Memo to HR: PLEASE STOP WITH THE SURVEYS! One of three things occur with most of these of efforts; management uses the results to justify layoffs, management ignores the results, or management puts in expensive employee engagement programs that do little to increase productivity. Surveys do not beget positive business results.

Why? First, employees have become cynical to these efforts. Second, management is asking the wrong questions. When you ask the wrong questions, you get the wrong conclusions that lead to the wrong-headed initiatives and foster cynicism.

Measuring behaviors and motivators do not lead to any earth shattering conclusions. There is no mystery as to what employees want. It is some combination of more compensation, more interesting work, better life-work balance, more autonomy and more recognition. These are all outcomes however, not the root cause of workforce behavior. More specific questions could possibly draw out specific hot buttons, but it is a circuitous route involving lots of unnecessary work.

Here is the audacious idea: simply ask employees what they actually do. Not their job title or job description, but the skills they utilize on a daily basis to accomplish tasks required of their job. Then, compare that to what management and leadership believe employees are supposed to be doing in their roles. It would not be at all surprising if the gap is significant.

So what does this have to do with employee satisfaction? It’s all in how you interpret the gap. People want to feel that they are doing their job well, empowered to do their job well, and to be recognized for a job well done. When employees and managers are not aligned as to work requirements and goals, there is little chance that people are going to be satisfied. Understanding at a skills level the difference between the work required and the abilities of each worker provides a straight shot line of sight to employee satisfaction and business results.

Then, once you have identified and closed those gaps, then by all means go ahead and do that survey.