IBM Employee Satisfaction Survey

Recently I was asked to fill out an extensive survey on my satisfaction at IBM. I took some time completing it, and thought I would post it here as well.

Below are suggested satisfaction criteria Topics. Please add additional criteria that interest you.


Motivation:
I am motivated when I am allowed to be creative and trusted to do my work with a minimum of oversight.

Career goals:
My goal as a husband and a father is to make sure that at any given time, I have a job that can support my family. I enjoy being in a comfortable position where I can take on important tasks which do not consume me, yet provide great benefit to others. I believe that there will always be a market for kind and thoughtful people who are creative, so I don’t worry about advancing my career, but instead focus on what I can do to make things better today.

Recognition and reward:
I am not particularly motivated by money or accolade. If you give me a dollar, I can buy a candy bar, but I can feed for weeks off the knowledge that I made a real difference in the lives of others. I only view challenging assignments and visibility as a reward when I wanted them in the first place.

Interests/Passions - assignments/career:
I believe that we should be trusted to manage our own careers, but that when we need help or direction with Internal IBM career moves, the help should be given. . . .If there is information we need to know, then we should be told. If there is not any information that we need to know about upcoming changes, I think my energies would be better spend doing my current job better.

Communications preferences:
I would rather someone come and talk to me or call me than send me an e-mail when they have a concern, and I detest the use of BCC.
I don’t enjoy receiving unnecessary e-mail because it just clogs up my inbox.
For the most part, I like to be left to do my job by myself, and I dislike unnecessary meetings.
I like people to speak plainly.

Support requirements:
What I look for in a manager is someone who is there to address any irresolvable issues I may have with customers, and someone who I can go to if I have a question about IBM regulations. I also realize that a manager is someone who can use their time to focus on operational changes that individual employees may not have the time to focus on. (i.e. - Getting more development dollars.)

Feedback requirements:
If there is something I should improve, I would like to be told about it in a constructive way. If not, there is no need for feedback. I like to be trusted to provide feedback to people when I feel it is appropriate.

Equity and Fairness:
I think that the same people tend to do the same things in our queue. The same person does scheduling, the same people do World Trade calls, and the same people tend to get picked for special projects. Perhaps these activities could be opened up for others who are interested. I believe that the vendors in our group should be included treated the same as we are.

Fit:
I understand where I fit in the IBM organization. Sometimes, however, I question whether there is too much emphasis placed on the structure itself. . . .I know some of the IBM executives on a personal level, and I they are not any different than I am.

Overall Satisfaction
As far as my overall satisfaction, I feel that the following statements sum up my thoughts.

• Be truthful and use straight-forward talk in all communications.
• Respect people for their individuality.
• Realize that a lack of a defined goal does not make one aimless.
• Simplify our jobs so that we can focus on what is important, the customer.