Are You Unknowingly Creating Unhappy Employees?

by Patrick Barnett January 15, 2016
January 15, 2016

Are You Unknowingly Creating Unhappy Employees?Happy workers yield productive companies. Unhappy employees breed contention, deflate company morale, and consume company resources.


What’s most unfortunate is that many unhappy workers are talented individuals who could potentially help cause your company’s profits to skyrocket. The problem?


You may have created a work environment that provoked unhappiness in promising employees. Read on to discover ways you might be creating an unbearable company culture without even realizing it.


Unsupportive Management

In a workplace happiness survey conducted by TINYpulse, manufacturing employees were found to be the least happy.


And what was the primary reason for their unhappiness? Unsupportive management. One employee stated that it was challenging to carry out assigned tasks because task requirements fluctuated. Directives from management lacked clear direction.


Some additional ways in which management failed to support their employees were through insufficient resources to carry out job responsibilities and having poor systems in place.


Lack of Communication

Employees desire clear and open communication from management. Communication is a two-way street. Not only does one speak, one listens – intentionally and without using what was spoken as ammunition.


But some employees withhold the goings on of the company for fear of backlash. The most appropriate communication strategy for your company would be contingent upon your company culture and objectives, but the most successful entities figure out how to effectively communicate with their employees.


And employees typically respond to those efforts with eagerness and engagement.


Untrustworthy Management

Close to 30% of former employees surveyed in 2012 resigned due to “loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders.”


Can your employees trust your commitment to creating a company culture in which they can flourish?


Employees trust management teams that offer clear company goals with consistent follow through. They also trust those who invest time in getting to know their employees individually.


Lack of Employee Trust

After vetting new employees, do you trust your decision?


Some managers don’t, and their self-doubt is demonstrated through micromanagement.


Micromanagement communicates lack of trust in your employee’s skills. If you assign projects, and then proceed to involve yourself in every stage of development, you might snuff out your employee’s ambitions and creativity.


Even if an employee’s performance could improve, intense supervision can cause him or her to feel as though you don’t trust them to carry out assignments. A Gallup survey found that employees are more productive and generate higher quality work when management focuses on their strengths instead of their weaknesses.


Lack of Employee Investment

Hiring staff is only one phase of the process. Once new hires become part of your team, their contributions to your company are partially dependent upon you.


Your employees bring their unique contributions, but skills development requires mentorship. When you invest in employee training and development, you help them develop skills that inspire company growth and helps them feel empowered.


When senior staff genuinely cares about employee’s level of work satisfaction, it makes employees feel valued and invested – two conditions that aid in retention.


Over to you – what are you doing to foster happiness in your employees?

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