How to spot a satisfied employee

I read an interesting article recently titled "Are your best employees thinking about leaving?" and it got me wondering about the attributes of a satisfied employee.  For the vast majority of the candidates we speak with they have one reason or another to be seeking a career move.  We do, however, speak occasionally with a passive or happy candidate who is not interested in having a conversation about a new role.  So what exactly is it that keeps them satisfied at the outset to not even take a call?  And how can you integrate these ideas into your company to ensure your best employees are not one call away from being lured away?

The first sign of a satisfied employee is when compensation is not even a factor.  If I call with a job opportunity that would provide a 20% raise and the candidate says that it would take more than money to entertain a conversation, that is a satisfied employee.  I can relate to this.  When people ask me the question would I ever consider another role I always say that my salary would have to increase ten-fold.  And that still may not get me.  The point being is that everyone has a "price", but if it is artificially inflated to an astronomical figure then it is fair to describe that individual as satisfied with their current employment situation.  Happiness is clearly worth something.

The next sign of a satisfied employee is someone who has a great deal of respect for their boss.  A crucial question I always ask when gauging a candidate's interest is "What would your boss think if you resigned today?"  You would be surprised how many times candidates answer that it would be incredibly difficult to tell their current boss.  Which is a huge red flag for me as a recruiter, but is a sure sign that they like their boss and don't want to do anything to hurt them.

Yet another sure sign of job satisfaction is directly related to tenure.  Once an employee has been at a job for more than five or six  years, it will naturally be more difficult for them to give up that tenure.  If you are with a company for that long you have seen all the warts, can see past them easily, and likely think you are in the best place for the long run.  With people changing jobs every 2-3 years any more, someone who stays with one employer is likely to want to continue that journey.  Their employer has most likely done many little things over the years that add up to a satisfied long term employee.

Lastly, the biggest sign of a satisfied employee is someone who talks all the time about work in a positive manner.  We all know someone like this.  They post pictures on Facebook about company outings, they recruit other people to come work at their company, they are friends with many of their colleagues, the list could go on and on.

So the question is at the end of the day, are you a satisfied employee and why?  What is your company doing to make sure you are NOT taking calls from a recruiter about other opportunities?