We all like to believe that everyone in our workplace is equally passionate and devoted to the job. Unfortunately, odds are at least one of your employees will inevitably become dissatisfied with their job. This can occur as a result of a variety of things (sometimes being completely out of your control), but when this does happen, it will pose a risk to your company’s overall morale and production.
Many employees won’t come out and tell you, “I’m not happy here”, but there are certain signs that may indicate an employee is unhappy. If you can spot these, that will help you to spot a dissatisfied employee and work to address their concerns before they become a permanent problem.
1. Declined Productivity
When employees are happy and engaged with the work they’re doing, it’s not uncommon for them to regularly go above and beyond in doing their jobs. You can count on happy employees to produce consistent great work.
If you notice that an employee who used to crank out a ton of work is no longer producing at the same rate, that worker may very well be unhappy. Depending on how much their productivity has plummeted, they may have already mentally checked out.
2. No Engagement in Team Activities
When workers are content with their jobs, they don’t mind putting in some extra time to get to know their colleagues a bit better. While they might not make it to every single company gathering, they’ll show up to at least some of them.
Unhappy employees are less likely to invest the effort to join extracurricular events. Take note if one of your employees is a consistent no-show at your after-work events. Coworkers are a important component to employee happiness. Happy team members will engage with their coworkers. If you’ve noticed that one of the chattier individuals has suddenly become silent, there’s a chance there is an issue.
3. Lack of Feedback or New Ideas
When workers are engaged, they are always thinking about how processes can be improved and how their company can be more effective. To this end, they are quick to offer their insight into why things might not be working as well as they could be and their ideas as to how things can become even better. The happiest employees are always sharing their thoughts in both private and team meetings.
Unhappy workers, on the other hand, simply want to leave the meeting room or office as soon as they can. You won’t hear any constructive feedback from these folks. If they do speak up during meetings or brainstorming sessions, it’s likely they will be tearing other people’s ideas down instead of serving up some of their own.
4. Negative Attitude
Happy employees are quick to offer to lend a helping hand when their colleagues ask for it, and they’re pleasant to be around.When employees become unhappy, they may complain about everything or become rude to coworkers. Whenever someone comes up with a new idea, they trash it. If they have new responsibilities added to their plate, they become agitated. This behavior can spread throughout the team and undermine the happiness of the entire organization. If a number of your employees start complaining about the same person, it’s a red flag.
An employee could be unhappy with the job for personal reasons (such as feeling like they aren’t appropriately compensated, or not getting along with other members of their team), but occasionally an unhappy employee could be a sign of a bigger problem within the organization. If an employee is unhappy, rather than quickly writing them off as the next to leave, consider whether the root cause of their unhappiness is something that needs to be addressed. If they are unhappy enough, and there is an actionable reason behind it, it could escalate to a costly employment practices liability insurance claim. Your business isn’t only at risk from outside threats; your New Jersey Business Insurance program should also cover employee claims.
About Provident Protection Plus
At Provident Protection Plus, we have served the businesses and residents of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania for more than 65 years. We are a wholly owned subsidiary of Provident Bank, the region’s premier banking institution, and we are prepared to offer you personal, business, employee benefit, and risk management solutions. To learn more about our coverage options, contact our specialists today at (888) 990-0526.