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The modern workplace is rapidly evolving, but it seems like not much has changed when it comes to management practices. And with new generations entering the workforce, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for them to adapt to these old ways under new circumstances.
In fact, according to a study, even 70% of American workers are not engaged in the workplace and this is especially true for Millenials. While they feel enthusiastic towards work at first, they quickly get demotivated by old management practices.
So, why do employees have such negative feelings towards their bosses and workplaces in general? Let’s go over some of the common things that make your employees hate their workplace and how to avoid them.
Outdated technology
Baby Boomers are slowly but surely being replaced by Millennials in the workforce. And as a generation that grew up in the digital world, they are no strangers to the latest technological innovations.
There’s little that can annoy this tech-savvy generation that constitutes almost half of today’s workforce than outdated technology.
As a matter of fact, no one likes doing things the old-fashioned way if there’s an easier, more effective solution. So, if you haven’t kept up with the latest tech solutions and automation tools to make the tedious tasks easier for your employees, they probably hate it.
Paper checks
Speaking of outdated, paper checks have also been replaced by more convenient alternatives. Nowadays, most businesses are striving towards paperless offices and automation, so paper checks are becoming less and less practical.
In fact, they only seem to be a waste of time and paper. Dealing with checks every month is not only a hassle for those who receive them, but it also makes the entire payroll management way more complicated than it should be.
So if you want to do your employees, and especially your accountants a favour, switch to personalized employee income cards and integrate them with payroll automation software. Besides, it’ll turn out more cost-effective for you as well.
Micromanaging
Employees love to have autonomy and at least some amount of freedom in the workplace. It allows them to be creative and give their own personal touch to what they’re doing. If you micromanage them, they will feel restricted and unmotivated.
They’ll also feel like they’re not capable enough and that you don’t trust them if you watch every move they make and organize every second of their day.
So, if you want your employees to be happier and more productive in the workplace, trust their judgment and let them make their own decisions – it will pay off in the long run.
Toxic work environment
Narcissistic leadership, micromanaging, cliques, fights and gossip are all signs of the toxic work environment. If you recognize any of these signs in your workplace, your employees are probably miserable and can’t wait to leave the office.
Look for ways to improve interpersonal communication and make your employees more assertive. While you can’t expect all of your employees to get along perfectly and be best friends, you can at least create a culture of respect in the workplace.
Incentivize positive and assertive actions, and penalize negative ones to avoid creating toxic behavioural patterns.
No room for growth
The modern labour market is not only a place for workers to find a paying job that they’ll keep as long as possible but a place to build a career path which will allow them to constantly grow and improve.
In a culture like this, your employees will feel extremely unmotivated if they don’t have room to grow and climb the corporate ladder.
To help your employees find motivation and satisfaction in what they do, offer them training and education. Encourage them to learn new skills and constantly grow their knowledge, reward progress and offer promotions when they show improvement.
Mandatory fun
While it’s important that your employees feel comfortable in the workplace, they shouldn’t be obligated to have fun while working. Today, the culture of mandatory fun is becoming more and more popular, putting unnecessary pressure on employees to enjoy their time spent at the office.
Moreover, mandatory fun doesn’t stop at the office – it also spills into employees free time in the form of team building activities and spending leisure time with coworkers.
Granted, these activities are important, but if you overdo them, you’ll waste your employees’ valuable free time and make them miserable. So, if you want to improve employee satisfaction, provide them with a healthy work-life balance and give them the opportunity to have enough free time for fun activities of their own choice.
Over to you
Do you recognize any of these patterns in your workplace? If you do, it’s not the end of the world. The important thing is to identify them and start working on slowly eliminating them. To help you achieve this, follow these tips, and both you and your employees will see the benefits.
