Whether you work in a factory, department store or professional office, where you have people working for people you will have complaints.
In many places of business if employees are unhappy with issues regarding their work atmosphere (other than legal issues) there is just the “tough love” policy held by the management. This is where they let the employees know that this just the way it is and you can either stay and live with it or it is your choice to leave.
Management does not want to deal with personnel issues, such as lack of motivation, no reward systems, poor communication, and lack of caring or relationship building between management and staff. Employees are given tasks to do and the expectation is that they just do them, and do them well.
I have talked with many people who work in places where this is the management style and as soon as they can find a different place to work, they leave. I can understand how they feel this way, because when I talking to them I too would hate to work in that type of environment.
This type of work “culture” always amazes me as I wonder if the owners of the company realize the costs involved in hiring, training and then re-training once the trained employees leave because of the poor work environment. Is it really that hard to provide a pleasant environment for people to work in?
One would think that business owners and management staff would want a nice place to work in for themselves, so why would they not be willing to provide a good environment for the others that work there?
Employees all to often complain that they do not feel that they are valued, appreciated, or trusted at work. If employees fail to receive these important factors from management they feel as though they are not personally cared about and are just there to do a job. There is no relationship connection or bonding to the business or the people who run it.
Another common complaint is that employees feel that management does not understand what it really takes for them to do their job. Management just expects it to get done and they do not take that time to figure out how much time it really does take.
From working in a management position in a medical office I know that when things start getting backed up or someone is behind on their job tasks I need to look at the “why” and examine what has been happening as a whole in the office for work to get behind.
By taking the time, and really understanding what it takes to complete the job tasks assigned (because I have done them myself) I then can make the correct call of what is really happening and whether it is an employee issue or an unexpected overload issue. You then can figure out how to get things handled without creating a negative overtone, but instead a tone of “I care and am here to help” atmosphere.
Next time you have employee complaints really take the time to listen and then figure out what is really happening instead of making snap judgments, your employees will appreciate it and you will be a much happier business owner or manager.
08/13/14
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