, with eyes on both cost-effective options and employee retention, but also evaluate and administer the decided-upon plans.

My call to senior HR executives? Don’t wait…engage your employees! And if you’re outsourcing or considering doing so, engage your provider in helping make the right decisions for your employees. I still believe that employee satisfaction = customer satisfaction = profitability.

Gary Bragar, Senior HR Outsourcing Analyst, NelsonHall

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