If you are focused on providing your clients and shareholders with a superior customer experience, making certain your employees are ‘happy’ is essential.   Happy employees are more productive, care more about the success of the company, and treat their colleagues – and clients – better.

Now I’m not suggesting that it is a company’s obligation to ‘make’ its employees happy, but there are ways that leadership and management play a formidable part in determining whether their employees enjoy being on the job.  Important questions to consider – Do your employees feel:

• satisfied with their role in the organization?
• that they have a voice in the company, their department, or their area of the organization?
• appreciated – by their colleagues and/or superiors?
• that they understand their role in the organization, and how their role benefits the company as a whole?

If you are not certain how your employees feel, ask them.  Engage your HR department, use an outside consultant or an anonymous, online survey service.  But make certain you ask. . .and react, if necessary.