How do you clean up the mess of dissatisfied employees?

Before spending a dime on team building, cap the pipe

What’s the first thing you do when confronted with a polluted river? You find the source of the pollution and shut that down. Then, you go through the painstaking process of cleaning up the water. We know that cleaning up the river before you find the source is a waste of time.

So, why do we handle employee dissatisfaction differently?

We know the signs of dissatisfaction. If your team’s morale is low, absenteeism is growing, and turnover is high, there is a root cause. We often implement measures to improve the symptoms. I frequently get contracted to strengthen teams, building their confidence and helping them grow, but it won’t work if you don’t find the root cause of your pollution and stop it at its source. Cap the pipe!

What is the cause of the discontent in your company?

Just like industrial pollution, there is a leading cause. Pollution, for example, can be caused by industrial discharges into public waterways. There are many causes for low morale within the team, but management practices are the number one reason by far. Those practices include leadership style, decision-making, and overall management support.

Research on employee satisfaction and preferences often reveals striking insights about the importance of management quality. A notable finding is that many workers would prefer a change in management over financial compensation. Here are some key studies and statistics that illustrate this point:

• Gallup's State of the American Manager Report (2015): Gallup found that about 50% of employees have left a job to escape their manager at some point in their career. This statistic underscores the significant impact that management quality has on employee satisfaction and retention.
• Randstad US Study (2017): A survey by Randstad US revealed that nearly 60% of employees would choose a new boss over a pay raise. This highlights how deeply management quality affects employees' work experience and job satisfaction.
• Forbes Insights Study (2016): Forbes Insights conducted a study where 65% of employees said they would prefer a better boss over a higher salary. This statistic further emphasizes management's critical role in an employee's decision to stay with a company or seek employment elsewhere.
• Ultimate Software Survey (2019): According to a survey by Ultimate Software, 80% of employees said they would be willing to forego a raise to work for a more empathetic boss. This suggests that employees highly value the emotional and relational aspects of management.

These findings indicate that many workers prioritize good management and leadership over monetary compensation. The preference for improved management reflects the significant impact that supervisors and managers have on employees' daily work lives, job satisfaction, and overall well-being.

Cap the pipe!

How do you stop this from continuing? The first thing you do is cap the pipe. Find the root cause of the damages and either eliminate or fix it. Too often, I have worked with organizations that try to put bandaids on the wounds of their employees instead of the executives changing their ways. If you haven’t heard this expression before, it’s fitting - it’s like putting lipstick on a pig.

As we have just learned, poor management practices cause employee dissatisfaction. Ineffective leadership styles, poor decision-making processes, lack of support from management, and inadequate communication are examples of these poor management practices. When management fails to meet employees’ needs and expectations, it often leads to decreased morale, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates. Effective management practices are crucial for creating a positive work environment and ensuring employee satisfaction.

Before you hire a team-building company, do a deep dive into the cause and effect. Is it you? Is the VP of Finance or Operations causing so much discontent? Are you willing to change or make difficult choices to improve your team?

At the Kole Performance Group, we know that it is hard to make these tough decisions. But the hard work you do today will lead to a better tomorrow.

If you are willing to work hard, we have an opening for a new long-term engagement. Let’s have a 30-minute discovery call to explore how we can work together.

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