It’s no secret that the quality of your work environment is directly related to the happiness of your employees. Recently, Entrepreneur magazine surveyed a number of employees and gathered some interesting data about the common workplace issues that make them the most unhappy.
From the list of 16 items, here are our top 5 takeaways.
Poor Conflict Resolution
As an employer conflict resolution should always be a priority for you. We all need to look for ways to effectively handle conflict as it happens a lot in business. According to the article from Entrepreneur, nearly 25% of employees feel that conflict resolution is not handled fairly by HR departments. To improve your conflict resolution ensure that you have up to date policies that are on point with your state requirements. Ensuring you have effective and experience human resources staff can also improve conflict resolution. Should you encounter bias in your workplace, handle the situation immediately to ensure that a fair solution is reached.
Credit Taken When NOT Due
Employees want to feel valued and when they are in a position where someone else is taking credit for their work, it can drastically decrease the morale in your workplace. It’s important to have managers or leaders in place that you trust to watch out for situations like these, and ones you can trust not to take advantage of your staff either. A bad manager is one of the fastest ways to hurt your company’s reputation. Encourage your employees to report situations like these immediately, and ensure your HR staff has protocols in place to handle it efficiently.
Limited Opportunities for Growth
When you start in a new position you’re full of hope and excitement. After years of working at the same company with no room to move it can be discouraging to feel like you’re just spinning your wheels. As the cost of living increases, individuals gain more skills, education or seniority it’s important to provide room for these valued staff members to grow. Many companies promote from within vs. hiring outside individuals when they can which is one way to give your employees incentive to strive for more.
Poor Recognition of Work
According to Entrepreneur’s article, 63% of employees felt they did not receive adequate recognition for the work they have done. That number is both astounding and discouraging and can be improved upon with just a few simple changes. Communication is key in any workplace,
Vacation Time
No matter how much you love your job, you need a break sometimes and vacation time is supposed to supply just that. Many individuals have paid vacation time, however, are not being encouraged to use it by those in management roles. Business productivity and profits are of course important, however, impossible if you have burnt out employees working. Taking vacation time is crucial to the bottom line of the company. Encourage your employees to take their vacation times when they need them, and to truly unplug. Avoid contacting them by phone or email to allow sufficient time for some R&R.
Clarity Issues
Clarification is another of the items that make employees miserable and it makes sense. How can we expect someone to come into work, and do their job to the best of their ability without giving them all the information they need? We can’t, and it’s unrealistic to put that expectation out there. Much of employee frustration lies because a lack of clarification and communication surrounding projects they are working on.
Lack of Personal Connection
Yes, the office is a place for professional conduct, however, you need to make room for some personal connection. Employees feel valued when you take the time to remember their name. You or the managers at your company don’t need to know their life story, but extend some common courtesy to address them by name, acknowledge a family presence or ask how they are doing after an illness or injury. That little bit of kindness can go a long ways to ensuring your employees feel like they are more than a number on your payroll. Take time to recognize birthdays and personal milestones. Eating meals as a group also encourages healthy work relations. Try a company BBQ or picnic to celebrate a good quarter or year.
Having an effective human resources team in place can help to improve the quality of your work environment surrounding many of these common workplace complaints. If you need assistance and support, contact Meadows Resources today.
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