It’s no secret that employees that are happy with their job tend to work harder, treat customers better, and have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line. Meanwhile, employees that are not satisfied are more likely to negatively impact the workplace, either by becoming a toxic employee and dragging everyone down, or by finding another job and costing the company time and resources to find a replacement.

So what can employers do to keep employees engaged and satisfied? A recent survey conducted by Rymax Marketing Services set out to find the answer.

The survey, which included over 200 employees from across the US, found that company leadership has an enormous impact on how employees feel about their workplace. The infographic below shows some of the key findings from this survey, including:

• 1/3 of respondents said what they disliked the most about their job was senior leadership and upper management
• 52% indicated that their boss provides no direction or objectives
• Only 41% said upper management is accessible and that it makes a difference in how engaged they feel

Respondents also indicated that being recognized for their hard work and dedication made a difference in how they felt about their workplace. Although 69% of respondents said that if they were rewarded for their efforts they would feel more motivated, only 15% of respondents said they feel valued and respected at the end of the workday.

If your company is struggling to keep employees engaged, it could be because your employees feel unappreciated and in the dark about the company’s performance, goals and/or policies. Keeping open lines of communication and recognizing employee accomplishments are key to employee satisfaction, and ignoring these could be hurting your bottom line.

If you are ready to improve employee engagement, setting up an employee recognition program (or revamping your current program) is a great way to motivate employees to work hard, while rewarding them for a job well done.