Have you ever felt dread on a Sunday night before the new week of work or school begins? You are not alone. A poll conducted in 2012 illustrates that 4 out of 10 experience the feeling of “Sunday Blues” (BAYADA, 2013). However, a job you love and enjoy makes work not feel like work.
A report conducted by Pew Research Center in 2016 illustrated that in the US, those who were extremely satisfied with their present job was 49% of workers (Pew Research Center, 2016). Additionally, 30% of US workers “view the work they do as just a job to get them by” (Pew Research Center, 2016).
Job satisfaction in employees is critical in the workplace, but what is it? Indeed states that job satisfaction helps to display the level of "gratification that employees have when they’re in the workplace and plays a crucial role in employee productivity” (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021).
Meaningful work
The home health care industry is a rewarding one. Many healthcare workers go into this field because they love to help people and care about people. When it comes to home aides and nurses who work in this field, they have feelings of satisfaction and gratification from their jobs. Their work is meaningful, and what they do can help change the lives of their patients and families for the better. They are the ones that allow patients to get to stay in their own homes.
Home healthcare workers can also meet people and on a more personal level. Workers visiting their patient’s homes can see family photos and get to know more about their patients and their families. When work is meaningful, job satisfaction increases. Then, why does home healthcare have such a high turnover rate among its workers?
High Turnover
The turnover rate in 2018 for the home care industry reached new and high heights of 82% (Holly, 2020). Home care workers have high job satisfaction, but many plan on leaving their job. For some, it is both physically and mentally exhausting. For others, it is the combination of low pay, inconsistent schedules, and lack of advancement opportunities. Employees often are not paid enough for their work and receive little to no benefits.
In the US, workers that are the most likely to receive a threat, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment are home care workers. Home healthcare workers deal with verbal abuse from their patients and family members. When the patient or their family member becomes aggressive, it can lead to physical abuse.
What lowers job satisfaction?
There are many factors that lower job satisfaction, including, but not limited to:
Injuries
Violence
Lack of support from peers and organization
Long hours
Importance of job satisfaction
High job satisfaction among employees results in lower turnover rates. Productivity and loyalty increase with high job satisfaction. Employees will become more likely to achieve their company’s goal when their best interests are kept in mind by their company. High employee job satisfaction helps increase profits for the business because of higher sales and lower costs. Employees who are satisfied and engaged with their company are less likely to miss work or steal from their company. When nurses are satisfied with their job, the quality of care provided to their patients increase.
When employees have low job satisfaction, it increases their likelihood of work accidents, medical mistakes, and conflicts within the company.
Herzberg's two-factor theory
According to Herzberg’s two-factor theory, job satisfaction has two factors, hygiene and motivation. Hygiene issues, like supervision, salary, company policies, working conditions, and interpersonal relations if not handled well, can lead to job dissatisfaction in employees. Motivator issues, like recognition, achievement, responsibility, advancement, and the work itself can increase job satisfaction and productivity.
The theory states that “individuals are not content simply with the satisfaction of meeting lower-order needs at work, minimum salary levels or safe and pleasant working conditions; they also need the gratification of meeting higher-level psychological needs related to achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and the nature of the work itself" (Hirakawa et al., 2018).
How to increase job satisfaction?
High pay for home healthcare workers can result in higher job satisfaction and decreases the likelihood of leaving. However, the wage itself does not determine job satisfaction. Yes, high pay can help to improve job satisfaction, but money does not solve everything and anything. For example, zookeepers make less than $25,000 a year. However, many zookeepers find the idea of cleaning cages to be meaningful because they believe that it is vital to help preserve our animal species. Why do people volunteer? They are not doing it for money, but they want to feel a sense of accomplishment that they are helping their community and making a difference. In other words, increasing job satisfaction among employees is more than offering better wages and benefits.
Recognition for home healthcare workers can help to increase job satisfaction. Every worker in every industry wants to be recognized by their company for their accomplishments. Giving employees a sense of freedom and responsibility can help increase job satisfaction. Home healthcare workers who received training felt valued by their company, which helps increase job satisfaction. Job satisfaction increases with reasonable time frames and workloads. According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management, being respected is an essential attribute to job satisfaction.
There are many factors to increase job satisfaction among home healthcare workers, like allowing them to be a part of the decision-making process and providing them with a sense of control over their work. Other factors include opportunities to grow, good relationships with colleagues, adequate staffing, and a positive workplace that can all increase job satisfaction.
“41% of employees consider their organization’s career advancement opportunities a very important factor to their job satisfaction" (Lorman Team, 2021).
Trust between both the employee and the employer can help increase job satisfaction for the employee. When employees are satisfied with their jobs, their productivity increases.
How we can help
One way to help create an inclusive work environment is to gain feedback from employees. Feedback allows employers to measure satisfaction among their employees and "have a better idea what their motivations are and how to build on them" (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021).
Surveys are a great way to deploy these questions to their employees. Pulse surveys are short, frequent surveys that can be tailored to specific topics to assess their change over time. Pulse surveys allow staff members to see the impact of their modifications in real-time. The frequent nature of pulse surveys means the information gathered will always be current. Surveys can help provide employers information on what areas need improvements, and the overall workplace relationships.
Retainify is an employee engagement software that offers a unified solution that allows you to track employee sentiment and measure engagement in real-time. Proactively identify issues that are preventing them from being their best at work. Improve business outcomes by improving the employee experience, and enhance company culture one feedback at a time. Turn Feedback into Action.
Questions or Feedback?
Contact Us: hello@retainify.com
Citations:
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