80% of the top-selling companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland use employee surveys to measure job satisfaction (see Hossiep & Frieg, 2008), which is used here as a synonym for employee satisfaction (e.g. Klein-Schneider, 2002). This type of survey, which largely consists of several questions, is used in companies once or twice a year. It is not always possible for managers and companies to raise the necessary resources (personnel, costs, motivation and time) to conduct employee surveys. Nevertheless, in combination with change management measures, employee satisfaction can be increased by 18% (see Burnus, Benner, Becker, Müller, & Stock, 2014). Satisfied employees are often more effective, which increases productivity and improves the working atmosphere (see Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005). But how can I know that my employees are satisfied if nobody asks for it? So how can you measure and increase satisfaction without answering a lot of questions?
One questions is enough …
…studies have shown that it is possible to measure job satisfaction even with a single question (see Wanous, Reichers, & Hudy, 1997), although due to the more difficult estimation of reliability, measurement with one scale is preferred because it contains several questions. However, it is not only in the sense of CompanyMood itself, but also for the employees and managers of a company, to know whether the use of a single question is just as meaningful as that of a complete scale. A meta-analysis summarized quantitatively the results of 17 studies, into which 28 correlations of a question with scales for measuring general job satisfaction were incorporated (see Wanous et al., 1997). The findings showed a correlation of .67, which means that both measurements with one and with several questions are equally reliable in order to measure the overall satisfaction of employees.
That’s how CompanyMood comes into play
The advantages of using a single question are obvious with its fast, simple and understandable use (see Amelang & Schmidt-Atzert, 2006). Ultimately, these are crucial for companies to save time and money. CompanyMood makes a relevant contribution to measuring and increasing employee satisfaction by evaluating the individual mood that relates to the working atmosphere. After a first question, employees can choose whether and which topics have influenced their mood. In addition to the mood pulse, 15 subject areas can be selected.
If employees do not explicitly address individual topics and only evaluate their mood, it can be assumed that the mood evaluation alone has sufficient significance to draw conclusions about employee satisfaction.
Sources:
Amelang, M., & Schmidt-Atzert, L. (2006). Psychologische Diagnostik und Intervention. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.
Burnus, M., Benner, V., Becker, L., Müller, D., & Stock, S. (2014). Entwicklung eines Instruments zur Bedarfsermittlung und zum Monitoring im Betrieblichen Gesundheitsmanagement (BGM) eines Versicherungskonzerns, Versicherungsmedizin, 66, 79–87.
Hossiep, R., & Frieg, P. (2008). Der Einsatz von Mitarbeiterbefragungen in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. Zeitschrift für Marktforschung und Marketing. [PDF-Version]. Abgerufen über http://www.testentwicklung.de/mam/hossiep_frieg_der_einsatz_von_mitarbeiterbefragungen.pdf
Klein-Schneider, H. (2002). Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit. Arbeitspapier 54. Hans-Böckler-Stiftung [PDF-Version]. Abgerufen über https://www.boeckler.de/pdf/p_arbp_054.pdf
Wanous, J. P., Reichers, A. E., & Hudy, M. J. (1997). Overall job satisfaction: How good are single-item measures? Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 247–252. doi:10.1037//0021-9010.82.2.247
Orlando Policicchio ist Geschäftsführer und Mitgründer von CompanyMood. Als Führungskraft und Projektmanager hat er schon früh Erfahrungen mit der Wichtigkeit von Mitarbeiterfeedback und einer gelebten Firmenkultur sammeln.
