{"id":4688,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:45","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/smallbusiness\/employment-law-and-human-resources\/employee-satisfaction-and-running-a-successful-business.html"},"modified":"2024-06-06T04:46:59","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T09:46:59","slug":"employee-satisfaction-and-running-a-successful-business","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/employment-law-and-human-resources\/employee-satisfaction-and-running-a-successful-business.html","title":{"rendered":"Employee Satisfaction and Running a Successful Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Employee Satisfaction and Running a Successful Business<\/h1>\n
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\n By Susan Buckner, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Aviana Cooper, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
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Editorial Note: We earn a commission from affiliate partner links on FindLaw. Commissions do not affect the editorial integrity of our legal content.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n

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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

"Great" doesn’t always mean "good." The Great Resignation of 2020 was not good at all. The mysterious phenomenon of quiet quitting followed shortly after. Employees, particularly younger workers, displayed their dissatisfaction at work by doing the bare minimum required. What happened to employee engagement with their work? What happened to job satisfaction?<\/p>\r\n

Small business success has always depended on employee retention. Small businesses cannot survive high employee turnover. The cost of retraining new hires and starting over with a new crop of workers prevents smaller companies from realizing any profit. Today’s online workplace means that dissatisfied workers can tell any future workers to avoid the business when recruiters come calling.<\/p>\r\n

What should small business owners do to attract and retain top talent and avoid quiet quitting or outright resignations? It turns out that keeping employees is no different now than it ever was. All employers and human resources departments need to do is listen to what workers tell them.<\/p>\r\n

FindLaw’s Managing Employees<\/a> section has more information for small business owners.<\/p>\r\n

Listening to Your Employees<\/h2>\r\n

The internet is full of listicles by unhappy employees describing their awful bosses. Although some are fabricated or exaggerated, many share similar themes. One of the most common is a simple lack of communication. Small businesses cannot afford a company culture of secrecy or opacity. Nothing ruins employee morale like feeling ignored or treated as commodities.<\/p>\r\n

Employers can assess their employee experience with employee surveys, suggestion boxes, and regular performance reviews that allow employees to offer feedback on how they feel the business is doing.<\/p>\r\n

If you or your HR professionals are not listening to what employees are saying, you may miss important factors that could affect your bottom line. Your workers are the ones on the front lines, so to speak. They hear what customers say and know what the work environment is like.<\/p>\r\n

Discrimination and Harassment Complaints<\/h3>\r\n

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission<\/a> (EEOC) requires all small businesses to maintain employee records for at least one year. Businesses with more than 15 employees must follow at least some of the federal anti-discrimination laws. State laws are often more restrictive.<\/p>\r\n

Workplace discrimination and harassment<\/a> create a toxic work environment. Even workers not directly involved report feeling increased tension at work. A strong discrimination policy before issues arise helps defuse some of these issues before they become problems.<\/p>\r\n

State and federal regulations require employers to have:<\/p>\r\n