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Jobindex has previously highlighted that the relationship between a manager and employees is one of the most crucial factors for the employee job satisfaction. This perspective is supported and expanded by Vibeke Hartkorn, independent communication consultant, board member and author of the books PowerWomen, and  PowerMen as well as the  book Effective communication for all leadership levels – make people follow your lead, who also works as an executive coach and consultant to promote career development, and as a trainer of personal assertiveness and stakeholder communication. For Vibeke, there is a direct link between good leadership and good vibes as a prerequisite for job satisfaction, and she is very clear when it comes to who carries the task:

“It is always the task of every manager to ensure the framework for employees’ job satisfaction,” Vibeke says.

Therefore, according to Vibeke, a manager who wants more job satisfaction in his or her team must ask these questions:

•What am I doing as a manager to create enough psychological safety for people to feel the freedom to fulfil their potential?

•Am I clear enough in communicating when the individual is a success and matters to us as a company?

TOP MANGEMENT SETS THE MOOD.

The mood that top management sets for the workplace is paramount, as that mood is very likely to be subconsciously copied by all managers.

So as a leader, you need to take the lead and set the energy level.

“It’s your job as a leader to set the tone and create the framework for your employees to experience job satisfaction. First and foremost, by accepting it and consciously acting accordingly to it when conducting your leadership.

The more you keep your promises, the more likely it is that your employees will feel safety and trust, which are prerequisites for job satisfaction to arise,” Vibeke says.

Leaders send out non-verbal signals all the time and employees feel the energy you bring into a room. Are you introverted, preoccupied with your own thoughts and difficult decisions, and don’t have the energy to engage in conversations while passing people? Then employees could  easily belive something is wrong. They might become uncomfortable and anxious, because you by this behavior could send a signal that employees don’t matter.

“When I was writing my book on leadership communication, I interviewed an executive in the Maersk Group who told me that CEO should stand for Chief Energy Officer! Because you are the one who sets the energy for everyone else – whether you want to or not. You’re the one everyone looks to, and the one everyone measures the company’s survival barometer on,” says Vibeke.

MEANINGLESSNESS DESTROYS

One of the prerequisites for job satisfaction is that the employee feels safe, satisfied and connected to the work environment. Many employees experience discouragement and lack of job satisfaction because they feel they are not allowed to live out the values they believe in, or they do not feel valued.

“For example, if we have to treat customers or colleagues in a way that is contrary to what we stand for as individuals, we experience meaninglessness, and then our loyalty, job satisfaction, productivity, creativity and so on drop,” she says.

When layoffs are announced, the best employees are often quick find another job because no one remembered to say, “We’re firing some of your colleagues, but it won’t be you because we want you to stay here so badly because we need you.”

JOB SATISFACTION IS EVERYONES RESPONSABILITY!

Although Vibeke is clear that it is the manager’s job to ensure employees’ job satisfaction by taking the lead, she also believes that it is the responsibility of everyone in a company to work together to increase job satisfaction. She therefore has a number of tips for employees to work on their personal development by, for example, taking responsibility for their own well-being at work and increasing their personal resilience.

For you as a manager, Vibeke has 6 tips for you and your team.