It’s too easy to get distracted when running a business. You’re distracted by some of the typical things you worry about. For instance, all your focus is on making money. Yes, this is a business, so you want to make money. There’s nothing wrong with this, but the issue is that you lose sight of some of the things that really matter. Ironically, in doing so, you damage your company’s chances of making money.
This might sound stereotypical, but your employees are the first to be ignored or forgotten about. In your bid to become as profitable as can be, you forget about the people working for you. As a consequence, you could end up with ranks of highly unhappy and dissatisfied employees.
Initially, you don’t see this as a problem – or, more accurately, you don’t notice the problem. However, the longer it goes on, the more damaging it can be. Today, we’re going to look at some of the causes of employee unhappiness in most businesses. Before that, let’s tackle another key question: why are unhappy employees a huge problem?
Unhappy Employees Cost You Lots Of Money
This is the easiest way to condense down all the issues that come on the back of unhappy workers. They will cost your business a lot of money, which is why it is super important to consider their happiness at all times.
How do they do this? To start, unhappy employees are likely to be unproductive. Why would they give 110% to a business that doesn’t seem to care about them? Instead of seeing this as a job they’re passionate about, they see it as a necessity to make a bit of money to live or save. Likewise, they also see this as a stepping stone job, gaining experience to move on to something bigger and better.
Already, unproductive employees cost money because they get less done every day. This could mean you miss out on reaching targets because people just aren’t working as efficiently as they should. Additionally, the fact that your employees see this as a stepping stone job means your turnover rates will likely go through the roof.
A bad turnover rate means you are constantly losing employees and hiring new ones. Do you know how expensive this is for a business? The cost of hiring an employee is astronomical, compounded with the cost of employees leaving your company.
Listen, it is okay to focus on money when running a business – it’s something you need to do. But, you can’t neglect your employees and forget about their happiness. If they become unhappy, you will rarely be able to succeed and make profits. Unlock the true potential of your business by creating happy employees!
What Are The Top Causes Of Employee Unhappiness?
It’s super important to find out what causes employees to be unhappy at work. From here, you can work on addressing these issues and creating a happier and more productive workplace! So, let’s look at some of the common causes of worker unhappiness:
Payment issues
A lot of unhappiness stems from payment issues. Now, there are a couple of different things to cover here. Firstly, employees feel unhappy when they believe they’re underpaid. They compare their salary to others in the same industry or job role, and they realize they’re not getting paid enough at all. Or, they have worked at your company for years and still haven’t seen a raise at all. When people don’t feel like they’re getting paid enough, they become unhappy and start to resent their employer.
Secondly, employees are unhappy when they don’t get paid on time. Or, they aren’t paid as much as they should be because of admin errors. If your payroll system is constantly screwing up, it can create so much dissatisfaction among your workers.
The good news is there are easy fixes for both of these issues. Starting with the latter, you can utilize things like Sling Payroll Tools to ensure every employee gets paid the right amount, at the right time. When it comes to unfair wages, always ensure your workers are being paid the same – if not more – than other workers in the same industry/role. Provide bonuses and raises to loyal employees as well, encouraging them to stick around for longer. If your workers are happy with their wages, they are way more likely to be happy working for you!
No career progression
Similarly, employees hate it when there is no career progression in their roles. Why are they going to stick around if there’s no room to grow? More to the point, why would they bother putting 100% effort into a job that they are likely to leave because there’s no progression?
You need to give your employees something to work towards. Happy and engaged workers are usually happy and engaged because they know their job is leading somewhere. They’re aware that, if they work hard and commit themselves to this company, there’s a big chance they can get promoted or develop their skills.
When there are new jobs available, look to promote from within before searching for new candidates. Show your employees that they have a chance to move up the career ladder and earn more money. It generates a better atmosphere in the organization because people know there’s room to grow.
Left in the dark
Thirdly, unhappiness amongst workers can stem from feeling left in the dark. What this means is they don’t believe they get told anything important. They are just expected to work, work, work, without ever having a say in things.
Sometimes, you can be guilty of doing this without realizing it. When something is yours, you forget that other people are also involved in it. You are dealing with all the plans and strategies, but you need to inform your employees of this. If you are going to make changes, you should speak to your employees beforehand and tell them about them. Get them ready for the new changes or see what they think of the ideas. You can improve your business dramatically if you listen to your workers and get their opinions.
It will make them feel more wanted and important. They start to become part of the team, rather than just a drone-less robot you pay to do things.
Terrible management
Yes, sometimes, you have to admit that your management is terrible. The above point kind of encapsulates this, but it goes beyond what we’ve mentioned there. People don’t like working for businesses that feel disjointed and messy. They like having schedules, being given clear action plans, etc.
If your company lacks good management, people will want to leave. They’ll hate working for you because they don’t feel as though anything is productive. Or, they believe that certain processes are being done incorrectly, and so on.
It’s a good idea to sit down with your employees to discuss things like management. Ask for their feedback – it is always so crucial to hear what they think about the business. Work with your employees to create a company with better management, making them happier.
How Do You Improve Employee Happiness?
You begin by looking at the causes of unhappiness. The points mentioned above are likely to play a role in the discontent of your workers. However, the best way to understand things is by talking to your employees. Think of this as similar to getting product reviews from customers, only you’re receiving workplace reviews from your employees. The feedback should be anonymous, so nobody is scared to give honest opinions.
Collect the information, see what’s causing unhappiness, and then correct it! This will boost your business by creating happy and productive employees that want to stick around forever.
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