How to fix a toxic work place and how to make employees happier?
According to our recent poll, 12% of people hate their workplace, and 31% go to work to pay the bills. In contrast, 26% like their jobs, and 31% love what they do. Of course, this can vary from industry to industry, and in some areas of our economy, up to 90% of employees may hate their jobs.
Unhappiness at work is a common problem that can cause less work to get done and more people to leave their jobs. Some of the reasons this is happening are:
– poor working conditions
– unsupportive management
– lack of work-life balance
– stress
– unfair workload
Businesses that want to keep their current staff and find fresh talent should take the initiative to address these concerns. Here are some steps companies may take to boost employee happiness and retention.
Make the workplace more pleasant. Because most personnel spend the better part of their waking hours in the office (usually 8–9 hours per day). It’s reasonable to think that the atmosphere there would have a major effect on their sense of fulfillment with their jobs. Businesses have a responsibility to provide workers with a healthy and pleasant environment in which to perform their duties. Making adjustments to the physical environment of the workplace, such as those related to ventilation, lighting, and ergonomics, and eliminating potential risks, can fall under this category. In the US alone, 1 in 5 people work in unhealthy environments.
Train Managers! How many of you have seen anyone in leadership positions with zero people skills?
There is no greater source of labor discontent than a terrible manager, while a good one may do wonders for morale in the workplace. Managers need to have access to training programs that help them grow into leaders who are helpful and responsive to their teams’ needs. They can be taught how to get along better with their staff by learning how to give constructive criticism, recognize their work, and make the workplace more welcoming. An actual manager leads by example, so everything people see people do is contagious. One in nine individuals in the US works with a toxic boss, according to a Business Insider article*.
Encourage a healthy work-life balance by instituting various programs. Employees will be very interested in working for companies that offer a good work-life balance. Employers should think about providing alternatives to the traditional 9-to-5 workday, such as working from home, setting your own hours, or even job-sharing. This can aid workers in striking a healthier balance between their professional and private lives, thereby decreasing the likelihood of burnout and stress. A lot of firms ask their staff to work long hours, however, usually after 7 hours of work, focus drops under 40%, and that’s when errors increase in number and things can go south.
Take charge of your task and people’s expectations. The stress levels of the personnel might rise dramatically if their workloads or expectations are deemed to be excessive. Businesses need to make sure workers aren’t drowning in paperwork and have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. These include creating reasonable deadlines, supplying adequate materials, and helping staff members who are overwhelmed. Additionally, you might think about figuring out if one of your team members could complete another task more effectively and possibly reorganize the group so that everyone contributes to a task they enjoy or are good at.
Solving these aspects that make workers unhappy on the job is the best way to keep good talent from leaving. Professionals are more likely to stay with a company that invests in their work environment, management training, work-life balance programs, workload and expectation management, and good benefits.
The second most common cause of employee turnover and possible solutions to this problem will be discussed in the following article. Keep in mind that keeping your current staff is crucial to your company’s long-term success and that it’s never too late to implement some workplace improvements.
