The employee satisfaction survey: Don’t worry, be happy

Don’t worry, be happy. That sentiment sums up the results of Peerless Media’s first employee satisfaction survey of the readers of Modern Materials Handling, Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management Review. It is a group that skews heavily to senior management.

The reason for the survey was simple: We’ve just come through a tumultuous time in supply chain management from an operational perspective; and at the same time, one that saw unprecedented increases in pay as well as increased opportunities to take on new roles and responsibilities with a current employer or a new one.

During the pandemic, supply chain professionals at all levels were in huge demand due to the spike in activity associated with unpredictable demand, including an incredible spike in e-commerce orders that strained operations. Every organization was competing for a limited supply of supply chain planners, experienced procurement talent and inventory, operations and transportation managers. The result was a game of musical chairs unlike any the industry had experienced before.

Of course, that was then and this is now. Over the past 12 to 18 months, some of that urgency has been tamped down. Indeed, some organizations have conceded that they over-hired during the pandemic and have either slowed the pace of hiring or are right-sizing their ranks. Exorbitant signing bonuses and salary bumps are a thing of the past. That’s leading to a job market correction, to fewer incentives to jump ship and a revert to pre-Covid behaviors.

With that as a backdrop, we wondered what the mood was among supply chain managers today. Are they satisfied with their roles, duties, compensation and advancement opportunities?

Our survey was a joint creation of Peerless Research Group (PRG), the research arm of Peerless Media, and Simon Rakosi, a co-founder and CEO at Butterfly.ai. Rakosi’s firm is an online platform that gives managers a simple, consistent way to collect feedback directly from frontline and remote employees, then use it to actionably build a better work environment that will ultimately reduce turnover.

At a high level, the news is very good. Consider just three bullets from the survey:

• 89% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they have a good relationship with their co-workers, and 87% agreed or strongly agreed they have a good relationship with their supervisor.
• 84% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they are so involved in work that the day goes by quickly.
• More than 60% were satisfied with their benefits, and 59% were satisfied with their overall compensation.

Those are among the reasons we call it the “don’t worry, be happy” workforce. At the same time, Rakosi identified several areas of potential concern that savvy leaders may want to address for that crucial retention metric.

For the purposes of the survey, we divided the questions into five categories:

• the work environment;
• work engagement, a measure of how invested an individual is in their job;
• relationship management with peers and superiors;
• career development opportunities; and
• compensation and benefits.

Let’s take a closer look at the results.

Work environment

When it comes to the work environment, the pandemic has changed the structure of the workplace. It’s safe to say that before the pandemic, most corporate jobs were performed full-time in an office or an industrial facility. That is no longer the case.

Among our readers, only 32% of respondents were working full-time onsite, while 60% had a hybrid arrangement, working both remote and onsite. Only 8% were fully remote.

While many corporations are transitioning back to full-time onsite, that is out of step, at least for now, with survey respondents. Asked their preference, 20% responded they preferred to work full-time onsite and 22% responded they preferred a fully remote arrangement. The remainder, nearly 57%, preferred a hybrid arrangement.

A healthy majority of respondents described the organizations they work for and their positions within those organizations in positive terms.

• 92% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed they understand how their work impacts the organization’s business goals,
• 84% strongly agreed or agreed they have a safe work environment,
• 73% strongly agreed or agreed the organization was fiscally stable, and
• 69% strongly agreed or agreed they were satisfied with their overall job security

A majority of respondents had positive views of their organizations’ culture; 67% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed they were satisfied with the culture of the workplace. Perhaps more importantly, 74% strongly agreed or agreed the organization’s work positively impacts peoples’ lives; 74% strongly agreed or agreed their organization operates in a socially responsible manner; and 67% strongly agreed or agreed their organization is dedicated to diversity and inclusion.

In recent years, many organizations have put effort into their culture, including better communication, training opportunities and a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Those efforts appear to have paid off.

Among survey respondents, 89% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed they had good working relationships with their co-workers and 87% reported good working relationships with their supervisor. More importantly, only 3% of respondents disagreed with both of those statements and no one strongly disagreed.

Respondents also overwhelmingly reported their co-workers treat one another with respect (83%); that they trusted one another (59%) and that good communication exists between senior leaders and co-workers (61%). Moreover, 63% responded that management recognizes strong job performance.

What’s clear is that an organization’s investment in culture, communication and relationships can deliver dividends.

Work engagement

One way to think of work engagement is a measure of how invested an employee is in their job and organization: Is the work important to them, or are they just going through the motions? Are they quiet quitting, doing just enough to earn a paycheck? As with the work environment, our survey respondents say they are engaged with their jobs and careers.

• 90% strongly agreed or agreed they are determined to give their best effort each day.
• 84% said they are often so involved in their work that the day goes by very quickly.
• And 78% strongly agreed or agreed they are inspired to meet their work goals, while 63% are excited about going to work.

Supply chain professionals are collegial: 80% strongly agreed or agreed their co-workers take the initiative to help others when the need arises. Further, 82% strongly agreed or agreed that when the going gets tough, their co-workers keep going. And 67% strongly agreed or agreed their colleagues are willing to take on new tasks as needed.

Finally, the supply chain executives who responded to the survey exhibited a degree of flexibility in their roles, with 60% who strongly agreed or agreed their co-workers adapt quickly to difficult situations. Flexibility and adaptation have proved to be crucial to resilience, as organizations cope with the increasingly unexpected happenings in the supply chain.

At the same time, change management remains one of the most challenging processes in any organization. Only 50% strongly agreed or agreed their co-workers willingly accepted change.

Compensation and career development

During the pandemic, the world relied on supply chain professionals and the supply chains they manage to deliver goods at a time when global economies were shut down. Despite operational challenges and shortages of essential parts, materials and ingredients, warehouse and factory workers, truck and delivery drivers, and planners and procurement personnel went above and beyond to keep things humming as best they could.

Those above-and-beyond efforts also saw historic wage increases that have been confirmed in the annual salary surveys conducted each year by PRG. So, how do our respondents feel about their compensation, benefits and career development opportunities?

As a group, supply chain professionals say they are fairly compensated relative to their local market: 19% strongly agreed and 43% agreed. And, they are satisfied with their overall compensation: 19% strongly agreed and 40% agreed. More importantly, only 5% strongly disagreed with both of those statements.

The same is true of benefits, where 64% strongly agreed or agreed they are satisfied with their total benefits package. The results are stronger when asked about individual benefits: 77% responded that they were satisfied with their workplace flexibility; 69% were satisfied with the amount of paid leave; 61% were satisfied with health-related benefits; and 55% were satisfied with their retirement plan.

Those results, coupled with earlier responses about engagement, the workplace and culture, suggest that in today’s market, supply chain professionals are less likely to jump ship over the amount of their compensation alone.

Opportunities for career development and professional training are another matter. The lowest scores in the survey, while still close to or above 50%, came from questions about opportunities for career development and advancement.

The good news for senior managers is that 71% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that they have opportunities to apply their expertise in their jobs. However, in contrast to the very strong responses to other statements, the responses to other statements about training and advancement were relatively tepid.

For example, fewer than half of respondents (47%) were pleased with the career advancement opportunities available to them and just half strongly agreed or agreed their organization was dedicated to their professional development. And, 52% were satisfied with the investment their organizations were making in their training; a similar percentage was satisfied with opportunities for professional growth.

In any other context, 50% positive responses would be considered a win. But contrast them with other areas of the survey, where positive responses were above 70%, and this area raises a red flag.

Areas of focus

With so many positive responses, it would be easy for a senior leader to assume they’ve righted their ships and expect smooth sailing ahead. That would be short sighted. After all, we’ve just come through a period in which raises were plentiful and leaving behind a position for greener pastures was easy to do.

But, warns Rakosi, the Butterfly.ai co-founder, we’re entering a new period where job security is less certain and salary increases are likely to slow. While jumping ship might not be as easy as it has been in recent years, employees still may start looking.

In Rakosi’s analysis, a few red flags are important to address to improve retention rates. He has identified several areas of proactive opportunity and strategies managers can undertake to improve workplace engagement, the culture and ultimately retention rates. They include:

Focus on proactive opportunities:

• Encourage employees to actively identify and pursue future projects.
• Provide training sessions on foresight and innovation.
• Reward those who showcase proactive behaviors and ideas.

Embrace change:

• Foster a culture that welcomes and adapts to change swiftly.
• Organize workshops on change management and resilience.
• Implement feedback mechanisms to understand and address employee concerns related to change.

Understand the importance:

• Recognize that proactive attitudes and adaptability are core components of employee engagement.
• Connect these behaviors to tangible outcomes like productivity and job satisfaction.

Drive organizational benefits:

• Reinforce the direct correlation between engaged employees and a healthier bottom line.
• Highlight the potential for reduced turnover costs, increased efficiency and innovation.
• Regularly review and iterate on the organization’s engagement strategies to ensure continued growth and profitability.

Acknowledge positive feedback:

• Celebrate and recognize teams that exemplify best practices in professional development.

Refine and enhance training:

• Evaluate current training based on feedback, and introduce new platforms or methods as needed.

Establish a continuous feedback loop:

• Implement systems for ongoing feedback on professional development, ensuring employees feel heard and valued.

Iterate and communicate changes:

• Regularly update and adapt professional development strategies based on feedback, and transparently share these updates with employees.
• Empower employee decision-making
• Organize training sessions on decision-making and autonomy to instill confidence in employees.

Improve management communication:

• Facilitate regular one-on-one check-ins between supervisors and employees to foster open communication.
• Initiate town hall meetings and open forums for employees to voice concerns and receive updates from senior leadership.

Organizations can address the highlighted gaps in the survey results, enhance the overall relationship management within the workplace and improve employee satisfaction.