3 signs your workforce are unhappy

As experts in employee survey services, one of the questions we often get asked by clients is “are there any warning signs that our workforce is unhappy?” Whilst we firmly believe that to get the best feel of the current state of your employees’ happiness it is best to use an employee engagement survey, there are still definite red flags that signify that your workforce is not as happy in the workplace as they could be.

We appreciate that as a representative of your business, you may not be particularly interested in your employees’ personal lives. Still, as the old adage goes, a happy employee is a productive employee. And the one thing all businesses strive for is productive employees! And while it is not always the case that a happy team equates to high performance and engagement, it is definitely something that should be encouraged as much as possible. Our employee survey services are expertly designed to offer a comprehensive picture of your organisation’s overall state of well-being. But unless you conduct a regular employee engagement survey then how can you know if your workforce is unhappy? In this blog we will discuss 3 of the more obvious signs that your employees are not as happy as they could be, and what can be done to combat each of these signs.

• Employee relationships

Employee relationships are often pivotal to a happy and productive workplace. Whilst there are exceptions to this, from our extensive experience in employee survey services we have seen conclusive evidence that the better the relationship between work colleagues, the happier they are (and therefore more likely to be more productive in their work). Now, we understand that not all work colleagues are going to become best friends. But employees who work closely with each other should at the very least see each other as allies, working together towards a set goal and sharing a bond over completing tasks as a team. When teams are successfully working together it naturally nurtures positive relationships, which in most cases leads to better productivity from the team as a whole. Although it is worth noting that this is not always the case, we once discovered that the worst performing team for one of our clients were actually the happiest, showing that over-friendliness can sometimes lead to mismanagement and poor communication. But for the most part, having your employees interact with each other in a friendly manner is only going to benefit your business.

But, if you notice that your employees are not interacting as allies, but instead treat each other as threats, competition, or just an annoyance to be tolerated, then this is a definite red flag that all is not well. It may be that you need to address your current company structure to create a more relaxing atmosphere that will encourage positive employee interactions. You could reward your employees with team outings or team-building activities to help encourage a workplace culture of friendship and bonding. If your team can connect at some social level they are far more likely to be more productive working together. 

• Under productivity from a whole team

Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that some employees just seem to do the bare minimum to get a job done. Whilst we all strive for maximum productivity from all of our employees, sometimes it is just not possible. Fortunately, the underperformance of one or two employees will be offset by the hard work of the rest of the team (which in itself can foster ill-will towards the underperforming employees). But what if the entire team is underperforming? If this is the case then you have a serious indicator that your team is not happy. Or, as mentioned above, it may be the opposite end of the spectrum where the team are too over-friendly with each other which can also lead to poor performance as professional lines become blurred.

In a situation like this, it may be that the team feels underappreciated, and has no incentive to do anything but the bare minimum. Our employee survey services have shown that an underperforming team is an unhappy team, so to counter this you could look at putting genuinely rewarding team incentives in place, as well as creating a culture that acknowledges and appreciates the efforts of the employees. With just a few small tweaks you can transform an uninterested and underperforming team into one of the most productive in your organisation!

• High employee turnover

This may sound like a no-brainer, but a high turnover rate is a huge indicator that employees are not happy within your organisation. Forgetting the high cost to the business itself to constantly hire, train and develop employees to fit productively into the team, a high turnover of staff can also disrupt the inter-workplace relationships of your employees. 

So why are you seeing a higher employee turnover rate than normal? Is it the salary or benefits? Is it the company culture? Is there a specific person or persons within your organisation that are difficult to work with? To really understand the fundamental reason for this we would suggest using one of our most popular employee survey services, the 360 feedback report. This will give you a clear picture of how a specific employee, and everyone they interact with on a daily basis, see how they perceive their job role and overall performance. If you can pinpoint the reason for a specific job role’s high turnover you can begin to address the problem, leaving you with a happier, more settled workforce.

Expert employee survey services from The Survey Initiative!

If you are experiencing any of the above red flags then it is time to contact our experienced team. Our team are experts in all types of employee survey services. We will liaise closely with you to design a bespoke employee engagement survey or 360 feedback survey that will offer critical insights into the performance of your team, as well as their general feeling towards their job role, colleagues and the company itself. Remember, an unhappy workforce is an unproductive workforce, so get in touch with The Survey Initiative today so we can provide you with the answers you need to make positive change.