Can an Effective SMS Enhance Employee Job Satisfaction?

The Safety Management System (SMS) initiative has been widely accepted for the last decade, and continues to grow within the aviation community. Operators have experienced benefits such as an improvement in procedures, cost reductions due to efficiencies, enhanced safety culture and increased management involvement. One benefit that is not widely known is an increase in job satisfaction. Allow me to explain.

Throughout my 30 years in the workplace I have often wondered why some people are excited about their work and others are not. Why do some people love the company they work for and others seem to loathe it? Why are some businesses wildly successful while others fail miserably? If a company’s most valuable asset truly is its people, what would get employees excited about their work, and engaged in their company’s growth and success?

Employee engagement researchers such as Gallup have found that 56% of today’s employees are not engaged at work and 14% are actively disengaged. This statistic is very disheartening considering the key role business plays in everything from our country’s economy to the quality of our personal lives. We are all too familiar with the old saying, “we spent more time at work with our colleagues than at home with our families.” Satisfaction in one area leads to satisfaction in the other.

According to Gallup, work groups that meet the engagement conditions listed below perform at a much higher level and have employees who are highly satisfied with their jobs.

1. Ability to do what one does best everyday
2. Opportunities to learn and grow
3. Coworkers that are committed to quality
4. A known mission/purpose of the company
5. Opinions are valued
6. Individual development is encouraged
7. Clear understanding of what is expected
8. Available material and equipment to do the job

Could it be that SMS helps provide an advantage that leads to job satisfaction?

I do believe that the very nature of our work in aviation is a key factor. Most of us who have been part of this industry understand its strong allure. It’s an industry of technology, innovation and risk. It is home to many people who are doing what they truly love to do. Ask any pilot and he/she will tell you that they love to fly. Ask any maintenance technician and he/she will tell you that they love to fix airplanes and watch them take off again.

Consider just one item on the Gallup list about employee engagement: The ability to do what one does best every day. Is that enough to create job satisfaction? Probably not! However, if we combine a few other SMS conditions we see that job satisfaction can be positively affected. Looking at the four pillars of SMS shows the relationship between engagement conditions and SMS elements.

Safety Policy—An integral part of an SMS sets up a framework of organizational structures, accountabilities, plans, procedures and controls to meet the objectives of creating a clear understanding of what is expected. The unique mission and/or purpose of the organization is known and embraced by its employees.

Risk Management—Materials and equipment (procedures and tools) are available to help employees evaluate and assess the likelihood of harm occurring and to assess the severity of that harm. Opinions matter as the organization finds ways to mitigate and reduce the likelihood of risk to aircraft damage, passenger injury and employee injury.

Safety Assurance—One of the key objectives of SMS is that coworkers are committed to quality and continuous improvement. The organization monitors and measures how it is performing to meet safety goals.

Safety Promotion—Safety promotion is a combination of training and knowledge sharing. Employees have the opportunity to learn and grow by receiving necessary training to remain certified and continuously sharpen their skills. Individual development is encouraged.

A strong SMS can lead to individual job satisfaction and will help recruit and retain the very best people. Longevity leads to a high level of expertise in the cockpit and maintenance shop, while lowering training costs. A win-win for everyone! People want to work for an organization they respect, one where they feel good about their safety and the safety of those around them. When people like their work and environment, they are encouraged to look beyond the task in front of them and care about the overall welfare of the business, the people they serve and themselves. SMS can indeed enhance job satisfaction!