Employee Satisfaction At ETAP

Chapter 4: Survey Results

Once the surveys were conducted, the results were analyzed using frequency distribution of the different answers available. Likert-scale surveys lend themselves to analysis by frequency distribution, as this allows the researcher to compare directly the various responses. A final sample population of 70 respondents was obtained. The respondents consisted of both male and female respondents in a variety of job positions. Even though the survey conducted in such a way so that individuals could not be identified by their answers, there was still some reluctance to answer certain survey questions.

The nature of a Likert scale is such that it is divided into to two positive categories, two negative categories, and one neutral category. The positive categories are “strongly agree” and “agree”. The negative categories are “strongly disagree” and “disagree”. In the interpretation of the results, any item that receive 65% or more positive results is considered a strength. Any response that received a 35% or greater negative response is considered a challenge. If the question received 30% of more neutral, the results of the question were considered inconclusive. Any question where the categories were 5 or more percentage points apart were considered notable.

Results

The first survey question was. “I am satisfied and happy in my overall outlook towards this company.” This was a general question designed to get an overall feeling of the employee’s perceptions. The overall results of the study found that overall, most employees expressed positive feelings about the company. The overall impression of the respondents was 67% positive, 11% neutral, and 12% negative. This result points to a high level of overall job satisfaction with the company.

Questions 2-5 of the survey explored the working conditions of the employee. Due to the diversity of the job descriptions of the sample population, only general traits could be explored. The traits were mental stimulation, comfort of the working environment, whether they felt the overall demeanor of the staff was friendly, and whether they had sufficient supplies and equipment to perform their job.

A majority of the responses to whether their job was mentally stimulating were positive. However, slightly more of the respondents felt that the physical environment of their job was comfortable. Tunisia is a hot climate and is it not known whether the results of this answer were skewed by the number of persons who worked in outside positions within the country and those that worked in a comfortable office setting. The demographics of the sample population might have influenced the results of this answer.

The answer to whether the staff was friendly overall were mixed. The results of this question neither agreed, nor disagreed with the statement. It is not known whether fear of discovery of the respondents identity influenced the answer to this question. The last question of this section asked if the survey respondent had sufficient supplies to complete the job. The answer to this question was positive.

Questions 5 through 9 explored communication within the organization.

Respondents were neutral as to whether communication within the organization was good. This answer received a 43% neutral response, which indicates that the answer to this question was inconclusive. The answer to question number 6 was also inclusive due to the number of neutral answers. The question asked whether the employee felt that they could talk to their supervisors. The answer to this question might have made the respondents feel uncomfortable for fear that their supervisor would find out. A majority of the respondents felt that communication occurred in a timely manner. A majority of the respondents felt that that they had sufficient resources, should they have a question about anything. Certain areas of communication proved to be challenging. Many employees felt that they could not bring problems to their direct supervisor. This might be a reflection on Tunisian culture. This may reflect the top-down approach to management that is part of the governmental role in the operations of the company. It may be a reflection on the disparities that exist within in the power structure of the organization. Questions 6 and 9 reflect the quality of employee empowerment. This does not reflect a high degree of employee empowerment at the company.

Questions 10-15 explored employee commitment and intention to stay with the company. Question 12 explored work/life balance. Question 15 explored the employee’s relationship with their supervisor.

A majority of the respondents answered that they would not leave if someone offered them better pay. This shows a solid commitment to the company and a high level of employee engagement. Question 12 asked if the employee had a high degree of dedication to the company. This item represents a strength and supports the notion that employees have a high degree of employee engagement within the company. Question. 13 explored long term plans to leave the company for better career opportunities. This question received mixed results in terms of long-term plans. Nearly 46% gave a positive answer, indicating that they had long term plans to leave. This is a high percentage of personnel planning to leave in the future. Due to the wording of the question, this positive answer indicates a negative consequence for the company.

Employees indicted that they had good relationships with their supervisors, but only 81 percent of the respondents answered this questions. Once again feat of retaliation might have had an impact on the responses to this question. The final question was whether the respondent was looking for another job. Only 44% of the respondents answered that question. There is not enough information to determine what this means. It might be that there are some who are looking, but who do not want their supervisor to know. The results of this last question might represent a conflict with the overall satisfaction of the employees that was addressed in the first question.

When taken in aggregate, the responses to the study indicate an overall positive response to the conditions at the company. The results of this study revealed patterns and provided clues to the strengths and weaknesses of the company in terms of employee satisfaction and their ability to maintain a quality staff to meet the challenges of anticipated production increases. It also found several contradictions. For instance, employees indicated that they were generally happy with the company, but a high percentage wanted to leave. The reasons for their wanting to leave is beyond the scope of this study, but it would be an interesting topic for future studies. These findings will be discussed further in the following chapter.