What makes people feel good about coming to work, and how should it be measured?
It’s a question we’re often asked as culture consultants. We answered it by collaborating with Colorado State University’s Industrial-Organizational Psychology department, which specializes in the scientific study of human behavior at work. Our partnership and research revealed 8 critical factors we rely on as culture consultants to measure the health of a workplace.
What we Measure as Culture Consultants
As culture consultants, when we evaluate an organization, we work to understand these 8 factors that we know, based on research, truly matter.
1. Supervisor
How do team members perceive their supervisor/boss?
2. Coworkers
How do team members perceive their coworkers?
3. Meaning/Job Fit
Do team members feel the work they do in their job is meaningful and worthwhile?
4. Autonomy
Do team members feel satisfied with the level of decision-making authority they have in their work?
5. Impact
Do team members feel the work they do has an important role in the organization?
6. Organizational Support
Do team members feel the organization values, supports, and communicates appropriately with team members?
7. Organizational Fit
Do team members feel connected to the organization and that the organization is good match for them?
8. Work-Life Climate
Do team members feel the organization is accommodating of life needs and encourages the harmony between work and life?
How do team members perceive their supervisor/boss?
2. Coworkers
How do team members perceive their coworkers?
3. Meaning/Job Fit
Do team members feel the work they do in their job is meaningful and worthwhile?
4. Autonomy
Do team members feel satisfied with the level of decision-making authority they have in their work?
5. Impact
Do team members feel the work they do has an important role in the organization?
6. Organizational Support
Do team members feel the organization values, supports, and communicates appropriately with team members?
7. Organizational Fit
Do team members feel connected to the organization and that the organization is good match for them?
8. Work-Life Climate
Do team members feel the organization is accommodating of life needs and encourages the harmony between work and life?
But what about the money stuff?
Many people are surprised to know that compensation, perks and benefits did not make it into the top critical factors that make team members feel good about coming to work.
While how compensation is handled can underscore or undermine your culture, we know as culture consultants money is never the primary driver for emotional workplace health.
More on the research from our partners at Colorado State University
Dr. Zinta Byrne, of Colorado State University, was contacted by Choose People Founder and CEO Kris Boesch to construct and validate a measure designed to assess the extent to which team members feel good about coming to work. Four doctoral students, Paige Gardner, Christa Palmer, Stefanie Putter, and Natalie Wolfson, conducted the work under Dr. Byrne’s supervision.
The Employee Organizational Perceptions (EOP) survey was constructed based on a thorough review of the academic research literature, qualitative and quantitative pilot testing, and a final round of validation in which the EOP survey was administered to approximately 1000 team members across a multitude of organizations of various sizes and industries. After the final round of data collection, statistical analyses were conducted to eliminate redundant items or items that were not essential to capturing team members’ organizational perceptions.
The final EOP survey consists of 52 items and 8 subscales. A series of statistical analyses supported the validity of the internal structure of the survey and the connections between EOP scores and critical organizational outcomes (e.g., employee turnover intentions and burnout). The survey is designed and validated to be used as a single survey with scale scores on eight dimensions. All dimensions are required to produce a valid certification score.
According to the CSU research team, there is substantial, valid evidence to support the use of the EOP survey as the Choose People culture measurement tool.
The bottom line: We’re not your average culture consultants.
The Employee Organizational Perceptions (EOP) survey was constructed based on a thorough review of the academic research literature, qualitative and quantitative pilot testing, and a final round of validation in which the EOP survey was administered to approximately 1000 team members across a multitude of organizations of various sizes and industries. After the final round of data collection, statistical analyses were conducted to eliminate redundant items or items that were not essential to capturing team members’ organizational perceptions.
The final EOP survey consists of 52 items and 8 subscales. A series of statistical analyses supported the validity of the internal structure of the survey and the connections between EOP scores and critical organizational outcomes (e.g., employee turnover intentions and burnout). The survey is designed and validated to be used as a single survey with scale scores on eight dimensions. All dimensions are required to produce a valid certification score.
According to the CSU research team, there is substantial, valid evidence to support the use of the EOP survey as the Choose People culture measurement tool.
The bottom line: We’re not your average culture consultants.
