SURVEYS OF MANAGER SATISFACTION

Surveys of manager satisfaction are just as important as surveys of employee satisfaction. Managers have human needs, just like other people. If they are dissatisfied, their unhappiness can spread through a whole department because of their broad management influence. Job-satisfaction surveys are necessary to diagnose deficiencies in managerial satisfaction and to take corrective action.

Types of Surveys Job-satisfaction surveys, whether by questionnaire or by interview, are of two general types classified according to the form of questions asked. Objective Surveys present both questions and a choice of answers in such a way that employees merely mark the answers that represent their choices. The chief advantage of objective surveys is that they are easy to administer and to analyze statistically. The chief defect of this type of test is that management writes all the response choices available to employees. The best that workers can do is to choose the response that comes closely to their own feelings and therefore may be a grossly inaccurate expression of their real feelings. Ex: Multiple-choice questions, true or false, etc. Descriptive Surveys present questions but let employees answer in their own words. This approach permits employees to express their own thoughts and use their own language to say exactly how they feel. These more direct comments usually make a strong impression on managers. An interview survey is by nature more descriptive than objective. A suitable interview usually takes about two hours for each interviewee hence it is both time-consuming and expensive. In order to make sure that the same material is covered in a consistent manner with each employee, each interviewer is carefully trained and follows a standard.

Survey Procedures Job satisfaction survey procedures are tricky and more complicated than they appear to be at first glance. Particular attention needs to be given in question construction, maintenance of anonymity for employees, and sampling procedures. This description of ones organizations survey will provide an overview: Management decided it needed more information about employee attitudes and called a consultant, who developed - with management assistance -a set of objectives and written policies for the survey. These were approved by an executive committee with the company president in attendance. At this time they selected the questionnaire method and decided to survey all managers and workers. Then the consultant, the personnel director, and a personnel specialist planned the details. In addition, the president appointed a committee of seven middle managers to help draft questions for the survey. The consultant guided the committee and served as chairperson. The committee also approved an official announcement of the survey six weeks before it was given and aided in grapevine publicity of the event. The consultant made the survey on three consecutive days. Different questionnaires were used for office, managerial, and production employees. Each questionnaire took about forty-five minutes to complete, so a new group of employees was surveyed every hour. The personnel director introduced the consultant and left the room, after which the consultant explained the survey and administered it. Employees placed responses in a locked ballot box. After the survey was completed, the consultant prepared a full report for the management and a condensed report for employees. The consultant also advised the executive committee as it planned its program of action on the survey.