Companies use many indicators to measure success: Substantial earnings, employee retention, satisfied clients/customers, high productivity. Productivity is one word you will hear often in the corporate world. It can be used as the ultimate indicator that your company is on the right track. Here at 5 Dynamics, we don’t believe that simply saying your company is highly productive is enough.

If you have ever attended a 5 Dynamics Fundamentals Training Session you will hear one phrase over and over again—“Success AND Satisfaction.” Success is externally measured: your numbers are high, the product is selling and money is flowing in. Satisfaction is internally measured: everything in the process went smoothly and your employees are comfortable and ready for the next round. We believe that productivity that only looks at success, completely ignoring satisfaction, cannot be sustained effectively over time. Key Performance Indicators often rely on measurable statistics such as units produced, client contacts, weekly or quarterly sales, etc. You generally don’t hear of companies focusing on intangibles: How comfortable was Barbara throughout this project? Did she feel she had enough time to complete her tasks or was she rushed through? Did we spend enough time researching the risks? Is the team working well together, or are there problems that must be addressed? Are my employees passionate about what we are trying to achieve? It’s these kinds of intangibles, however, that will impact your success in the long run.

What happens when a company doesn’t assess the Satisfaction of its employees?

Chances are it won’t be noticeable in the short term. KPI’s are being met; the latest project was a success. Most people can handle stress for a short amount of time, but what about long term? If you were involved in an ongoing project where the same mistakes were made again and again and you became stressed at the same points, how long could you realistically keep that up? More often than not, when a company ignores employee satisfaction, they begin to see their numbers slipping, speed and efficiency sliding downhill, and in extreme cases, employee turnover skyrocketing. The good news: there is a relatively easy fix. During strategic planning, make sure to include not only the numbers but also the people. Make sure you know how your employees feel about the ongoing processes in which they engage. When employees are satisfied and comfortable with the process they are more productive. Satisfied employees will not only bring in the numbers but will be inspired to do so. Productivity is not enough—aim for Inspired Productivity!