Good news: 76% of Assistant Managers are likely to stay
Bad news: 50% of them are frustrated or disengagedWhat if you never bothered to ask them how they feel?
Understanding emotion takes the mystery out of employee trends and informs actions!
Out of the 2,300 employed by a 107-location fast-casual pizza franchise, 572 responded to emotion-based questions – allowing franchise leadership to better understand employees and risks for disengagement and turnover. Employees represented 6 distinct roles within the franchise.
They were asked how they feel about:
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Participants responded to these questions using Morphii’s® nuanced and flexible interface, equipped with morphii characters – moving graphical images that demonstrate a range of expression to the user, and a quantified data point indicating feeling intensity to the analyst.
In addition, employees were asked “How likely are you to be in this job in a month?” This question generated a comparative measure that was analyzed to explain which, if any, of the emotion-based constructs were driving employee behavior to stay with or leave the company. Respondents selected from responses on a Likert Scale from Very Likely (5) to Very Unlikely (-5) – quantifying reactions on an 11 point scale (5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2, -3, -4, -5).
It isn’t uncommon to find employee experience surveys that ask 20 or more Likert-style questions, a method that compromises engagement and limits data potential. Morphii recognizes that people don’t usually like to take surveys, but they do like to express themselves. To that end, Morphii technology strives to empower businesses by efficiently collecting data in a more engaging and reliable way. The result: detailed comparisons that better inform projections.
In this case, the franchise needed to understand the factors prompting turnover for in-store employees (Customer Service Representatives or CSRs and Drivers). Although insights among in-store employees confirmed troubling levels of indifference and disengagement that lend to increased turnover, the most convincing data came from a different population, the stores’ Assistant Managers. The depth and nuance enabled by effectively capturing emotional experiences using Morphii impacted the prognosis for retention, overall; but, it also revealed a trickle-down effect – originating from frustration and a lack of engagement among Assistant Managers.
As shown in the graph below, data from the Likelihood to Stay question was analyzed with respect to the emotion-based responses from Assistant Managers when asked How do people feel about working here? While most Assistant Managers were not a turnover risk themselves, those planning to stay on expressed substantial indifference (Meh) and anger (Frustrated) – ultimately influencing turnover among Drivers and CSRs. After all, if a significant portion of Assistant Managers harbor negative feelings about working here, then it is difficult to imagine driving more engagement with other in-store employees.
In the end, what was actually driving turnover and disengagement within the franchise’s stores? Frustration among Assistant Managers that originated from a Lack of Trust in their leadership and difficulty Feeling Heard by their managers.
Gallup reports in “The State of the American Workplace” that employees who are engaged are more likely to improve customer relationships, with a resulting 20% increase in sales. [Source]
Understanding emotion is critical to understanding engagement and shaping experiences. Emotional and experiential trends among employees not only impact work culture, they affect customer experience and transform the bottom line.
