In pursuit of Happiness at Work

The Business Enterprise Employee Satisfaction Survey 2011 ventures to find what makes an employee choose a particular company and better still makes him stay put and happy.

The Business Enterprise did a nation-wide employee survey across 10 cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkatta, Cochin, Coimbatore and Pune covering nine major job sectors through email, telephonic and direct interviews. And here’s what India Inc. says about its work life!

“It is fun working for Radio Mirchi! I still remember the day I had joined work here, two guys came and informed me that I had to go for another HR round and they were apparently shocked that I hadn’t brought my papers with me. I was made to wait at the reception desk while they had a discussion about my prospective career. Few anxious minutes later, another lady (my would-be team mate) invited me to the conference room, it was then, that I realized that I was officially ragged by my colleagues (Those fake HR executives). From day one, it’s been one enjoyable journey. We do not have a formal dress code, the company just expects us to be neatly dressed. The office atmosphere is very open and friendly. There are no doors or dividers for any cabin. Anyone can walk up to the managers for a discussion. And most of all, we have the freedom to take decisions at every level. It is finally nice to work in a place where there is no rigid hierarchy.” – Sethu Raman K, Account Manager – Sales, Radio Mirchi – Coimbatore.

“Getting back to work after my maternity break was a huge challenge for me. My company eased out the process by giving me flexible work-ing hours and options to ‘work from home’ when required. If this hadn’t worked out, it would have been a huge setback for my career”  Archana Vijay, Private IT firm, Bengaluru When it comes to work life, the current generation seems to look beyond the stable and secure government jobs. More and more people are opt-ing for companies that are fun and flexible and jobs that just let them be. So, what makes an employee take the first step?

 Are you the chosen one?

 Though brand value, designation, compensation and work culture are the main factors that make a person choose a particular company or job over another. Our study shows us an interesting pattern – the younger crowd, primarily freshers, seem to have a higher preference for brand value (42%) over other factors. For a person who has minimal experience or no experience, it becomes a value-add to be in a brand that is well-established. Here, they get to learn from the leaders. Similar to how employees preferred government jobs for its stability and perks in the previous generation, youngsters today opt for big brands to give their career a jump start. 

Once this is done, the mid-career segment seems to choose jobs based on compensation or proposed designation. Towards the end of one’s career, the position offered (33%) and work culture takes priority (29%). While money and power plays a major role in choosing a particular job, it is debatable whether these factors can guarantee job satisfaction. HR personnel Reshmi Shinde from Bengaluru feels that it is often monotony that kills the joy in the job. Challenges that are tough and obtainable make work interesting and eventually sustain the employee’s interest at work. She adds that companies need to have a transparent feedback and appraisal system to ease out employ-ee’s concerns. The next part of our survey delves deeper into this issue – working out an unbiased appraisal system