EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION SURVEY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Its my priviledge to great fully acknowledge “TATA COMMUNICATIONS Ltd.” for

providing me practical training for 8 weeks.

At the fore set, I’d like to express my heart-felt gratitude to my Project coordinator, Mr.

Yash Pal, and all others at TATA COMMUNICATIONS for helping me finish my

project successfully and more importantly, sparing me time to help learn various aspects

of this Human Resource.

I’d also like to thank them for giving me sufficient freedom in choosing my research

methodology, exploring different avenues, materials to learn the Practices prevalent in

TATA COMMUNICATIONS. This made me aware of my responsibilities and thus

helped me grow, particularly since this is my first work experience.

During the course of my training wherein I spoke to different people of different

departments, there were some in particular, who helped me immensely in understanding

the subject, in spite of their busy schedule. My most sincere thanks to them as their

practical knowledge helped me gain a foothold on the subject, considering that I’m a

novice to Human Resource Field.

Apart from above I would like mention a word of thanks to these employees of

different departments who have provided inputs, considering their busy schedule, to fill

out the questionnaires & interact with me.

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Company profile

3. HR Practices

4. Employee Satisfaction Survey

a. The Concept

b. Dimensions of Employee Satisfaction

c. Methods for measuring Employee Satisfaction

d. How it is conducted?

e. Benefits of ESS

f. Factors influencing Job Satisfaction

5. Methodology

6. Analysis and Interpretation of Data

7. Conclusions and Recommendations

8. Learning’s from the Project

9. Annexure

a. Sample Questionnaire

b. Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

There is a fundamental truth in the cliché that “people are most important asset in an

organization”. It is but natural for an organization to invest a lot in this asset to

effectively utilize it to achieve the goals of the organization. After making huge

investment in human resources, it makes sense for an organization to assess the

impact of this investment. A systematic study of employee’s satisfaction with their

jobs is the most powerful tool in assessing the productivity of human resources. This

also helps an organization to establish and uphold the principle of accountability as

per the responsibility at every organizational level. From an employee’s point of

view, proper feedback can have a profound effect on levels of employee motivation

and satisfaction and help him grow and develop in organizational settings.

Employee satisfaction survey can have tremendous strategic potential for governing

employee’s behavior. Ever since it’s inception, over a period, the scope of such

surveys has grown significantly. It’s traditional focus has been enlarged to include not

only the employee’s behavior on the job but also it’s functioning as an integral part of

the organization..

To date there is not just one such survey best suited for all organizations or for all

levels of an organization.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The present study is an evaluative survey of employee’s satisfaction and assessment

system of engineers with special reference to TATA COMMUNICATIONS with

the objective to determine the following.

Degree of effectiveness of the present working environment.

Employee’s evaluation of the limitations influencing the growth of the organization.

Employee’s feeling of being motivated by their subordinates & the level of

cooperation achieved.

Employee’s suggestions regarding changes in the present working conditions in order

to get success.

APPROACH TO THE STUDY

This study will relate to the amount of satisfaction achieved by the engineers at work

with special reference to TATA COMMUNICATIONS and will be limited to

engineers at different levels. Therefore, to start with, it is obvious to involve the

engineers of TATA COMMUNICATIONS from different departments.

Engineers will be put through a questionnaire and personal discussion for data

collection. A detailed questionnaire will be drawn with a view to collect comments

and suggestions of the engineers as to how they perceive their present job. The

questionnaire will be designed after the review of the background of knowledge and

experience and the time people will like to devote to give reasonable and correct

views. The questions will be arranged in sequence in order to avoid confusion and

misunderstanding.

Other considerations will be: -

To make questions as concise as possible.

To use simple and familiar words.

However, in order to build a proper atmosphere for free and frank views it will be

clarified that information and discussion will be used only for academic purpose. This

will be an attempt to test the satisfaction of the employees in their present job, the

adequacy of the existing working conditions etc. From the point of view of academic

study only, an attempt will be made to get as much reaction as possible with the

object of making the study more authentic and bring out the view point of employees.

In order to ascertain the correctness of the information given by the employees they

can also be personally interviewed.

A common questionnaire will be designed for all the employees keeping in mind the

different aspects of employee satisfaction. A sample size of engineers from each level

will be taken for study and the response received from the respondents will be

analyzed by study of percentage.

EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION FROM THE STUDY

This study, based on the suggestion of the employees, will help in evolving an

improved way for performing the tasks in the organizations. This study will

contribute to growth of the organization by pointing out the limitations and the

problems faced by the employees during work which would in turn lead to increase

the efficiency and output of the organization with same manpower.

Company Profile

Tata Communication Ltd.

Tata Communications has an ISO 20000 and 27001 certifications for managed services and data cent and the company has renewed ISO 14001 certificate. This achievement is a key milestone in securing a leadership position in the managed hosting and storage and hosted messaging services provider space.

Vision

”We will strive to be the preferred partner to our customers by providing appropriate

and cost-effective communication solutions”

Values

Customer Delight

Trust

Competitive

Employer of choice

Excellence

Team Work

Commitment

Invest in building long-lasting relationships with customers and partners and lead the industry in responsiveness and flexibility.

Strategy

Build leading-edge IP-leveraged solutions advanced by our unmatched global infrastructure and leadership in emerging markets

Board of Directors

Srinath Narasimhan

Chairman, Tata Communications Transformation Services Limited Managing Director & CEO, Tata Communications LimitedDirectors

Satish Ranade

Rajiv Dhar

Vinod Kumar

Srinivasa Addepalli

Global leaders

Vinod Kumar President, Global Data and Mobility Solutions, Tata

Communications

.

Rajiv Dhar Chief Financial Officer, Tata Communications

Michel Guyot

President, Global Voice Solutions, Tata Communica

.

Organization Structure

Tata Communications Ltd. Unites the industry and market expertise of VSNL, VSNL international, Teleglobe, Tata Indicom, Enterprise business unit, VGSL and CIPRIS to become the leading integrated provider of telecommunications solutions. Fortune 1000 and mid-size enterprises, service providers and consumers rely on our Global Network, encompassing one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a tier-1 IP network, and connectivity to more then 200 countries across 300 PoPs.

Tata Communications comprehensive portfolio includes

Transmission

IP

converged voice

mobility

managed network connectivity

data centers

communications solutions

business transformation services for global and Indian interprises

service providers as well as broadband and content services to Indian consumers.

Tata Communication serves its customers from offices in 80 cities across 40 countries, reflecting the reflecting the diversity of the customers and markets we live in and serve.

Our unique market

Industry expertise enable us to deploy a comprehensive portfolio of communications solution to customers in existing and emerging market worldwide .With a strategic investment in the south African operator Neotel , Tata Communications possesses a strong anchor to built an African footprint. Tata Communications Ltd is part of the $ 29 billion Tata group; it is listed on the Bombay stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India and its ADR’s are listed on the New York Stock exchange( NYSE: TCL).

TATA Communications Offerings

We want access to integrated IT, telecom and BPO capabilities through industry-leading domain expertise across all communication segments.

We offer business transformation solutions to leverage next-generation technologies, enhance profitability and drive value creation.

Comprehensive experience in telecom domain operations

Innovative solutions for revenue and customer experience enhancement

Best-in-class managed network, application and infrastructure solutions

Truly global scalability options

Core market strengths in emerging BPO countries

Network Related

Network Engineering

Network Implementation

Network Operations

- Planning- Design

- Installation- Commissioning

- Network Operations Centers- Capacity Planning- Access Mgmt

Service Related

Service Planning & Deployment

Service Fulfillment Service Assurance

- Enterprise - Retail (Consumer)- Testing

- Order Mgmt- Provisioning

- Complaint Mgmt- Service Mgmt- Technical Account Mgmt

Communications unique capabilities and partnership with TCS enable it to deliver at every stage of telecom outsourcing. It offers the full spectrum of global, end-to-end business transformation solutions for worldwide carrier customers through identified

practice areas. It is uniquely positioned to be a partner of choice for telecom companies around the world looking to improve business results.

Recent Achievements -: Tata Communications features among the top five national long distance (NLD)

players in India with a revenue of Rs692 crore, a 37 per cent growth over last fiscals revenue of Rs505 crore. Other players such as BSNL, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications and Vodafone feature along with Tata Communications in the NLD Market.

Tata Communications (NYSE: TCL) announced the launch of its Telepresence services, the first ever offering to deliver both private and public Cisco Telepresence rooms to businesses across the world. Telepresence provides life-like, high definition conferencing facilities with superior audio, video and environmental qualities to provide a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face meetings.

Manpower planning

HR department in VSNL has come into its full swing after the takeover by TATAs. So in

its PSU days the planning for manpower requirement & deployment was done annually.

Annual meeting of section/functional heads are conducted wherein the need for

manpower was discussed & put into a proper format i.e; the requisite qualifications,

experience etc are recorded & then the recruitment used to take place centrally for all the

circles in the corporate office based on the results of the written exams & interviews

conducted.

After the takeover, though the HR department has grown & initiated many process for

employee development yet the restructuring after the takeover will take its time for the

company to get stabilized. Thus the manpower requirement is purely on the need basis, &

to account for the vacancies created.

There is no formal process of planning the manpower as of now on a periodic basis but

the functional head who is in need of people has to put up an application along with the

details of the profile of the person for the post, to the corporate functional head, whose

approval will further the direction to the corporate HR who inturn checks for the validity

of the requirement & then gives a permission for the hire.

Recruitment & Selection Practices

Process

Requisition from the Departments/ Line Managers

Prepare the Job Description/ Person specification

Decide the compensation

Call for CVs from the placement agencies/ place the requirement on a few

job sites

Screen the applications

Call for interviews

Preliminary interview by HR followed by the 2nd interview by Line

Managers & HR.

For hiring MTs/ GETs VSNL goes for Campus recruitment. Apart from that, many

reputed Placement agencies are also given the task of doing the initial screening process

by conducting GDs, written tests etc on turn key basis. However, the final interview takes

place at VSNL and it is conducted by HR and specialized personnel.

Induction Process

Whenever new employees join, they are taken through an Induction Programme to help

them in getting acquainted with the overall work culture of the organization, various

“Rules & Regulations” & “Policies & Procedures” of the company at the regional level.

Employees joining at senior level are also taken through an orientation programme

wherein they meet the various functional/departmental heads. This is usually done by HR

in the shape of Single window i.e one HR person is attached to some departments and he/

she is made responsible for taking care of the entire orientation process of the new joinee.

And after a substantial number of employees joins the office they are given Formal

induction program at the training center in Pune wherein they are made aware of the

products/services VSNL offers, the tariffs applied & the rate in the market etc. the

Functional head of different departments also make presentation on their departments .

People Development

Since the takeover of TATAs emphasis on training & people development initiatives has

tremendously increased & following it a slew of training programs has been conducted to

benefit people

Over the past 2 years several new functions were created where none existed, or

where they were buried as part of some other department in the organization. Areas

that were weak were strengthened and supplemented by sales and marketing people

brought in from other Tata Group companies. These areas included carrier relations

to work with domestic and international telecom carriers or outside plant to

implement the countrywide fibre optic backbone for NLD, and customer services.

Having evolved, these areas continue to change with the needs of customers.

The changes in structure and the creation of new roles within the company presented the

need for developing new skills within the system. Traditionally, the company had been

very strong in technical areas, but the increased market competition created a greater

need to be more customers focused, commercially more flexible and operationally very

efficient. In order to build these skills, training programmes were organized on functional

areas

To supplement the management skills of the team, the company also developed a

management development programme. This programme focused on critical commercial

skills like business management, people and performance management, negotiating skills,

and planning and budgeting skills. A key part of this exercise was that Tata Group

executives, who are operating managers, were invited to share their experiences as

managers with the VSNL teams.

Learning & Growth

TATA COMMUNICATIONS views training as an integral part of HR process, which

gives enough opportunities to learn, develop & keep one self updated with the latest

trends in their respective area of work. They believe in providing an ambience conducive

to learning & growth. For a technology driven company like VSNL, up-gradation of skills

is a continues process.

The various activities that go in this process are:

Identification of Training needs & on the basis of PMS, one to one

Dialogue with individuals, interaction with the Line managers.

Preparation of Training calendar

Identify / Groom Internal Trainers

Identify Quality External Trainers for all levels, Design Customized

programmes in consultation with them, negotiate for the budget

Actual Conduct of Training Programmes

Measuring the effectiveness of the training programme & take corrective

action.

These activities help the HR in understanding the areas for improvement as well as areas

of strength, which can be leveraged upon. The needs identified is being attended by

sending people to Various in-house Training as well as by nominating the people to

programme organized by the external agencies.

TATA COMMUNICATIONS is a full time member of Commonwealth Telecom

Organization (CTO), which conducts various training & development programs from

which all member-countries benefit. TATA COMMUNICATIONS sends its employees in

various programs conducted by CTO at domestic as well as international level. In

addition to this, they also send people to various seminars, which help keeping the

employees updated on the latest trends in their area of work and Industry as a whole.

Culture at TATA COMMUNICATIONS formerly known as

VSNL

VSNL was first under the GOVT.; has been transformed into a PSU and now been

privatized & taken over by TATA.. The culture of VSNL has gone into metamorphoses

from pure Govt. to PSU to a Private Organization & hence is a blend of old & new style

of thoughts & practices. One can find people who vary widely in their capabilities,

expectations, & concerns. People of both stature are seen; an expert in their functional

area who has expedited him/her-self to the process of adopting to the fast & competitive

pace of the Private company & still others who are slow in adopting to the change. This

transformation thrusts a greater responsibility into the hands of HR department &

provides an impetus to manage change more than anything else. But certainly the feel

good factor of taken over by TATAs is certainly there. It will take some time to build a

culture of its own as massive restructuring is in the process. But there has been many

initiatives of developing & orienting people in the organization, which has helped in

charting ways to first, build back the confidence in the organization & then continuously

improving the performance of the employees.

Over the year’s repeated time-based promotions, transfers and rotations contributed to

diffused roles, ownership and accountability within the system. But with the advent of

TATA the Roles have been redefined & people are oriented to give them a boost to

perform better & identify with the companies vision, mission & policies and work

towards it.

The work culture in VSNL is that of a people Friendly one where the people in any

department, due to a long time bonding perhaps, share good vibes with each other & are

utmost cooperative to each other.

Some of the highlights of the culture of PSU set up that were, are: -

Job Security

Less accountability at all levels

Procedure oriented Working rather than Result oriented

Bureaucracy

Lack of ownership

Lack of Customer Focus

A sense of Complacency

Well there are positive aspects of the PSU set up which encompasses

Easy Going Culture

No cut throat competition

But this culture could not have sustained the fast paced, competitive telecom industry

whose hallmark can be stated as Speed & Quality.

Though the privatization has brought in many changes for the better, to tackle some

of the problems & bring in reforms to forego the lack of efficiency & accountability

prevalent in the PSU set, but it brings with it a sea change in terms of Processes,

evaluation procedures, job profile, simply it brings about change in the way things are

done & builds up an atmosphere of competitiveness across the organization which will

take time to sink in the minds of people working with VSNL. But people in VSNL are

quick to adapt to the new culture, as they are already a witness to the transition from

GOVT. to PSU. Though reservations are there for few people who are taking a long time

to adopt to the new culture of one that of competitiveness, one that keeps one always on

their toes to constantly improve.

But TATAs are making sure that the company is catapulted to success by way of many

initiatives creating a value driven company. Following the initiatives the company has

gone through many transformations, both in its business as well as people-related

policies.

On the people front, the first thing that the company did was involving its employees at

every level of change. Tata strives to help align individual goals with the company’s

objectives. Tata believes, that focus should be on creating a high performance

environment, which is conducive to innovation, risk-taking, teamwork, recognition,

competence, accountability and speed.

To encourage a performance-driven culture, Tata Telecom has adopted a performance

management system to align individual objectives with the company’s goal, identify and

reward good performers and provide feedback to all employees

Some of the other people excellence initiatives are–competitive compensation,

opportunities for personal and professional development, quality of work life, concept of

pay-for-performance, rewards and family engaging activities and one of the crucial is

giving a direction to the people of VSNL by making them imbibe the TATA code of

conduct, making them establish their process as per the Quality mandate-TBEM which is

constantly pushing them to the path of EXCELLENCE.

Why TATA COMMUNICATIONS?

• Leader in Telecommunication

TATA COMMUNICATIONS has been a pioneer in the area of international

telecommunications for over a century. It has developed a very strong presence in the

area of Enterprise Business Solutions and Retail business. TATA COMMUNICATIONS

has now diversified its business operations internationally in Asia, America and Europe.

It has offices in Singapore, Srilanka , USA and UK. Going forth there are scorching

growth plans with TATA COMMUNICATIONS planning to be the biggest player in

each of these segments.

• Cutting edge Technology in Telecom

TATA COMMUNICATIONS has a long tradition of Technical excellence. It has always

managed advanced technologies in the telecom arena. Employees working at TATA

COMMUNICATIONS have the opportunity to master advanced and cutting edge

technologies.

• TATA work ethics and culture

TATA COMMUNICATIONS embodies the well known TATA ethics and culture as

given below-

Integrity: We must conduct our business fairly, with honesty and transparency.

Everything we do must stand the test of public scrutiny.

Understanding: We must be caring, show respect, compassion and humanity for our

colleagues and customers around the world, and always work for the benefit of India.

Excellence: We must constantly strive to achieve the highest possible standards in our

day-to-day work and in the quality of the goods and services we provide.

Unity: We must work cohesively with our colleagues across the Group and with our

customers and partners around the world, building strong relationships based on

tolerance, understanding and mutual cooperation.

Responsibility: We must continue to be responsible, sensitive to the countries,

communities and environments in which we work, always ensuring that what comes from

the people goes back to the people many times over.

What TATA COMMUNICATIONS offers?

TATA COMMUNICATIONS offers its employees careers and not jobs. The large

numbers of employees with life tenure at TATA COMMUNICATIONS testify to that.

The secret to this loyalty lies in the following:

• Performance Based Culture

TATA COMMUNICATIONS has a strong performance based culture wherein the

performance and potential of the employee determines their sustenance and growth.

• Growth

Due to the scorching pace of growth TATA COMMUNICATIONS provides its

achievers a fast paced growth path. Those who show potential are soon given higher

responsibilities. Employees grow into higher roles within the multiple business units of

as well TATA COMMUNICATIONS as group companies in the telecom space and

outside it.

• Competency and skill up gradation

TATA COMMUNICATIONS believes in upgrading the competency and skill level of

the organization through upgrading the competency and skill levels of its employees. The

two initiatives through which this is sought to be achieved is –

Resource Planning – Through which employees are identified and moved across

business units and functions.

Training - We provide extensive training inputs in technical and managerial

areas. Employees are expected to maintain their technical excellence and develop

managerial skills through the process of training.

• Good HR Practices

Fair and transparent Performance Evaluations

TATA COMMUNICATIONS has an online appraisal system based on the

Balanced Score Card. The system is completely transparent and is used to drive

performance through the organization. The system defines expectations from the

employee, monitors his/her performance and finally helps in the evaluation.

Compensation linked to achievement

At TATA COMMUNICATIONS your compensation is strongly linked to your

performance. All employees have the opportunity to perform exceptionally and

get paid exceptionally.

EMPLOYEES AT TATA COMMUNICATIONS

Following are the important prerequisites present in employees working at TATA

COMMUNICATIONS

High achievement profile –employees have high achievement profile.

Domain expertise – Employees have in depth knowledge of their areas of

expertise.

Team player – TATA COMMUNICATIONS possesses individuals who

contribute strongly towards team goals and have the interpersonal skills that help

to forge strong relationships within a team.

Integrity – Integrity is a very basic requirement from any employee in TATA

COMMUNICATIONS . The employees have the ability to discern wrong from

right and take a stand against it. They have the ability to say no to shortcuts which

compromise his/her and/or the company’s integrity.

HUMAN RESOURCE TEAM OF TATA COMMUNICATIONS

The function is very important in the existing and future scheme of things for the

company, as this team would be the driving force behind bringing about a cultural

revolution in the company. They are working towards creation of various system and

processes wherein the best people are inducted, they are nurtured, they are measured on

their performance and potential, suitably rewarded and their personal and career growth

are properly managed.

HR PRACTICES

NATURE OF WORK

Attracting the most qualified employees and matching them to the jobs for which they are

best suited is important for the success of any organization. However, many enterprises

are too large to permit close contact between top management and employees. Human

resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists provide this link. In the

past, these workers have been associated with performing the administrative function of

an organization, such as handling employee benefits questions or recruiting, interviewing,

and hiring new personnel in accordance with policies and requirements that have been

established in conjunction with top management.

Today’s human resources workers juggle these tasks and, increasingly, consult top

executives regarding strategic planning. They have moved from behind-the-scenes staff

work to leading the company in suggesting and changing policies. Senior management is

recognizing the importance of the human resources department to their financial success.

In an effort to improve morale and productivity and to limit job turnover, they also help

their firms effectively use employee skills, provide training opportunities to enhance

those skills, and boost employees’ satisfaction with their jobs and working conditions.

Although some jobs in the human resources field require only limited contact with people

outside the office, dealing with people is an essential part of the job.

In a small organization, a human resources generalist may handle all aspects of human

resources work, and thus require a broad range of knowledge. The responsibilities of

human resources generalists can vary widely, depending on their employer’s needs. In a

large corporation, the top human resources executive usually develops and coordinates

personnel programs and policies. A director or manager of human resources and, in some

cases, a director of industrial relations, usually implements these policies.

The director of human resources may oversee several departments, each headed by an

experienced manager who most likely specializes in one personnel activity, such as

employment, compensation, benefits, training and development, or employee relations.

Employment and placement managers oversee the hiring and separation of employees

and supervise various workers, including equal employment opportunity specialists and

recruitment specialists. Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists recruit and

place workers.

Recruiters maintain contacts within the community and may travel extensively, often to

college campuses, to search for promising job applicants. Recruiters screen, interview,

and sometimes test applicants. They also may check references and extend job offers.

These workers must be thoroughly familiar with the organization and its personnel

policies in order to discuss wages, working conditions, and promotional opportunities

with prospective employees. They also must keep informed about equal employment

opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans

with Disabilities Act.

EEO officers, representatives, or affirmative action coordinators handle EEO matters in

large organizations. They investigate and resolve EEO grievances, examine corporate

practices for possible violations, and compile and submit EEO statistical reports.

Employer relations representatives, who usually work in government agencies, maintain

working relationships with local employers and promote the use of public employment

programs and services. Similarly, employment interviewers—whose many job titles

include personnel consultants, personnel development specialists, and human resources

coordinators—help to match employers with qualified jobseekers.

Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists conduct programs for employers and

may specialize in specific areas such as position classifications or pensions. Job analysts,

sometimes called position classifiers, collect and examine detailed information about job

duties in order to prepare job descriptions. These descriptions explain the duties, training,

and skills that each job requires. Whenever a large organization introduces a new job or

reviews existing jobs, it calls upon the expert knowledge of the job analyst.

Occupational analysts conduct research, usually in large firms. They are concerned with

occupational classification systems and study the effects of industry and occupational

trends upon worker relationships. They may serve as technical liaison between the firm

and other firms, government, and labor unions.

Establishing and maintaining a firm’s pay system is the principal job of the compensation

manager. Assisted by staff specialists, compensation managers devise ways to ensure fair

and equitable pay rates. They may conduct surveys to see how their firm’s rates compare

with others and to see that the firm’s pay scale complies with changing laws and

regulations. In addition, compensation managers often oversee their firm’s performance

evaluation system, and they may design reward systems such as pay-for-performance

plans.

Employee benefits managers and specialists handle the company’s employee benefits

program, notably its health insurance and pension plans. Expertise in designing and

administering benefits programs continues to take on importance as employer-provided

benefits account for a growing proportion of overall compensation costs, and as benefit

plans increase in number and complexity. For example, pension benefits might include

savings and thrift, profit sharing, and stock ownership plans; health benefits might

include long-term catastrophic illness insurance and dental insurance. Familiarity with

health benefits is a top priority for employee benefits managers and specialists, as more

firms struggle to cope with the rising cost of healthcare for employees and retirees. In

addition to health insurance and pension coverage, some firms offer employees life and

accidental death and dismemberment insurance, disability insurance, and relatively new

benefits designed to meet the needs of a changing workforce, such as parental leave, child

and elder care, long-term nursing home care insurance, employee assistance and wellness

programs, and flexible benefits plans. Benefits managers must keep abreast of changing

Federal and State regulations and legislation that may affect employee benefits.

Employee assistance plan managers, also called employee welfare managers, are

responsible for a wide array of programs covering occupational safety and health

standards and practices; health promotion and physical fitness, medical examinations, and

minor health treatment, such as first aid; plant security; publications; food service and

recreation activities; carpooling and transportation programs, such as transit subsidies;

employee suggestion systems; childcare and elder care; and counseling services.

Childcare and elder care are increasingly important due to growth in the number of dual-

income households and the elderly population. Counseling may help employees deal with

emotional disorders, alcoholism, or marital, family, consumer, legal, and financial

problems. Some employers offer career counseling as well. In large firms, certain

programs, such as those dealing with security and safety, may be in separate departments

headed by other managers.

Training and development managers and specialists conduct and supervise training and

development programs for employees. Increasingly, management recognizes that training

offers a way of developing skills, enhancing productivity and quality of work, and

building worker loyalty to the firm. Training is widely accepted as a method of

improving employee morale, but this is only one of the reasons for its growing

importance. Other factors include the complexity of the work environment, the rapid pace

of organizational and technological change, and the growing number of jobs in fields that

constantly generate new knowledge. In addition, advances in learning theory have

provided insights into how adults learn, and how training can be organized most

effectively for them.

Training managers provide worker training either in the classroom or onsite. This

includes setting up teaching materials prior to the class, involving the class, and issuing

completion certificates at the end of the class.

Training specialists plan, organize, and direct a wide range of training activities.

Trainer’s respond to corporate and worker service requests. They consult with onsite

supervisors regarding available performance improvement services and conduct

orientation sessions and arrange on-the-job training for new employees. They help rank-

and-file workers maintain and improve their job skills, and possibly prepare for jobs

requiring greater skill. They help supervisors improve their interpersonal skills in order to

deal effectively with employees. They may set up individualized training plans to

strengthen an employee’s existing skills or teach new ones.

Training specialists in some companies set up leadership or executive development

programs among employees in lower level positions. These programs are designed to

develop potential executives to replace those leaving the organization. Trainers also lead

programs to assist employees with transitions due to mergers and acquisitions, as well as

technological changes. In government-supported training programs, training specialists

function as case managers. They first assess the training needs of clients, and then guide

them through the most appropriate training method. After training, clients may either be

referred to employer relations representatives or receive job placement assistance.

Planning and program development is an important part of the training specialist’s job. In

order to identify and assess training needs within the firm, trainers may confer with

managers and supervisors or conduct surveys. They also periodically evaluate training

effectiveness.

Depending on the size, goals, and nature of the organization, trainers may differ

considerably in their responsibilities and in the methods they use. Training methods

include on-the-job training; operating schools that duplicate shop conditions for trainees

prior to putting them on the shop floor; apprenticeship training; classroom training; and

electronic learning, which may involve interactive Internet-based training, multimedia

programs, distance learning, satellite training, other computer-aided instructional

technologies, videos, simulators, conferences, and workshops.

An organization’s director of industrial relations forms labor policy, oversees industrial

labor relations, negotiates collective bargaining agreements, and coordinates grievance

procedures to handle complaints resulting from management disputes with unionized

employees. The director of industrial relations also advises and collaborates with the

director of human resources, other managers, and members of their staff, because all

aspects of personnel policy—such as wages, benefits, pensions, and work practices—may

be involved in drawing up a new or revised union contract.

Labor relations managers and their staffs implement industrial labor relations programs.

When a collective bargaining agreement is up for negotiation, labor relations specialists

prepare information for management to use during negotiation, a process that requires the

specialist to be familiar with economic and wage data and to have extensive knowledge

of labor law and collective bargaining trends. The labor relation’s staff interprets and

administers the contract with respect to grievances, wages and salaries, employee

welfare, healthcare, pensions, union and management practices, and other contractual

stipulations. As union membership continues to decline in most industries, industrial

relations personnel are working more often with employees who are not members of a

labor union.

Dispute resolution—attaining tacit or contractual agreements—has become increasingly

important as parties to a dispute attempt to avoid costly litigation, strikes, or other

disruptions. Dispute resolution also has become more complex, involving employees,

management, unions, other firms, and government agencies. Specialists involved in

dispute resolution must be highly knowledgeable and experienced, and often report to the

director of industrial relations. Conciliators, or mediators, advise and counsel labor and

management to prevent and, when necessary, resolve disputes over labor agreements or

other labor relations issues. Arbitrators, sometimes called umpires or referees, decide

disputes that bind both labor and management to specific terms and conditions of labor

contracts. Labor relations specialists who work for unions perform many of the same

functions on behalf of the union and its members.

Employee Satisfaction Survey - The Concept

About this Survey

This Employee Satisfaction Survey asks questions which go to the heart of how an

employee feels about his or her company, job and work life. The result of the survey will

indicate if there is need to follow up.

This survey does not provide a complete list of the numerous issues that employees could

raise about management, work and work life. Even if there were a complete survey and if

the employer were to remedy all complaints, there would remain a serious flaw in that

approach. Aside from the cost & feasibility such an approach would be paternalistic and

not constructive because it would leave the employees out of the process.

This survey is brief, yet it exposes the core issues. If the need to follow up is indicated,

then the employees need to participate in person in the development of any follow up

action. This process would build trust, openness, communication & satisfaction-

ultimately improving the quality of work life and performance.

Employee Satisfaction Surveys allow an organization to understand employee

perceptions. Perception is reality. Because employees at every organization act on the

basis of their perceptions, management must be keenly aware of employee’s views.

Employee satisfaction surveys deliver a successful means of measuring, and acting upon,

employees' current beliefs on many job-related subjects

The Employee Satisfaction Survey consists of the following stages:

Design --> Administration --> Analysis

Effective employee surveys provide management with actionable items that:

Engage employees in their desire to meet individual and organizational goals.

Increase employee retention and development.

Lead to increased customer satisfaction.

Help management clarify "perception" vs. "reality" in understanding the things that

matter most to employees

Results

The information garnered from employee satisfaction surveys can give you the

management knowledge that directly impacts the bottom line and fosters positive

employee relations in any or all of the following ways:

Identifying cost-saving opportunities

Improving productivity

Reducing turnover

Curbing absenteeism

Strengthening supervision

Evaluating customer-service issues

Assessing training needs

Streamlining communication

Benchmarking the organization's progress in relation to the industry

Gauging employees understanding of, and agreement with, the company mission

Dimensions

Each item in our employee satisfaction surveys is combined with other related survey

items to produce dimensions. This survey solidly measure the following key aspects of

employee satisfaction:

Overall Job Satisfaction

Satisfaction with the Work

Coworker Performance/Cooperation

Pay Satisfaction

Benefits Satisfaction

Promotions/Career Advancement

Supervisory Consideration

Supervisory Promotion of Teamwork and Participation

Supervisory Instruction/Guidance

Communication

Human Resources/Personnel Policies

Concern for Employees

Productivity/Efficiency

Training & Development

Physical Working Conditions

Customer Service

Strategy/Mission

Job Stress

It also gives you the choice to create your own customized survey dimensions, which

accurately measure topics of particular importance to your organization.

EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION

Over the years researchers have studied and attempted to quantify employee

commitment, loyalty, morale and overall employee satisfaction. This gave rise to many

types of employee surveys whose purpose was to measure one or all of these

components. Extensive research in this area has been conducted. This research came to

the conclusion that overall employee satisfaction is manifest in the level of engagement

that employees have in their work. In other words, employee engagement was the

ultimate expression of employee commitment, loyalty, morale and overall employee

satisfaction. Therefore organizations needed to focus on employee engagement rather

than on these other components of employee satisfaction. This research clearly pointed

out the large gap in employee engagement and the magnitude of the challenge facing

most organizations.

Measuring satisfaction is measuring a passive employee state, while measuring

engagement is measuring an active state. For example, an employee that is not engaged at

work might very well indicate a high level of satisfaction with their organization. This

employee is getting everything they wish: a steady paycheck, benefits, sick leave and

paid vacation. Their actual contribution to the well being of the organization in terms of

innovation, creativity and productivity is negligible. But they are satisfied.

On the other hand, a fully engaged employee that is enthusiastic about their work is

creative, innovative and wants to contribute might indicate a lower level of satisfaction

with the same organization, as the disengaged employee. When a company measures

employee satisfaction are they getting data that provides them with meaningful

information that will allow them to improve their competitive advantage and

profitability? The simple answer is that they are not. This is why they need to focus on

employee engagement and understand the principle components of employee

engagement.

Employee satisfaction and retention have always been important issues for physicians.

After all, high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover can affect your bottom line, as

temps, recruitment and retraining take their toll. But few practices (in fact, few

organizations) have made job satisfaction a top priority, perhaps because they have failed

to understand the significant opportunity that lies in front of them. Satisfied employees

tend to be more productive, creative and committed to their employers, and recent studies

have shown a direct correlation between staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction.

Family physicians who can create work environments that attract, motivate and retain

hard-working individuals will be better positioned to succeed in a competitive health care

environment that demands quality and cost-efficiency. What's more, physicians may even

discover that by creating a positive workplace for their employees, they've increased their

own job satisfaction as well.

The Employee Satisfaction Survey measures employee satisfaction and helps to:

Foster commitment instead of compliance

Identify managers in need of leadership development

Determine your organizations readiness and its ability to accomplish its mission

Leverage best demonstrated practices

Create a rich working environment

Improve the performance of teams

Shape customer-centric behavior

Track progress over time

Two Dimensions of Employee Satisfaction

In the late 1950s, Frederick Herzberg, considered by many to be a pioneer in motivation

theory, interviewed a group of employees to find out what made them satisfied and

dissatisfied on the job. He asked the employees essentially two sets of questions:

1. Think of a time when you felt especially good about your job. Why did you feel

that way?

2. Think of a time when you felt especially bad about your job. Why did you feel

that way?

From these interviews Herzberg went on to develop his theory that there are two

dimensions to job satisfaction: motivation and "hygiene". Hygiene issues, according to

Herzberg, cannot motivate employees but can minimize dissatisfaction, if handled

properly. In other words, they can only dissatisfy if they are absent or mishandled.

Hygiene topics include company policies, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations and

working conditions. They are issues related to the employee's environment. Motivators,

on the other hand, create satisfaction by fulfilling individuals needs for meaning and

personal growth. They are issues such as achievement, recognition, the work itself,

responsibility and advancement. Once the hygiene areas are addressed, said Herzberg, the

motivators will promote job satisfaction and encourage production.

Employee satisfaction survey basically deals with the following factors:

Applying the theory

To apply Herzberg's theory to real-world practice, let's begin with the hygiene issues.

Although hygiene issues are not the source of satisfaction, these issues must be dealt with

first to create an environment in which employee satisfaction and motivation are even

possible.

Company and administrative policies. An organization's policies can be a great source

of frustration for employees if the policies are unclear or unnecessary or if not everyone

is required to follow them. Although employees will never feel a great sense of

motivation or satisfaction due to your policies, you can decrease dissatisfaction in this

area by making sure your policies are fair and apply equally to all. Also, make printed

copies of your policies-and-procedures manual easily accessible to all members of your

staff. If you do not have a written manual, create one, soliciting staff input along the way.

If you already have a manual, consider updating it (again, with staff input). You might

also compare your policies to those of similar practices and ask yourself whether

particular policies are unreasonably strict or whether some penalties are too harsh.

Supervision. To decrease dissatisfaction in this area, you must begin by making wise

decisions when you appoint someone to the role of supervisor. Be aware that good

employees do not always make good supervisors. The role of supervisor is extremely

difficult. It requires leadership skills and the ability to treat all employees fairly. You

should teach your supervisors to use positive feedback whenever possible and should

establish a set means of employee evaluation and feedback so that no one feels singled

out

Think of a time when you felt especially good about your job. Why did

you feel that way?

Salary. The old adage "you get what you pay for" tends to be true when it comes to staff

members. Salary is not a motivator for employees, but they do want to be paid fairly. If

individuals believe they are not compensated well, they will be unhappy working for you.

Consult salary surveys or even your local help-wanted ads to see whether the salaries and

benefits you're offering are comparable to those of other offices in your area. In addition,

make sure you have clear policies related to salaries, raises and bonuses.

Interpersonal relations. Remember that part of the satisfaction of being employed is the

social contact it brings, so allow employees a reasonable amount of time for socialization

(e.g., over lunch, during breaks, between patients). This will help them develop a sense of

camaraderie and teamwork. At the same time, you should crack down on rudeness,

inappropriate behavior and offensive comments. If an individual continues to be

disruptive, take charge of the situation, perhaps by dismissing him or her from the

practice.

Even a nice chair can make a world of difference to an individual's

psyche.

Working conditions. The environment in which people work has a tremendous effect on

their level of pride for themselves and for the work they are doing. Do everything you

can to keep your equipment and facilities up to date. Even a nice chair can make a world

of difference to an individual's psyche. Also, if possible, avoid overcrowding and allow

each employee his or her own personal space, whether it be a desk, a locker, or even just

a drawer. If you've placed your employees in close quarters with little or no personal

space, don't be surprised that there is tension among them.

Before you move on to the motivators, remember that you cannot neglect the hygiene

factors discussed above. To do so would be asking for trouble in more than one way.

First, your employees would be generally unhappy, and this would be apparent to your

patients. Second, your hardworking employees, who can find jobs elsewhere, would

leave, while your mediocre employees would stay and compromise your practice's

success. So deal with hygiene issues first, then move on to the motivators.

Work itself. Perhaps most important to employee motivation is helping individuals

believe that the work they are doing is important and that their tasks are meaningful.

Emphasize that their contributions to the practice result in positive outcomes and good

health care for your patients. Share stories of success about how an employee's actions

made a real difference in the life of a patient, or in making a process better. Make a big

deal out of meaningful tasks that may have become ordinary, such as new-baby visits. Of

course employees may not find all their tasks interesting or rewarding, but you should

show the employee how those tasks are essential to the overall processes that make the

practice succeed. You may find certain tasks that are truly unnecessary and can be

eliminated or streamlined, resulting in greater efficiency and satisfaction.

Achievement. One premise inherent in Herzberg's theory is that most individuals

sincerely want to do a good job. To help them, make sure you've placed them in positions

that use their talents and are not set up for failure. Set clear, achievable goals and

standards for each position, and make sure employees know what those goals and

standards are. Individuals should also receive regular, timely feedback on how they are

doing and should feel they are being adequately challenged in their jobs. Be careful,

however, not to overload individuals with challenges that are too difficult or impossible,

as that can be paralyzing.

Recognition. Individuals at all levels of the organization want to be recognized for their

achievements on the job. Their successes don't have to be monumental before they

deserve recognition, but your praise should be sincere. If you notice employees doing

something well, take the time to acknowledge their good work immediately. Publicly

thank them for handling a situation particularly well. Write them a kind note of praise. Or

give them a bonus, if appropriate. You may even want to establish a formal recognition

program, such as "employee of the month."

Responsibility. Employees will be more motivated to do their jobs well if they have

ownership of their work. This requires giving employees enough freedom and power to

carry out their tasks so that they feel they "own" the result. As individuals mature in their

jobs, provide opportunities for added responsibility. Be careful, however, that you do not

simply add more work. Instead, find ways to add challenging and meaningful work,

perhaps giving the employee greater freedom and authority as well

Employees will be more motivated to do their jobs well if they have

ownership of their work.

Advancement. Reward loyalty and performance with advancement. If you do not have

an open position to which to promote a valuable employee, consider giving him or her a

new title that reflects the level of work he or she has achieved. When feasible, support

employees by allowing them to pursue further education, which will make them more

valuable to your practice and more fulfilled professionally.

Two dimensions of employee satisfaction

Frederick Herzberg theorized that employee satisfaction depends on two sets of issues:

"hygiene" issues and motivators. Once the hygiene issues have been addressed, he said,

the motivators create satisfaction among employees.

Hygiene issues

(Dissatisfiers)

Company and administrative policies

Supervision

Salary

Interpersonal relations

Working conditions

Motivators

(Satisfiers)

Work itself

Achievement

Recognition

Responsibility

Advancement

KEY POINTS:

Employee satisfaction affects every aspect of a medical practice, from patient

satisfaction to overall productivity.

Frederick Herzberg theorized that employee satisfaction has two dimensions:

"hygiene" and motivation.

Hygiene issues, such as salary and supervision, decrease employees’ dissatisfaction

with the work environment.

Motivators, such as recognition and achievement, make workers more productive,

creative and committed.

Key Facts:

» Job satisfaction is good not only for employees but employers, too; it increases

productivity and decreases staff turnover.

» Employee satisfaction is also correlated with patient satisfaction.

» Research from motivation theorist Frederick Herzberg suggests that employee

satisfaction has two components: "hygiene" and motivation.

» Hygiene issues can only dissatisfy if they are absent or handled improperly by

employers.

» An organization's policies, if unclear or unfair, can stand in the way of employee

satisfaction.

» Although employees do want to be paid fairly for their work, money is not an

effective way to motivate individuals.

» Employees need a reasonable amount of social interaction on the job.

» Employees also need some degree of personal space, which diffuses tension and

improves working conditions.

» Practices should address the hygiene issues before attempting to tackle the

motivators.

» If hygiene issues are ignored, excellent employees will seek jobs elsewhere while

mediocre employees will stay behind.

» To begin motivating employees, help them believe that their work is meaningful.

» If you discover a task that is truly unnecessary, eliminate it so that your employees

can focus on tasks that matter.

» To help employees achieve on the job, provide them with ongoing feedback and

adequate challenges.

» When your employees do good work, recognize them for it immediately.

» To increase an employee's sense of responsibility, do not simply give them more

work; give them freedom and authority as well.

» You can help employees advance in their professional lives by promoting them,

when appropriate, or encouraging continuing education.

Methods for measuring Employee Satisfaction

We can measure employee satisfaction using a number of different methods, including:

Paper questionnaire distributed internally and returned to us directly,

Internet survey

Mixed methodology, combining the above. This enables all employees to respond,

regardless of Internet access or comfort levels.

Paper questionnaires are a proven methodology for this type of research, and continue to

be used with success. However, if everyone in your organization has Internet access (and

actually uses it), you may want to consider utilizing a web-based methodology to conduct

your research. We'll work with you to help you determine the most appropriate

methodology for your particular circumstance.

Optimizing employee satisfaction is key to the success of any business. And sound,

insightful employee satisfaction research is key to understanding how to achieve that

optimization. The Business Research Lab offers an experienced professional team to help

you understand and optimize your employee satisfaction programs.

Employees with higher job satisfaction:

Believe that the organization will be satisfying in the long run

Care about the quality of their work

Are more committed to the organization

Have higher retention rates, and

Are more productive.

Uses for Employee Satisfaction Surveys include:

Focusing of Employee Development Programs

Enhancing Management/Employee Relations

Training Needs Assessment

Evaluation of Training

Organizational Climate Survey

Customer Satisfaction Survey

This process can also be a motivator of performance since it shows the employee that

their opinions and views are considered important.

How it is conducted?

Checklist of what to do when conducting an employee survey.

1. Needs Analysis Why is the survey being conducted? Meetings are held to

determine the goals and objectives, as well as the content of the project. Whether

implemented through individual interview or focus group this needs analysis will

ensure that the critical information is gathered in the manner that best fits the

customer need and will assist in determining the best method of collecting the

data.

2. Focus Groups Structured meetings to gather qualitative information relevant to

the survey development. Our staff will handle all the details, including

recruitment of focus group members, moderation of the actual meeting in any

city, and report generation on information gathered.

3. Survey Design Develop survey instrument by synthesizing the information

gathered from needs analysis, focus groups and other documents available.

Determine the rating scale to be used:

1. Strongly agree | agree | (neither agree nor disagree) | disagree | strongly

disagree.

2. Excellent | good | fair | poor

3. All of the time | most of the time | some of the time | hardly ever | never

4. To a very great extent | to a great extent | to some extent | to a very little

extent | to no extent at all

5. Very satisfied | satisfied | (neither satisfied nor dissatisfied) | dissatisfied |

very dissatisfied

4. Develop questionnaire A questionnaire used for Employee Attitude/Opinion

Surveys typically contains items that are rated on a 5-point scale. These items

may be developed to measure different dimensions of the organization (e.g.,

communication, teamwork, leadership, initiative, management, compensation,...).

Questionnaires also typically include one or more open-ended questions to solicit

written feedback.

Questionnaires typically include from 50 to 100 items. When estimating the

amount of time to complete the questionnaire you should estimate about 1 minute

per questionnaire item.

If using a printed questionnaire form, you should consider using forms that can be

scanned into a computer.

It should be noted that the design of a questionnaire is usually an iterative process

-- questions are formulated, tested, reformulated, tested, and so on.

5. Questionnaire Review Examine and critique of an existing survey. The review is

conducted to improve the quality of the survey, and to increase the likelihood the

customer receives actionable information. Critiques are also performed to increase

the probability of high response rates.

6. Instrument Pre-Test Conduct an instrument pre-test, which is an examination of

the data collection instrument by potential respondents. It can be completed for

paper-based, as well as electronic and phone based data capture. This may include

a series of telephone interviews or focus groups designed to gather feedback on

the content, clarity, readability, relevance, length, and comprehensiveness of the

item set, as well as the overall experience of completing the instrument.

Pre-testing can show:

1. Poor question wording or sequencing, as well as errors in layout

2. Problems caused by the length of the questionnaire or the respondents'

inability or unwillingness to answer the questions

3. Additional questions or response categories that can be pre-coded on the

questionnaire

4. Non-response problems

5. Any negative repercussions the survey may have on employees

7. Ensure confidentiality of participants Steps must be taken to ensure the

confidentiality of the feedback results. For example, the feedback ratings from

several employees should be combined (averaged) to mask the identity of an

individual employee. Comments or written answers to questions may be

summarized in the results to mask the identity of the author. The confidentiality

helps ensure that the results are genuine.

8. Administer the questionnaire Distribute questionnaire forms (if using printed

copies) with instructions. May want to prepare answers to common questions if

other employees will be assisting in the administration. If possible, post the

questions and answers to your website for easy access.

Administer it to everyone? Or, just a sample?

1. Advantages of it to everyone:

All employees are given the opportunity to express their opinions

2. Advantages of it only to a sample:

Reduced time to collect and process the data

Less data to collect

9. Analyze the data Basic data analysis would include averages of ratings. More

complicated analyses may include item-analysis and/or factor-analysis. Types of

analyses include: Performance Dimension Summary; Summary-Performance vs.

Expected; Individual Item Ratings; Item Ratings-Performance vs. Expected

(normed); Highest- or Lowest-Rated Items (shows individual's strengths and

weaknesses); Group & Organizational Ranking, and Recommendations for

Development.

You may want to analyse the data by organizational division or department to

assess group and organizational strengths and weaknesses. This can be used to

support or promote training and organizational development.

10. Written Interpretive Reports Examine data through written interpretive reports,

which summarize the results of your study. We can provide reports that identify

themes in the data, and provide conclusions and recommendations.

11. Presentation of Survey Results The analysis of data in report format, or on a

variety of other media, such as CD-ROM, diskette, or Internet. Our research

analysts can present the results in person, via videoconference, or on video. These

presentations can be done at all levels of the organization with the content tailored

to the needs and interest of each constituent group. A typical presentation contains

two major elements, summarizing the result of the survey and of focused

discussion of how to proceed with the information.

12. Develop and Distribute Results Feedback results should be shared with the

employees.

You may want to provide individual review sessions or group workshops

conducted by a facilitator to help individuals review and understand the results

and develop appropriate goals and objectives.

Employee Satisfaction Survey Solution Driving Employee

Loyalty

Research shows that satisfied, motivated employees will create higher customer

satisfaction and in turn positively influence organizational performance. Noticing this

trend, many organizations are investing in measuring and quantifying employee opinions

and attitudes by incorporating Employee Satisfaction Surveys into their existing HR and

organizational processes.

The following are just a few benefits of an Employee Satisfaction Survey:

More Accurate Perspective

Organizations achieve a more accurate view of current policies and a more clear

perspective of issues that are of higher priority to employees than others, such as benefits

versus career development, versus compensation

Increased Employee Loyalty

By quantifying and analyzing employee attitudes and opinions, enterprises can identify

problem areas and solutions to create a supportive work environment encouraging a

motivated and loyal workforce.

Training Needs Assessment

Employee Satisfaction Surveys aid in developing individual goals and career potential.

With more insight into their opinions and attitudes, management can establish

professional development initiatives.

Improved Customer Service

Because motivated employees are critical to improved organizational initiatives, such as

increasing customer satisfaction, enterprises that value and strive for greater employee

satisfaction ultimately create higher customer satisfaction.

Accurate & Personalized Surveys

By fully integrating into current HR systems and utilizing existing employee information,

we have more relevant and personalized surveys. Companies are able to turn responses

into actionable results to facilitate organizational changes, improve management and to

increase employee loyalty.

Faster Turnaround

It reduces the speed to create and deploy surveys, collect data and prepare personalized

individual reports, thus reducing response time and increasing overall satisfaction.

Follow-up & Reporting Capabilities

Companies can follow-up with employees who have not completed their survey,

maximizing the response rate and value of employee satisfaction feedback.

Instead of creating hundreds or thousands of results reports manually, they can all be

automated providing a single platform for report viewing and analysis furthering

consistency across global organizations, reducing lead time from months to days or hours

Flexibility

Global organizations can utilize the full multi-lingual survey and reporting capabilities

enabling a single platform throughout an enterprise. It is fully customizable around the

organization in which it's being used and can gather, process and act upon feedback from

thousands to millions of customers.

A comprehensive Employee Satisfaction process, can be key to a more a motivated and

loyal workforce leading to increased customer satisfaction and overall profitability for an

enterprise.

What are the statistically significant factors that affect job satisfaction?

Six factors that influenced job satisfaction are as follows:

Opportunity.

Employees are more satisfied when they have challenging opportunities at work. This

includes chances to participate in interesting projects, jobs with a satisfying degree of

challenge and opportunities for increased responsibility. Important: this is not simply

"promotional opportunity." As organizations have become flatter, promotions can be

rare. People have found challenge through projects, team leadership, special

assignments-as well as promotions.

Actions:

Promote from within when possible.

Reward promising employees with roles on interesting projects.

Divide jobs into levels of increasing leadership and responsibility.

It may be possible to create job titles that demonstrate increasing levels of expertise,

which are not limited by availability of positions. They simply demonstrate

achievement.

Stress.

When negative stress is continuously high, job satisfaction is low. Jobs are more

stressful if they interfere with employees' personal lives or are a continuing source of

worry or concern.

Actions:

Promote a balance of work and personal lives. Make sure that senior managers model

this behavior.

Distribute work evenly (fairly) within work teams.

Review work procedures to remove unnecessary "red tape" or bureaucracy.

Manage the number of interruptions employees have to endure while trying to do

their jobs.

Some organizations utilize exercise or "fun" breaks at work.

Leadership.

Employees are more satisfied when their managers are good leaders. This includes

motivating employees to do a good job, striving for excellence or just taking action.

Actions:

Make sure your managers are well trained. Leadership combines attitudes and

behavior. It can be learned.

People respond to managers that they can trust and who inspire them to achieve

meaningful goals.

Work Standards.

Employees are more satisfied when their entire workgroup takes pride in the quality

of its work.

Actions:

Encourage communication between employees and customers. Quality gains

importance when employees see its impact on customers.

Develop meaningful measures of quality. Celebrate achievements in quality.

Fair Rewards.

Employees are more satisfied when they feel they are rewarded fairly for the work

they do. Consider employee responsibilities, the effort they have put forth, the work

they have done well and the demands of their jobs.

Actions:

Make sure rewards are for genuine contributions to the organization.

Be consistent in your reward policies.

If your wages are competitive, make sure employees know this.

Rewards can include a variety of benefits and perks other than money.

As an added benefit, employees who are rewarded fairly, experience less stress.

Adequate Authority.

Employees are more satisfied when they have adequate freedom and authority to do

their jobs.

Actions:

When reasonable:

Let employees make decisions.

Allow employees to have input on decisions that will affect them.

Establish work goals but let employees determine how they will achieve those goals.

Later reviews may identify innovative "best practices."

Ask, "If there were just one or two decisions that you could make, which ones would

make the biggest difference in your job?"

The key to Employee Relations…

Is finding out what they really think.

Where does your company stand on each of the critical "4Cs" of employee satisfaction?

Commitment

Culture

Communications

Compensation

Commitment to assess employee engagement, Culture to gauge leadership and

accountability, Communications to identify roadblocks to effective management and

Compensation to measure employee perceptions of pay and benefits.

Core benefits of the Employee Satisfaction analysis using

Employee Response

Access to a comprehensive survey which can be adapted to meet your needs

Holistic analysis of employee satisfaction as the basis for entrepreneurial and

customer-oriented employees

Consideration of significant of the organisation's power fields which influence

employee satisfaction Concrete ideas for improving employee satisfaction

Generation of core and steering sizes (e.g. for Balanced Scorecard, ISO-certification)

Independence and the related cost-savings in conducting the analysis.

Employee satisfaction - fundamental to company success

The willingness of employees to be customer-oriented as well as the interaction between

customer and employee determine to a significant degree the customer's perception of

performance. Employees are often claimed by management, entrepreneurs and

researchers to be the most important resource of the company. In practice, the proclaimed

importance of employees is, however, often only lip service. The related potential for

increasing company success is only used half-heartedly.

Employee satisfaction - an important steering size

Employee satisfaction is a significant determinant for employee motivation. On this

basis, a holistic measurement of employee satisfaction is necessary on several levels

Goals

Process

Work Group

Individual Person

Communication & Information

METHODOLOGY

Engineers/officials will be put through a questionnaire and personal discussion for

data collection. A detailed questionnaire will be drawn with a view to collect

comments and suggestions of the engineers/officials as to how they perceive their

jobs & their working conditions. The questionnaire will be designed after the review

of the background of knowledge and experience and the time people will like to

devote to give reasonable and correct views. The questions will be arranged in

sequence in order to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

Other considerations will be:-

To make questions as concise as possible.

To use simple and familiar words.

However, in order to build a proper atmosphere for free and frank views it will be

clarified that information and discussion will be used only for academic purpose. This

will be an attempt to test the satisfaction of the employees in their present job, the

adequacy of the existing working conditions etc. From the point of view of academic

study only, an attempt will be made to get as much reaction as possible with the

object of making the study more authentic and bring out the view point of employees.

In order to ascertain the correctness of the information given by the employees they

can also be personally interviewed.

A common questionnaire will be designed for all the employees keeping in mind the

different aspects of employee satisfaction.

A sample size of engineers from each level will be taken for study and the response

received from the respondents will be analyzed by study of percentage.

SAMPLE:

The target group of study consists of executive engineers of Videsh Sanchar Nigam

Limited, at different levels. The sample consists of 20 executives of Videsh Sanchar

Nigam Limited.

QUESTIONNAIRE:

A questionnaire was developed that consisted of particulars of the employees &

questions relating to the satisfaction acquired by the employees in accordance with

there

Job

Skills

Work culture

Other Factors

It was intended to study the employee’s satisfaction in Videsh Sanchar Nigam

Limited for six categories of Respondents. Those categories are :

Engineers

Assistant Managers

Sr. Managers

Executives

General managers

Managers

The questionnaire is enclosed at Annexure .

Job Related Satisfaction

It is a diverse term, which in reference to an employee in the organization refers to

the satisfaction that he gets from the job conducive to an employee’s development.

Some of the critical dimensions that were considered in the questionnaire were:

o Nature of job

o Motivation

o Flexibility

o Growth

o Work load

o Security

Skills Related Satisfaction

This refers to the system of assessment of the satisfaction among the employees

based on their skills that the management decides about the fulfillment of the

particular needs of the employee. Some of the parameters considered in the

questionnaire are as follows:

o Innovation & Changes

o Training & Development

o Performance Appraisal

o Promotion & Transfers

o Skill’s Utilization

Work Culture Related Satisfaction

It is closely related to the Organizational climate and relations between the

employees of the organization. Some of the parameters, which have been

considered in the questionnaire, are as follows:

o Communication

o Relationship with Peers

o Relationship with superiors

o Supervision

o Conflict Management

o Organizational Structure

o Value for Work

o Working Conditions

Other Factors Related Satisfaction

This refers to the satisfaction, which the employees get based on some other factors.

The parameters considered in the questionnaire under this are:

o Wages & Salaries

o Other Benefits & Allowances

ANALYSIS METHOD

Various responses to objective type questions were ranked from 1 to 4 whereby

point 1 was given to very much satisfied response and point 4 marked for very

much dissatisfied response. The responses were evaluated under four categories:

Very much satisfied (VMS)

Moderately satisfied (MS)

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied (NSND)

Very much dissatisfied (VMD)

The responses to various questions were placed in these four categories and

percentage was taken out for the four categories for various dimensions. It is shown

in the form of table as follows:

Job Related Satisfaction

This consists of following sub dimensions:

VMS MS NSND VMD

Nature of the Job 55% 45% 0 0

Degree of Motivation 45% 40% 15% 0

Flexibility 40% 50% 5% 5%

Growth 30% 50% 20% 0

Workload 60% 30% 5% 5%

Job Security 45% 50% 5% 0

Skill’s Related Satisfaction

VMS MS NSND VMD

Innovations & Changes 40% 35% 20% 5%

Training & development 0 60% 30% 10%

Performance Appraisal 10% 40% 50% 10%

Promotions & Transfers 0 45% 50% 5%

Skill Utilization 0 70% 0 30%

Work Culture Related Satisfaction

VMS MS NSND VMD

Communication 20% 45% 20% 15%

Relationship (peers) 45% 55% 0 0

Relationship (superiors) 55% 45% 0 0

Supervision 50% 30% 10% 10%

Conflict management 20% 40% 30% 10%

Organizational Structure 20% 45% 35% 0

Value for Work 40% 50% 10% 0

Working conditions 50% 30% 15% 5%

Participation encouragement 50% 30% 20% 0

Other Factors Related Satisfaction

VMS MS NSND VMD

Wages & Salaries 10% 60% 25% 5%

Other Benefits & Allowances 35% 40% 20% 5%

ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION OF DATA

After the data has been collected, classified, the next step is to analyze and interpret

the data. In order to make the analysis and interpretation part simple, pie charts &

tabular formats were constructed for each dimension, same are enclosed here:

Job Related Satisfaction:

Majority of the respondents were very much satisfied with the nature of the job

(55%), where as 45% of other respondents were moderately satisfied.

45% of respondents were very much satisfied by the degree of motivation for

their job, 40% were moderately satisfied with the meager 15% were neither

satisfied nor dissatisfied.

50% of respondents were moderately satisfied with the flexibility in their job,

40% were very much satisfied with the meager 5% neither satisfied nor

dissatisfied and the remaining 5% were very much dissatisfied.

50% of respondents were moderately satisfied with the growth, whereas 30%

were very much satisfied and 20% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

Majority of the respondents (60%) were very much satisfied with the amount of

workload given to them whereas 30% were moderately satisfied, 5% were neither

satisfied nor dissatisfied and 5% were very much dissatisfied.

50% of respondents felt that their jobs were moderately secured, whereas 45% felt

that their jobs are very much secured and rest of 5% respondents were neither

satisfied nor dissatisfied with the job security factor.

Parameter Very Much Satisfied(VMS)

Moderately Satisfied

(MS)

Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied

(NSND)

Very Much Dissatisfied

(VMD)

Nature of job 11 9 0 0

Motivation 9 8 3 0

Flexibility 8 10 1 1

Growth 6 10 4 0

Work Load 12 6 1 1

Job Security 9 10 1 0

Skill’s Related Satisfaction:

40% of the respondents were VMS with the innovations and changes, which

are implemented in their job, 35%, were MS whereas 20% were NSND and

5% of the respondents were VMD.

Majority of the respondents i.e. 60% were MS with the training and

development programs whereas 30% were NSND and 10% of them were

VMD.

Out of the whole number of respondents 50% were NSND with the

performance appraisal system followed by the organization whereas 40%

were MS and out of rest of 10% of the respondents equal proportions were

VMS and VMD.

Concerned with the promotion and transfers 50% of the respondents were

NSND, 45% were MS and rest of 5% were VMD.

Majority of the respondents (70%) were MS with the degree to which they use

their skill’s to accomplish the given task and 30% were VMD.

Parameter VMS MS NSND VMD

Innovation & changes 8 7 4 1

Training & Development 0 12 6 2

Performance Appraisal 1 8 10 1

Promotion & Transfers 0 9 10 1

Skill’sUtilization 6 14 0 0

Work Culture Related Satisfaction:

45% of the respondents were MS with the way information flows within the

organization, 20% were VMS, 20% were NSND and 15% were VMD.

Majority (55%) of respondents were MS with the relationship with their peers

and rest 45% were VMS whereas relationship with the superiors majority

(55%) were VMS and 45% were MS.

Out of the total respondents 50% of them were VMS with the style of

supervision offered by the superiors, 30% were MS, 10% were NSND and

10% were VMD.

In the opinion of the total respondents about the conflict management in the

organization 40% said that they are MS, 30% said they are NSND, 20% were

VMS and rest 10% were VMD.

45% of the total respondents were MS with the organizational structure

whereas 35% were NSND and 20% were VMS.

Regarding the value and importance given to the employees’ work 50% of the

respondents were MS, 40% were VMS and 10% were NSND.

50% of the respondents were VMS with the working conditions provided to

them, 30% were MS, 15% were NSND and 5% were VMD.

With the amount of encouragement given in decision-making , 50% of the

respondents were VMS, 30% were MS and rest 20% were NSND.

Parameter VMS MS NSND VMD

Communication 4 9 4 3

Relationship(Peers) 9 11 0 0

Relationship(Superior) 11 9 0 0

Supervision 10 6 2 2

Conflict Management 4 8 6 2

Organizational Structure 4 9 7 0

Value for work 8 10 2 0

Working conditions 10 6 3 1

Participation encouragement 10 6 4 0

Other Factors Related Satisfaction:

Majority (60%) of the respondents were MS satisfied with the Salaries paid to

them, 25% were NSND, 10 % were VMS and 5% were VMD.

Regarding other benefits and allowances provided by the organization 40% were

MS, 35% were VMS, 20% were NSND and 5% of the respondents were VMD.

Parameter VMS MS NSND VMD

Wages & Salaries 2 12 5 1

Other benefits & allowances 7 8 4 1

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The preceding details present the satisfaction acquired by the employees working in

TATA COMMUNICATIONS. The questionnaire put up to a sample of employees,

records their views & as to what level of satisfaction they get while working under

various departments in the organization. Based on the feedback given by this

sample group of employees, the conclusion regarding the Employee Satisfaction

Survey undertaken in the organization are as follows.

CONCLUSIONS:

There is a feeling that the Performance Appraisal system is not open to the

employees. It does not help the employees in their improvement; moreover the

Self-Appraisal seems to be a formality.

The flow of information between different departments is not adequate. Generally

the employees do not come to know of the remarks regarding the information put

up by their superior.

Regarding the assessment of the training & development needs, there is no proper

procedure followed. The decision regarding who should be imparted the training,

is more based on the management’s discretion and less on the genuine

requirement.

There is a general feeling that at the time of entry in the organization, the

employees are not briefed about their career growth in the organization. They

also have a feeling that their senior officers are not supervising them properly.

Many people have the feeling that their workload should be reduced to a certain

extent & proper working conditions should be provided to them.

Employees share in the risk and rewards of company performance.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Based on the feedback & as per the interaction with the people, I endeavor

certain recommendations as a remedy to the problems faced by the employees

working in the organization:

There has to be a proper work distribution among the staff. It should not happen

that some are sitting idle and some are slogging under the pressure of work.

Emphasis should be to build a strong ‘pay for performance’ work culture.

Compensation that is “real-time equitable”.

Benefits that meet the individual’s needs and ensuring that they are

communicated and understood.

At the time of their entry in the organization , the employees should be made

aware of the career opportunities in the organization. The superiors should

continuously update their subordinate about the various opportunities and how to

exploit them.

Decision making power must be handed down to the employees. In return

employees should be made more responsible and accountable for the job than

before. This will fetch a new culture in the organization.

It is necessary that job rotation be practiced in the organization. Time to Time

new opportunities should be given to the individuals, so as to sustain their interest

and enthusiasm. It is necessary that every employees be given a chance to go for

training & development programs as suitable for him. This privilege should not

be limited to a few people.

Giving employees access to the latest technology and tools.Providing work/life

programs that allow employees to balance work with family, education, hobbies,

etc.

There should be improvement in the relationship between management and the

employees. It is management’s responsibility to make each employee feel his/her

importance in the organization and treat the organization as his or her own. If it

happens, every employee would try to give his best to the organization and

organization performance would automatically improve.

LEARNINGS FROM THE PROJECT

As my project involved visiting various departments at VSNL, it gave me an opportunity

to know about their infrastructure, resources, working environment & its

workforce. Thereby it

Gave me wide exposure into the HR field.

Gave me an opportunity to study different HR practices prevalent in VSNL in

detail.

Gave me a real time experience of dealing with different people.

Above all I learnt to be patient & the persuasive skill to get people to interact with me

despite their busy schedule

Annexure

BIBLIOGRAPHY

______________________________________________ S.No Title Author ______________________________________________ 1. Human Resource Management Subha Rao

& Industrial Relations

2. Personnel Management C.B.Mamorria

3. Personnel Management Flippo

4. Human Resource Management Wendall, French

________________________________________________________

Website referred:

www.employeesatisfactions.com www.confirmit.com www.insightlink.com www.imptools.com www.hrsolutionsinc.com www.hr-survey.com