For all the talk about safety cultures these days, a reality check might be in order. And we received one last week via email from the Society for Human Resource Management, in the form of the group’s annual employee job satisfaction survey.
The “culture vultures†say you need trust, fairness, openness, ownership, teamwork, leadership, accountability, feedback and recognition, among other building-blocks, to create an organizational culture that turns on employees. That increases job satisfaction, morale, participation, productivity, innovation, and other positives.
Well, the SHRM survey reminds us, let’s not forget about this little matter of take-home pay. “Show me the money,†say employees. Or at least 70 percent of them, according to the survey. Seven in ten employees surveyed reported compensation to be the most important factor in job satisfaction.
Or to look at it this way: What are the chances of building a world-class organizational culture, and more specifically an excellent safety culture, if your employees are not satisfied on the job because they feel under-paid?
“It should come as no surprise that employees are more concerned about their compensation,†said Susan R. Meisinger, president & CEO of SHRM, in a press statement. “With the rising costs of health care premiums and prescription drugs, employees know they need to put more of their money toward covering health care and retirement.â€